If the cultural conversation requires people to choose between their faith and science, most will choose faith, but we don’t have to ask people to choose. This is a false choice.
At the same time, Haarsma said, there are some Christians who present faith as opposed to evidence, instead of “faith as a lived-out commitment in response” to evidence. She also said that heated anti-science rhetoric from a minority of Christians online encourages scientists to dismiss people of faith as a whole.
So, I asked Haarsma, what is the path to reconciliation? If this dichotomy between faith and science is truly a false dichotomy, how do we purge it from our broader cultural discourse and imagination?
I heard her voice rise with passion. This is her life’s work and the work of her organization. She offered practical steps: The message to religious communities needs to be, “Don’t trust science instead of God; trust science as a gift from God.” Church leaders can praise God for creation and the unique ability to be able to study and understand it. Churches can also spotlight scientists, especially people of faith who are leaders in their fields. (BioLogos has a bureau of scientists and other scholars who speak to faith groups.)
As @Tish_H_Warren shows, we need to discuss science and religion in a way that's meaningful for people's day-to-day lives. There's @SinaiSynapses & @AAAS_DoSER, @BioLogosOrg, @Sci4theChurch, plus work by @daviddesteno. And of course, @templeton_fdn! https://t.co/tdcGGDKUoV
— Geoffrey Mitelman (@RabbiMitelman) November 8, 2021