The “modern” world introduced to the human family a way of looking at the universe that eliminated the possibility of a supernatural realm. With the advent of the scientific method of discovery, believing in the supernatural came to equal mere superstition. What could not be observed, categorized, and manipulated by human effort was banished from human reality.
Admittedly science has made huge contributions to humanity. From disease control to healthy diets to knowing what toxins to avoid in our environment—all of the discoveries and progress in these areas are deeply indebted to the scientific method. This world is a much better place because of science.
But in its obsession to examine, manipulate, and improve this realm science has refused to consider the possibility of another realm. Unfortunately, this secular approach to life has profoundly influenced our world. So much so that even people who still claim to believe in the supernatural in theory (e.g., church going North Americans) have very little practical information on how the two realms intersect–much less any real trust in or patience with the other realm. Our insatiable appetite for worldly busyness keeps us from ever seriously engaging the supernatural realm in any meaningful way.
The Bible reveals what many human beings perceive intuitively: there is more going on here than meets the human eye. Our existence, as chaotic and ambiguous as it seems at times, is more than matter sustaining itself independently of any Life behind all that we can observe. The Bible tells us that our struggle is not with the chaotic busyness that occupies our time and drains our energy. Rather, our struggle is with the “powers and principalities” that are, right now, right this minute, waging war against God in the heavenlies. As God’s people on earth that warfare spills over and becomes our warfare.
Perhaps we need to pay more attention to the spiritual realm. Perhaps we need someone to give us some accurate information about it. Perhaps we need to take heed of exactly how God is responding to the chaos and ambiguity that we observe in the creation. Perhaps we need to slow down and take a closer look at the powers and principalities and the implications their existence has for our lives here on earth.
Life in a New Millennium 
February 12, 2008 at 9:36 pm
[…] Powers and Principalities Let me recommend an excellent article by Robert Odle regarding the supernatural. You can read it here. […]
February 12, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Excellent article Bob…I have recommended it on my blog.
Dwight
February 13, 2008 at 8:12 pm
As a physician (and therefore,if not a scientist, at least a “scientifically learned person”), and also an Episcopal minister, I thoroughly endorse what you have said. The supernatural world is not subject to experimental test, tho there may well be (anecdotal) observational evidence.
Certainly we cannot “prove” God’s existance, but it seems to me that, while it is possible that the universe could have happened by chance, it is highly unlikely. It would require me to believe that 1. the big bang was a cosmic, statistical accident, with no particular cause (possible, but unlikely); 2. THe laws of physics were pure coincidence (possible, but unlikely) 3. There just happened to be about 23 amino acids whose structure matched up with patterns of RNA, which in turn matched up with patterns of DNA, so that life could exist (possible, but come on, now!) 4. since these conditions existed, the right combinations of RNA just happened to come into existence somewhere by accident, along with the right amino acids, which then spontaneously began to convert energy and to reproduce (possible, but get real!) 5. After a long chain of lucky random mutations (and, of course, many, many more unlucky variations) the complex life forms we know developed in a long but finite time. (Possible, but are you kidding?) Unless there are a plethora of universes (and there is no evidence for that) the probablity that the universe is unplanned seems to me pretty close to zero.
I do believe evoloution was God’s method of creation, but it seems to me incredible that this chain of unlikely events could have occurred in a mere 20 billion years–and only about 5 Billion on earth, and most of it in the last 100 million years or so.
That science cannot study the supernatural is not evidence against its existence, it is only evidence that science has limits. I can live with those limits, but “more things there are in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than your philosophy has dreamt of.” (Hope I got that quotation right!). Blessings, Foster +