Rheology and Theology

A professor writing in the Kyeongyang Magazine introduces us to his musings on the science of rheology,which is concerned with the flow characteristics of matter.   A professor  in Israel, who worked with his colleague Bingham who gave  the name to the science, added the  Deborah number which characterizes the fluidity of materials.

To name the number, the Israeli professor used the verse from Judges 5:5, "The mountains trembled (flowed) in the presence of the Lord."  This was the song  by Deborah, the prophetess of the Lord. Even solids, given enough time, will flow; the smaller the Deborah number indicates that the material is less solid and will flow more easily; the larger the number the more solid it is and the more time it takes to flow.

The professor notes that with the change of the first letter of rheology, from R to T, results in the word 'theology.' Although the word for flowing, in Greek, is 'rheo,' and the reason for the name, the studies in the science of rheology have helped his theology, the professor says. He has over 30 years of study in science, and in his life time he has not seen the mountains moving. But with God, in whom a thousand years are like one day, he has little difficulty in seeing the mountains flowing like the rivers.

He admits to not understanding all that he studies, and there are more than a few times when he has been completely flabbergasted. The more he studies the more he realizes how much he doesn't know. The  science of polymers, his field of study, considers the properties of "numerous natural and synthetic compounds of usually high molecular weight, consisting of up to millions of repeated linked units, each a relatively light and simple molecule."  It's a world where he can contemplate, he says, the wonderful workings of God's creation.

For those who say God is dead he recommends they study the world of natural science. The more they enter that world and try to uncover the mysteries they encounter there, the more they will praise God. It was during his college years, when he began his study of science, that he made his acquaintance with God  and was "born as one of his children."

Studying polymers has deepened his understanding of God. It allowed him to see more of the hidden intention of God, his providence and his presence. He feels this in the depth of his heart.