Imagine hearing a church member and research scientist remark, “I often
feel more accepted by my non-Christian colleagues in the lab than I do by my
fellow church members.” An isolated comment? Not quite.
Funded by the Templeton-sponsored Scientists in
Congregations program, our two-year initiative is eliciting several similar
comments. Escalating culture wars and the recent election season have expanded
the perceived divide between science and Christianity. Too often church members
feel they must choose either biblical faith or scientific materialism. We are
challenging that perception.
The Scientists in Congregations vision “calls for a sustained, creative collaboration between practitioners in
the fields of science (scientists or science educators) and theology / faith
practice (pastors) who are already engaged with one another through shared
participation in the life of a congregation.” Our large, evangelical mainline
church in Boulder, CO, is well-suited for this collaboration. For nearly 140
years we have been neighbors of the University of Colorado, Boulder, where many
of our church members are employed in teaching or administration. Many
congregants also serve in federal research laboratories or privately owned
technology firms. Science fills the air of our rarefied Rocky Mountain region,
one of the best-educated portions of the U.S. Our grant seeks to build bridges
of listening, learning, and constructive engagement within our church
membership and beyond it into our northern Front Range community.
The first bridge is between a pastor and a scientist in the congregation.
I am particularly fortunate to have as my grant co-leader a University of
California at Berkeley-trained Ph.D. in chemical engineering, an ordained
Presbyterian elder who is exceptionally well-read theologically. Allan Harvey
is a scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and we
have enjoyed many profound conversations about the theological implications of
recent scientific discoveries. These have taken us into new ways of interpreting
human origins in Genesis, taking into consideration paleontology, cosmology,
and the Human Genome Project. We are probing theistic evolution and traditional
understandings of the Fall and reflecting on what it means to be made in the
image of God. We are tackling concepts like the human soul, free will, and the
implications of brain science.
We have recruited a planning team of church members who are climate
scientists, geologists, biologists, and physicians. Since a number of church
members serve in health care, a large component of our Scientists in Congregations project will include exploration of faith and the health sciences.
We began by hosting focus groups for scientists, learning about their
challenges and needs. We moved on to luncheons for both scientists/science
educators and physicians/health care practitioners. These informal gatherings
allowed us to listen to the concerns they face as Christians in their fields
and to offer our thanks for their service in these important areas. As a psychiatrist
remarked with enthusiasm, “The church has never done anything like this for us
before!”
We have gathered congregational questions on science and faith for
inclusion in an FAQ website.
A sermon series on Genesis 1-3 explored fresh approaches to these
ancient texts. We have hosted a geology field trip that combined worship and
devotions with a detailed exploration of Boulder’s striking Flatirons
formations. We are planning further field trips led by congregational
scientists (for example, in botany and astronomy). In a mutually enriching way,
these allow us to wed our faith and appreciation for God’s beautiful creation
with solid scientific insights provided by experts in our church.
With a sister congregation in Fort Collins, we have cosponsored a weekend
conference combining the teaching of a Christian physicist with a
pastor-theologian. The grant allowed us to bus our church members north to this
venue to enjoy an all expense-paid day of learning together. Most recently, we
have hosted the DVD series “Test of Faith” produced by the Faraday Institute, a
group of evangelical scientists in the United Kingdom. This six-week class
attracted over 100 participants each Sunday, only half of whom had a background
in the sciences.
To date, the Scientists in
Congregations program has been well-received by
a majority of our congregation. However, some more conservative (and vocal)
congregants have voiced their concerns, perceiving this offering as a potential
slippery slope into theological compromise and apostasy. As leaders, we have
realized there is a necessary pastoral care component to our project; we need
to be non-anxious and open to meeting with people to hear and discuss their
concerns. Yet at the same time we must stand for what we believe are the
complementary aspects of God’s truth expressed both in the Book of Scripture
(special revelation read with open minds and the eyes of faith) and the Book of
Nature (general revelation studied with the tools of science). In this current
climate of division and suspicion, striking this balance is not easy.
It is delightful to watch how this Scientists
in Congregations program has spread beyond our
church walls. We have been featured in a local newspaper article and we are
noticing that our church members are bringing scientific colleagues and friends
from other churches to our gatherings. But most gratifying of all is the quiet,
transforming effect this program is having with some who have previously felt
alienated by the church. One long-time church member shared these words:
I felt
acceptance by the congregation required a closed-minded, simple regurgitation
of litanies whether they had meaning or were applicable to life as we currently
must live it. I continued to attend sporadically, but out of a sense of
spiritual duty, not from joy. I even came to the point of questioning my faith
in Christianity and the religious practice of it.... And then I started
attending the class on Science and Christianity. Because you were willing to
open a dialogue within the church membership about very important and
significant things, I feel renewed.... I have not only found that there are
many within our congregation who struggle with the same issues as I do, but
that we can come to a reasonable, thoughtful reconciliation.
Guest Post: Carl Hofmann
[Bio: Carl Hofmann (M.Div., 1991; D.Min., 2002) is an ordained
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastor serving for the past ten years as associate
for spiritual formation and discipleship at the First Presbyterian Church of
Boulder, CO. Together with elder Dr. Allan Harvey, they lead the Scientists in
Congregations program in their church
(http://fpcscienceandfaith.wordpress.com/). Carl is married to Rupali and they
have two sons, Jason (18) and Jordan (13).]
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