Wired Word Lesson of the Week
Topic for Sunday, August 23, 2026:
Quantum Physics Can Teach Us About God, Say Physicists: While physics might not seem to have much in common with the Bible, a Catholic physicist named Vincenzo Tamma believes that quantum mechanics can point us to God the Creator and help us to understand the world of nature. This lesson will reveal the ways in which quantum physics can help us to make sense of our world, and to grow in faith and understanding.
In the News
Individuals are encouraged to read the news below related to this topic before the August 23rd bible study to be prepared for an engaging conversation:
The study of our world at the smallest atomic and subatomic levels is called quantum physics or quantum mechanics. This branch of science focuses on the fundamental building blocks of the universe, including atoms, electrons and photons. Instead of following predictable rules, quantum mechanics relies on probabilities, and it supports new technologies such as quantum computers and secure communications.
While it might seem far from the world of the Bible, quantum physics can help us to understand the truth about our world and enable us to grow closer to God the Creator. Such science can help Christians to "think about how God made the world," said Catholic physicist and professor Vincenzo Tamma, "because it describes the deepest level of how nature works." In a recent interview in the National Catholic Register, he explained that quantum mechanics gives us fundamental "insights into nature, the way God willed it and has ordered it."
No coursework in physics is required to understand these connections. Instead, Christians can begin by seeing that God gave humanity two sources of revelation: the created universe (nature) and the written word (Scripture). Nature is an open book available to all people everywhere, communicating without written pages or human language. Because God authored both nature and Scripture, the truths found within the physical world and the Bible will not contradict each other. "The laws of physics," said Tamma, "and especially the quantum laws -- are part of the 'book of nature,' and God is the one who gives those laws."
Can quantum physics prove that there is a God? No, it cannot, said Tamma, "because God is beyond the natural world and beyond the scientific method, even the laws of quantum physics." But the laws of nature, and especially the quantum laws, make sense of the natural world and point us to a higher order of reality -- a Creator God. "That is why many physicists have spoken with awe and wonder about the universe," he reflected. Quantum physics "shows that creation is intelligible, yet still ultimately points beyond itself to God."
Arnold Sikkema, a Protestant physicist and professor, wrote on the blog Sensus Divinitatis that quantum physics "has opened up new ways of thinking about the world that resonate deeply with Christian thinking." While quantum mechanics does not prove the creeds of the church, it does not undermine them. "In fact," he said, "it invites us to see creation as more mysterious, more relational, and more open to divine action than the mechanistic worldview of classical physics ever allowed."
Tamma sees "a real need, in both society and the Church, for scholars to bring together different kinds of knowledge -- especially quantum science, philosophy and theology." He wants to be part of a community of scholars, driven by a search for truth, "who can do rigorous research together, remain people of faith, and help one another understand reality, God and creation more deeply."
Quantum physics can even help to bring people to Christian faith, according to Tamma. "Science can help us read creation and Holy Scripture more deeply, but it does not put God in a box. God is free, he acts through secondary causes, and he continues to act in creation." Tamma believes that quantum physics can support dialogue "between science and theology by opening people to mystery [and] showing that nature is real, intelligible and ordered for human good -- all of which can point beyond itself to God." In the history of religion, notes TWW consultant and physicist James Gruetzner, "Christianity looked upon God's entering into the material world in Jesus, which made the physical world worthy of study while bringing in a framework of orderliness."
Sikkema believes that quantum mechanics reveals the relational nature of reality. He says, "As a Christian, I believe that creation is not a closed system but a dynamic, responsive, and relational reality, one that mysteriously reflects in some way the character of its Creator." Since God is a Trinity -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit in an eternal, divine relationship -- it makes sense that God remains in relationship with the world. "God is not a distant watchmaker who set the universe in motion and then stepped back. Instead, God is intimately involved in sustaining and guiding creation, moment by moment."
More on this story can be found at these links: