Bang!

(This article originally appeared on One Flew Over the Church)

I remember growing up and hearing about the "Big Bang" theory pertaining to the origin of the Universe. I heard about this from several sources - school, books, television and I even recall a magazine cover (I think it was Time) that highlighted the theory. Being a modern evangelical Christian, I dismissed the theory, cramming only the information needed to record a satisfactory grade on a science test and then discarded the info in favor of my personal "Young Earth" theory based on the 6000 years that modern Bible-Belt evangelicals espouse. I continued to wonder what sort of godless heathen could possibly have come up with such heresy.

A few years ago, I had pretty much discarded my 6000 year theory and left my mind open to many theories that account for God's creation being a little more complex than we were giving such an event credit for. I suspected that theories I had heard about God creating the Universe at the speed of light as well as other anomalies could very well account for several million (if not billion) years that could have predated Biblical genealogies.

It wasn't until a few months ago that I happened upon an episode of "The Universe" on the History Channel that was covering the formation of the theory. Imagine my surprise to hear that instead of a godless heathen, the Big Bang was the brainchild of a professor and Catholic priest by the name of Georges LeMaitre. I sat in amazement - even took notes like a diligent college student - as the evidence was presented as it had been compiled.

LeMaitre proposed his theory of an expanding Universe in 1927. Edwin Hubble discovered that the galaxies are flying out from the center of the Universe at an incredible speed in 1929. And then, in 1965 Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson used the Holmdel antenna to discover that the Universe actually has a "sound" (caused by cosmic radiation) - that resembles static on a radio when captured by radio telescope - that is theoretically the echo of the great explosion from all those eons ago.

Now, I know that there are many people who want to dismiss this whole article (and more specifically me) as heresy and/or filth. Give me just one chance to explain a theory of mine.

What if they are right? What if the galaxies are spinning madly into nothingness making the universe exponentially larger with ever tick of our earthbound clocks? What are the ramifications for Creationism if they are right?

Well, here is my one chance (thanks for your patience). Look at two of the theory's precepts:
1) The Universe is constantly expanding - Creation was so incredible that it is still happening daily - stars are born and die, forming new creation such as quasars, supernovas and neutron stars. and the actual space the Universe contains is growing ever larger.
2) The Universe is making a "sound" that can be "heard" on an antenna.

Is it more incredible that God created everything in seven days or that He unleashed a force so colossal that it is still happening even as you are processing my words? How miraculous that the echo of the second that followed the words "Let there be light" can still be heard by scientists today all these years later? I am awestruck to imagine that God is so incredible that He can say "Let there be..." and ages later those things are still coming into being and ages from now you'll be able to detect the echo of their inception over a man-made instrument.

So, I ask you, before you dismiss the science of the theory, please consider its merits in light of the power of a sovereign Almighty God and then with a long gaze out into the cosmos revealed by a clear night sky, ask yourself "How big is my God?"