ELCA NEWS SERVICE
October 4, 2004
Lutheran Scientists And Pastors Gather For 'Sunday Scientists!'
04-185-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- About 45 scientists and pastors, members
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, studied the links
between their Christian faith and their vocations and avocations
in science and technology. They gathered here Sept. 17-19 for a
"Sunday Scientists! Symposium" sponsored by the ELCA Alliance for
Faith, Science and Technology.
"The aim was twofold," said Dr. Kevin Powell, a member of
the Alliance, symposium organizer and a pediatrician, College of
Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "One was
to improve how Lutheran congregations relate to science, and the
other was on a more personal level," he said.
"For many of these people there's been a conflict between
science and religion, and they are people who really want to
integrate the two. They feel that what they are doing with their
vocation is what God has called them to do," Powell said.
"The symposium was to give people cognitive tools, emotional
support and some affirmation from the institutional church that
yes, what they are doing is in fact God's calling," he said.
"This was a great opportunity for people to come together to
think about what it means to be a scientist and a Christian and
how to live this out in their daily lives," said Gail Bucher,
retired pharmacologist and chair, ELCA Alliance for Faith,
Science and Technology, Belmont, Mass. "It met all of our
expectations and probably exceeded them," she said.
The symposium attracted Lutheran pastors, scientists,
retired scientists and students, Bucher said. Some pastors were
trained in the sciences as well as Christian ethics and
congregational dynamics. The scientists represented such fields
as astronomy, atomic physics, biochemistry, biotechnology,
chemistry, computer science, environmental chemistry,
mathematics, meteorology, molecular biology, neuroscience,
nuclear chemistry, organizational biology, physics and public
health.
Participants came from California, Colorado, Illinois,
Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico,
New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia,
Washington and Wisconsin. Their ages ranged from early 20s to
80s.
"If nothing else happened, we have now a great network of
folks from within the ELCA" who can be a resource for the church
and a support system for each other, Bucher said.
The symposium's agenda included worship, lectures,
discussions and activities. Speakers included:
+ Sarah Fredericks, a doctoral student in science, philosophy and
religion, Boston University, Mass.
+ Dr. Theodore Hiebert, professor of Old Testament, McCormick
Theological Seminary, Chicago
+ The Rev. Antje Jackelen, associate professor of systematic
theology, religion and science, and director, Zygon Center for
Religion and Science, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
+ The Rev. George L. Murphy, ELCA pastor and trained physicist,
pastoral associate, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Akron, Ohio, and
adjunct faculty, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio
+ Dr. Scott Nichols, scientist, Dupont, West Chester, Pa.
+ The Rev. Patrick Russell, associate pastor, St. Peter's
Lutheran Church, Lafayette, Pa.
+ Roger Willer, part-time associate for studies, ELCA Division
for Church in Society, and doctoral candidate in theology,
University of Chicago
Presentation topics included a history of the interaction
between science and religion, neuroscience and theology, and
genetically modified organisms. Small group discussions dealt
with the minimum scientific and theological understandings the
modern Christian needs, a Bible of the book of Genesis, and the
United Methodist Church's position on science and creation
theology.
"George Murphy and Antje Jackelen handled the topic of
evolution and creation," Bucher said. "These are very difficult
issues for Christians who are scientists to get their heads
around" and to explain how creation and evolution can co-exist in
the faith life of a Lutheran scientist, she said.
Some of the most interesting speakers were the participants,
Powell said. They discussed their experiences in ELCA
congregations and gave the Alliance some ideas on how to proceed,
he said.
"Our aim is to make congregations friendlier to science so
they can understand the world they are living in, which is so
profoundly influenced by science," Powell said. "People in the
congregations, especially the non-scientists, recognize how much
their lives are affected by science, but they can be very
frustrated trying to figure out how to impact that change," he
said.
-- -- --
Information about the ELCA Alliance for Faith, Science &
Technology is at http://www.elca.org/faithandscience/ on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
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