How Can Science and Religion Integrate with One Another? Recent Research Reveals Riveting Revelations.
The question is not why religion or science should have prominence over the other. Rather it is how both schools of thought can coalesce and support one another. This is a challenge posed to the students of Profs. Nancey Murphy and Jeffrey Schloss, who themselves faced the dilemma of trying to find the proper balance between science and religion, personally and professionally.
Below is a link to a recent lecture they both gave on the subject of altruism or human kindness: Is altruism sufficiently guided by evolution? What is the rational credibility of Christian faith? What are the rational standards applicable to science that can be applied to theological theories?
Murphy is Professor of Christian Philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminar. She describes her youth as two separate environments: one where academia is put into a Christian framework and one where academia viewed religion as either archaic or a non-issue.
Schloss is Professor of Biology at Westmont College and Director of Biological Programs for the Christian Environmental Association. Schloss wasn’t raised in any particular faith tradition but was always interested in becoming a scientist. But when he was introduced to a quote from Confucius in the 6th grade, he decided to go into philosophy as well.
Entering college, Schloss yearned to bridge two schools of thought that weren’t talking with one another: the mechanisms of science with explanations of meaning (characteristic of philosophy and religion). Finding religion but professionally a scientist, this desire for bridge-building continued, striving to deal with issues of meaning and stewardship of the natural world and the origin and character of human beings.
Is Today’s Academia Breeding Tomorrow’s Theologians and Scientists?
One may ask of Murphy and Schloss: what is their typical student like?
Most possess Evangelical/Protestant backgrounds–no big surprise there. But interestingly their students would also confess to having neither a conservative nor liberal theological or political viewpoint.
According to Murphy, 1 out of 3 admittedly never considered that a relationship between science and religion could exist before they started Murphy’s class. Another 1 out of 3 admitted to already being convinced or taught that such a marriage was impossible.
For Schloss and his students, they might consider the current debates on religion passe. While possessing the characteristic rejection of isolationism and anti-intellectualism of yesterday’s academia, they are unapologetically committed to thinking through one’s religious commitments.
Instead his students are chomping at the challenging idea of how religion and science can intertwine. This generation of students don’t want to be force-fed answers to this riddle but want to work their way through it.
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