Hi guys! Sorry for the delay- I was travelling this weekend, and for some reason my post wouldn't post from the road.
I've already sprinkled this theme throughout this series. Heavily. The theme that we shouldn't fear Science killing our (or others') Faith. I've said things like "Jesus doesn't need to be defended." And "nothing I can learn can separate me from the love of God." And the entire article I wrote for RELEVANT Magazine was aimed at this theme. Where I said things like: Science and faith are not at odds, Studying science can deepen your relationship with God, Pursuing science will lead you to worship, It doesn't have to be confrontational, and Science needs Christians.
I also said, "God and I do science together." Nothing could be more true. My science has deepened my faith. It has deepened my awe of God and Creation. It has reminded me (constantly) of my reliance on Him. Late nights writing papers (testing my physical limits), collecting data with no way to know if the experiment will work or what (if anything) you'll find, presenting my work (overcoming fears, traveling)... the list can go on. PhD programs are intense. The kind of science training I'm going through requires my reliance on my faith. I'm not sure how people without faith handle this kind of program without breaking. Knowing that my All-Knowing, All-Powerful Creator-God is always with me is a huge comfort. In reading the Psalms, I can imagine David as a PhD student running from deadlines instead of the soon-to-be King running from Saul, "...I cling to You; Your right hand upholds me..."
The fact is Science isn’t going away—and we shouldn’t want it to. We can educate ourselves and become a part of the system. We can draw near to God through exploring the most mysterious corners of His creation, and we can advance science at the same time.
In the comments on RELEVANT's Facebook share of my article (I know, never read the comments, right?), a woman commented that I contradicted myself a bit. I was disheartened by the prayer I received, but pointed out that my program was decidedly not friendly to Christians. Not a contradiction. My program was never going to drag me away from Jesus. But that doesn't mean Christians are well-accepted there. Academia can be a bit hostile to faith. But it doesn’t have to be. But it isn’t going to change until more Christians are willing to jump in. It's up to us to change the culture.
So, be willing to let God lead you into Science, if He so chooses. And don't discourage others from doing so. Put on the whole armor of God. And know that you don't have to put down the sword of the Spirit to pick up your erlenmeyer flask or your EEG electrodes.
I've already sprinkled this theme throughout this series. Heavily. The theme that we shouldn't fear Science killing our (or others') Faith. I've said things like "Jesus doesn't need to be defended." And "nothing I can learn can separate me from the love of God." And the entire article I wrote for RELEVANT Magazine was aimed at this theme. Where I said things like: Science and faith are not at odds, Studying science can deepen your relationship with God, Pursuing science will lead you to worship, It doesn't have to be confrontational, and Science needs Christians.
I also said, "God and I do science together." Nothing could be more true. My science has deepened my faith. It has deepened my awe of God and Creation. It has reminded me (constantly) of my reliance on Him. Late nights writing papers (testing my physical limits), collecting data with no way to know if the experiment will work or what (if anything) you'll find, presenting my work (overcoming fears, traveling)... the list can go on. PhD programs are intense. The kind of science training I'm going through requires my reliance on my faith. I'm not sure how people without faith handle this kind of program without breaking. Knowing that my All-Knowing, All-Powerful Creator-God is always with me is a huge comfort. In reading the Psalms, I can imagine David as a PhD student running from deadlines instead of the soon-to-be King running from Saul, "...I cling to You; Your right hand upholds me..."
The fact is Science isn’t going away—and we shouldn’t want it to. We can educate ourselves and become a part of the system. We can draw near to God through exploring the most mysterious corners of His creation, and we can advance science at the same time.
In the comments on RELEVANT's Facebook share of my article (I know, never read the comments, right?), a woman commented that I contradicted myself a bit. I was disheartened by the prayer I received, but pointed out that my program was decidedly not friendly to Christians. Not a contradiction. My program was never going to drag me away from Jesus. But that doesn't mean Christians are well-accepted there. Academia can be a bit hostile to faith. But it doesn’t have to be. But it isn’t going to change until more Christians are willing to jump in. It's up to us to change the culture.
So, be willing to let God lead you into Science, if He so chooses. And don't discourage others from doing so. Put on the whole armor of God. And know that you don't have to put down the sword of the Spirit to pick up your erlenmeyer flask or your EEG electrodes.