Scot McKnight over at Jesus Creed is letting RJS guest post about Francis Collins and his book The Language of God.
The discussion is lively and civil–one of the trademarks of Scot’s community. It is also heady, another trademark that gives me pause everytime I leave a comment there. I always wonder, Am I smart enough to talk to these people?
In related news, TODAY Terry Gross rebroadcast her interviews with Francis Collins and Richard Dawkins from March 2007.
Just in case you don’t like streaming interviews, you can read my interview with Dr. Collins from last month. Be sure to catch part two as well. You might also be interested in a related interview with Dr. John Medina.
I especially like what guest blogger, RSJ, says in one of her commments:
I am a chemist/physicist and a university professor.
I have sat in church services or functions with my children, listening to a speaker or preacher paint scientists and university professors as “evil†and to be challenged.
Likewise I have heard similar things, knowing that visiting graduate students, scholars, and/or faculty colleagues were in the audience.
I have watched typical evangelical video presentations, the most notable one from Josh McDowell, where points are deemed best made by ridicule and derision of scientists and academics.
I have had more than one pastor tell me I am being overly sensitive in suggesting that this might be a problem.
Is it worth turning people off with rhetoric and ridicule – often before they even come in the door?
I don’t know why, but this issue of faith vs. science makes me sad. Even in the context of a good, cordial discussion. The stories are too real, you know? I’m afraid to talk about this topic in my church because I don’t want people to lose respect for me over an issue like this. On the other hand, I know too many logic minded folks who are turned off by the anti-intellectual attitude that the church often falls back on.
Maybe it’s good that I’m afraid to talk about this. Maybe this is a case where angels fear to tread? From this post, you can tell that I’m no angel.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree that sometimes evangelicals preach reactionary, out of fear, instead of intelligently discussing the existing science out there. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we treated those we disagreed with in civility and kindness? If we treated people with differing views (no matter what the view), with the kindness of Jesus? If we treated them with the same respect we would like to be treated?
A very lively discussion, thanks for letting us know about it.
Mary, your comment made me so happy. Why do we forget to ask ourselves those questions most of the time?
Dan, good to hear from you, man.
It says in Collins’ bio something to the effect of reconciling his faith and science. That statement is sad to me–that these two arenas have to be reconciled. It’s the same in other areas–faith and art, faith and work, faith and the physical dailiness of life.
Of course, that’s part of the message of the gospel–reconciliation–so it shouldn’t surprise me.
What frustrates me is not that the reconciliation needs to be done for new believers who are figuring out what this faith means to every part of their lives. It needs to be done for old and fast believers.
I fear this comes from bad theology, relegating faith to a private sector of our life, to a “spiritual” sector (as if we can really separate spiritual and physical). We shouldn’t decry scientists any more than we should artists or CEOs or salespeople or teachers or…
Then again, we do all the time, don’t we?
Thanks for posting this Marcus. I will be interested in going over and reading what has been going on. I’ve just come from a conference where, out of 600 or so, I think that I may have been the only believer there. I do have the joy of returning tomorrow to a congregation where I am not the only scientist there – and that is a great blessing indeed.
We have, as a Sunday School class, been studying world views – the major ones anyway – and how that basis alters the way all of life is interpreted. It is so sad to me that most of the Christian community decides that Science is not an unfolding of God’s truth, no matter how poorly interpreted by the scientists, but rather somehow antagonistic to faith.
I agree with RSJ, rhetoric and ridicule do not make good arguments for anything, much less one who looks through the lense of logic.
Heather, good to hear from you. Powerful comment. At the end I was left wondering–do you think Christians regularly decry scientists, artists, CEOs, teachers, etc.? Or that we hear traditional professions and daily work belittled from the pulpit?
Susan, I thought of you as I was doing the Collins interview. I’m glad you’ve found a way to reconcile faith and science in your own work!