Pastors and Science Blog

Readers of Jesus Creed blog know how often science and faith comes up, and so we commend to you this new blog by our friend Justin Topp:

Promoting Scientific Literacy in Pastors

Pastors often have questions about science but struggle with finding the tools or time to answer them. This, combined with a lot of science misinformation can make the discussion of “science and faith” a heated one.

My colleague (Craig Story) and I at Gordon College have funding to create a week-long retreat-style course on scientific literacy for pastors. This course is all-expenses paid and will be taught during the summers of 2014 and 2015.  The aim of the course is to create a group of pastors who are committed to learning more about the scientific enterprise. We will spend the first day discussing the interaction of science, philosophy, and Christian theology. The remaining days will involve more in-depth looks at areas of science that interface with our faith. After the course is over, we hope the conversation and dialogue between pastors will continue via our website.

If you are a pastor who is interested in this course or you know of a pastor who is, more information can be found at www.gordon.edu/pastors.

We the instructors have had our own experiences discussing science with our pastors. However, we need to hear from pastors more broadly about their experiences and interest in specific scientific areas to refine the course. We have included a survey link in the above website to solicit feedback from pastors that are interested. Yes, that’s right we are asking you to share your opinions and perspectives for the opportunity of giving you a free course!

 

Justin Topp

Associate Professor of Biology

Gordon College