Quantum Physics and the Existence of God: A Scholarly Reflection
An Academic Newsletter from Shimba Theological Institute
The dialogue between science and theology has often been marked by tension, suspicion, and mutual misunderstanding. Yet, in recent decades, quantum physics has opened up a new frontier where the mysteries of the universe appear to converge with the language of faith. Rather than displacing the divine, the discoveries of quantum mechanics provide fertile ground for theological reflection, pointing toward the existence of God as the ultimate ground of reality.
Quantum mechanics challenges the classical, materialist worldview by revealing a universe that is not deterministic, cold, and mechanistic, but deeply relational, dynamic, and dependent upon observation. The phenomena of wave-particle duality, the collapse of the wave function, and the nonlocal entanglement of particles suggest that consciousness—or some transcendent observing reality—plays a constitutive role in the very fabric of existence. The question arises: who was the first observer at the dawn of the universe? The most coherent answer is God, the eternal and omnipresent Mind in whom “we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
The fine-tuning of physical constants further strengthens this claim. The extraordinary precision required for the emergence of life cannot be dismissed as chance. Quantum physics demonstrates that reality itself is not a brute fact but is undergirded by mathematical beauty, harmony, and intelligibility—qualities that the Christian tradition has long associated with the Logos, the Word of God made manifest in creation. In the words of physicist Max Planck, “Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature. And that is because, in the last analysis, we ourselves are part of the mystery we are trying to solve.”
Thus, the rise of quantum theory has not weakened the theological vision of the cosmos. Instead, it has invited humanity into a deeper awe, where science and theology converge in acknowledging that reality is not self-sufficient but grounded in an infinite, intelligent, and personal Creator. In this sense, quantum physics does not merely describe the material universe—it gestures beyond it, toward the God who sustains all things seen and unseen.