Something very unusual, and pretty cool, is happening on Monday, April 8, 2024: A solar eclipse. The path of the moon in its orbit will cause it to pass in front of the sun. The result is a total solar eclipse, the sun will be blocked out, in a path across North America. Cities from Mazatlan, Mexico to Montreal, Canada, and everywhere in between, will have a direct view of this rare cosmic event.
As I understand it, an eclipse isn’t really all that rare. They occur every few years. But to be in the direct path, and to see the total eclipse from any one particular location, only occurs every 375 years, or so, according to Dr. Christopher Palma. (1) So, it is a pretty big deal for us here in North America. People will be traveling to different cities across the country to get a once in a lifetime chance to see the eclipse. For those of us who won’t make the trip, we’ll see lots of news coverage and we’re likely to hear a lot about it for days and weeks, maybe months, to come.
Is it that big a deal? Well, again according to Dr. Palma, “The fact that solar eclipses happen at all is a bit of a numerical coincidence. It just so happens that the Sun is approximately 400 times larger than the Moon and also 400 times more distant from the Earth.” (1) Unquestionably, it is a rarity, that fact alone would make an eclipse a big deal. But what’s more, and here’s where I have to disagree with Dr. Palma, an eclipse is not a “numerical coincidence” or a “just so happens” kind of thing.
Now, I’m not dissing Dr. Palma. He is a smart guy. In fact, it is scientists who have shown us how intricately balanced our universe, our solar system, and our planet are. Dr. Palma tells us that the “Sun is approximately 400 times larger than the Moon and also 400 times more distant from the Earth.” This is what causes the eclipse effect. Optically speaking, a much smaller object can block the much larger object. It isn’t just distance and size either, the position of the moon’s orbit around the earth, the earth’s orbit around the sun, and the earth’s tilt on its axis all come into play. Coincidence?
The sun is just the right distance from the earth. If it were slightly closer the earth would be too hot to support life. Slightly farther and it would be too cold. And what about the moon? The moon is exactly the right distance from the earth to create the mutual gravitational pull that is required to sustain life. If it were any different, our tides and climate regulation would be affected. Not only that, human reproductive systems would be impacted. In short: The sun, the moon, and the earth are perfectly placed in order to support life on our planet.
Is an eclipse, created by the exact positions of the sun, moon, and earth, an indicator of the intricate design of the universe? If it is design, then by default, could this design have developed arbitrarily? “Arbitrary” and “design” are mutually exclusive, aren’t they? So, shouldn’t we ask what, or who, is responsible for the design? Perhaps, if we don’t dismiss the idea out of hand, what we have read in the scriptures for thousands of years is the best explanation:
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun” (Psa 19:1-4).
It is no surprise that the arguments for design by a creator and random interactions as the root cause of our beginnings have been hotly debated for centuries. Even though our modern culture dominantly espouses the random interactions view point, others have long held that design makes more sense. And the more we discover about the intricate balance of life the more sense it makes.
The Bible explains what it is that we have always sensed when we look around at our world. When we see the intricacies of the universe, we see God: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Rom 1:20).
I’ve become convinced that one of the keys to evangelism for our current culture and world is not attempting to prove God’s existence. Even though there is plenty of evidence, we can’t argue or analyze people into faith. Our job is not to prove or convince, but rather, as we have opportunity, point people in the right direction and let God do His work on their hearts. Of course, we do our pointing with intentionality and great effort, with love and respect, because “[God] is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9).
One way to point others in the right direction is to help them ask the right questions about creation. When we look around, is what we see really the result of random interactions? No matter how much time it took, does it make sense that all of this “just so happens?” Is it just a “numerical coincidence?”
So, maybe the Great North American Eclipse of 2024 presents us an opportunity. When we talk about the eclipse, will we ask our friends, our families, our workmates, our neighbors, what do you think? “Do ‘The heavens declare the glory of God?’”
love it.
This is so on point: "I’ve become convinced that one of the keys to evangelism for our current culture and world is not attempting to prove God’s existence. Even though there is plenty of evidence, we can’t argue or analyze people into faith. Our job is not to prove or convince, but rather, as we have opportunity, point people in the right direction and let God do His work on their hearts. Of course, we do our pointing with intentionality and great effort, with love and respect, because “[God] is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9)."