Michael Faraday, one of the fathers of modern science, was a devout Christian in a strict group of churches called Sandemanians, who tried to follow the New Testament pattern for churches in a way similar to the Brethren. Consider just how strict they were. When Faraday received an invitation in 1844 to meet with Queen Victoria on a Sunday, he accepted, though it would entail missing church services. Two weeks later he was forced to forfeit his position as elder since he refused to repent of what he had done. He was restored to church fellowship after a few weeks, but it was 14 years before he was restored to eldership. The church’s position was that he should have put Christ before Queen. They had a point, but they enforced it too strictly, in our estimation, especially since Faraday delighted in church attendance all his life and almost never missed services, following in the footsteps of his godly parents. At the same time, most churches today are frightfully loose in regard to church membership and its obligations. The members of the first church “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). If that biblical standard were applied to church members today, most congregations would find their “membership” numbers decreased in a most dramatic way, and in our way of thinking, that would be a good thing. Like most of the fathers of modern science, Michael Faraday believed in divine creation and accepted the Bible as divine revelation. He said: “The Christian religion is a revelation, and that revelation is the Word of God.” Of his scientific research he said, “The book of nature which we have to read is written by the finger of God.” When reporters inquired about his “speculations” as to life after death, he replied, “Speculations! I know nothing about speculations. I’m resting on certainties. ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth,’ and because He lives I shall live also” (Charles Ludwig, Michael Faraday: Father of Electronics). The Sandemanians did not obey the Great Commission, being inward looking rather than evangelistic, and the last Sandemanian church closed in 1984. Though one of the founders taught that saving faith is mere mental belief in Christ, in Faraday’s case, he made a public profession of faith at age 29, even though he had “believed” from his earliest years. (Friday Church News Notes, February 27, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143) Comments are closed.
|
Archives
February 2020
|