Chapter Seven
1. Science has come to dominate and define our collective
culture. Today’s teens and twentysomethings have been even more profoundly
influenced by these developments than previous generations. From their earliest
days, science and technology have had a hand in nearly every area of their
lives—from food production and distribution to medical treatment, from
computers at home and in the classroom to easy and affordable air travel.
- How is this
generation’s worldview different from yours at that age?
2. One reason young Christians feel acutely the antagonism
between their religion and science is that there is animosity on both sides - Western
science has often seen itself as an opponent of faith. We could call this
opposition “scientism,” the assumption that science has cornered the market on
knowledge, and something can only be true if it can be tested by scientific
methods. Unfortunately, scientism’s epistemology (theory of knowledge) has come
to dominate our culture. “True” has come to mean “verifiable in the lab.”[48]
For scientism, what is reasonable just is
what is scientific. The number of atheists (many of whom affirm scientism) is
disproportionately larger in higher education than in the culture at large,
which means that many undergrads each year are unknowingly subjected to the
false dichotomy of “faith versus reason.” On these and other grounds, the
church has reason to feel antagonized by the scientific establishment.
- Where have you
experienced or witnessed this antagonism?
3. I have interviewed scores of
teens and young adults who are pursuing careers in science and I’ve also had
occasion to meet many parents of students gifted in these areas. In the
majority of cases, there is a deep sense of conflict within these young
people—and sometimes with their parents—about staying faithful, given their
interests and capabilities. In my observations, the nomad-scientist simply puts his or her faith involvement on the
shelf, compartmentalizing spiritual pursuits away from career. The prodigal-scientist feels forced to
choose his or her affinity for science over faith and may resent the church for
“forcing” the choice. The exile-scientist
attempts to reconcile competing narratives of a life of faith and the life of
the mind.
- How conflict might be
played with each of these three types?
4. Young adults who do find it difficult to keep their faith
growing through college do so, I believe, because of relational, educational,
and vocational gaps that were left unaddressed in the years prior to and during
college. In other words, when students struggle in college, many times it is
because the Christian community has not provided a sufficiently strong set of
relationships, sense of purpose, or whole-life coaching. This is particularly
true in the lives of science-minded students. We should not assume that the
tough questions of a hostile professor are at the root of lost faith. Rather in
many instances, I believe the Christian community has failed to disciple its
science-inclined students to become responsible, intelligent, capable,
resourceful, and faithful followers of Christ. We need to do a better job
stewarding the intellect of this generation.
- What new
opportunities to “steward the intellect” await us?
5. If how the church has responded to and interacted with
science is a problem, what needs to change? What should be the response of the
Christian community to a science-dominated culture? I believe that people of
faith have a responsibility and an opportunity to speak positively and
prophetically to issues of science, rather than responding out of hostility or
ignorance. We must work together to offer a viable, respectful Christian voice
to our culture’s collective dialogue about stem cell research, cloning, animal
testing, pharmaceuticals, technology’s impact on the human brain and soul,
cosmetic and elective surgery and beauty enhancement, nutrition, agriculture, weapons
and military technologies, and many other matters of science and ethics. This
will not be easy—the learning curve will be steep for many of us—yet if we
desire to steward the next generation for faithful service, we must tackle this
complex challenge.
- Where is the church
most challenged to speak positively/prophetically?
6. Here are some ways we might become credible, trustworthy
partners in dialogue with the scientific community:
- More Science, Not Less
- Scientific Apprentices
- Good Thinking
- Humble Disagreement
- History Lessons
- Review and discuss
each of these strategies.
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