ENGAGING SCIENCE FOR FAITH

“The idea of engaging with science is often being approached more as an argument to be won or with the sense of engaging with a tiger in a cage. It may be a brave thing to do but we’ll leave it to the experts, and they’ll do it.”

The above quotation is how the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, described the attitude of some within the church when he introduced a conversation on science and faith ahead of the 2022 Lambeth Conference for Anglican bishops. It is unfortunate that some people should see the relationship between science and faith in that way, particularly if it dissuades them from following careers in science. It is worth noting that modern science emerged in a Christian context and that many of its basic assumptions have their origins in Christian thinking. 

In his book History and Eschatology, NT Wright outlines how the Christian virtues of humility, patience, penitence, and love can be applied to historical research. An equivalent approach can be envisaged for science. 

Humility is required to accept that a complete understanding of the natural world is unlikely to be achievable, and that a deeper understanding can be reached by engaging with other disciplines.

Patience is needed to go on working with the data and resist premature conclusions. 

Penitence entails the acknowledgement that current assumptions and theories may have distorted reality and that we have preferred the distortions. 

Love is called for because all genuine knowledge involves the delighted affirmation of realities and events outside ourselves. 

The idea that science can involve love may seem at odds with the disengagement and objectification required for scientific analysis. Yet, every day, doctors and other healthcare professionals have to undertake scientific analysis during a personal encounter that is focused on serving the best interests of the patient. 

Using the above approach, the following series of articles aims to show how faith can be enriched when it engages with science.