[I add here that we should also be a little careful about the "science" of such a survey. The results and responses might be skewed for various reasons. It remains to be seen if Protestant clergy are as anti-evolution as this one survey indicates.]
Nevertheless, just for the record, I'm one of the 3 out of 10 pastors who finds evolutionary theory a compelling and reasonable explanation of the rise of life on our planet and the origins of biological diversity. In fact, I'm part of an incredibly small 12% of Protestant clergy who think evolution is coherent with a biblical picture of human origins.
I wish they would have included Catholics in their survey, who have generally confirmed the lack of conflict between evolutionary theory and Catholic theology.
For one example of how Lutherans engage science faithfully rather than reject it in knee jerk fashion, see our most recent social statement on Genetics.
For a great journal on the topic of the relationship between faith and science, see Zygon. For a great foundation researching questions at the intersection of faith and science, see the Templeton Foundation.
And for all of you who drift over into the fantasy section of the bookstore after perusing science titles, I add this: I see no tensions between faith and science, only opportunity for conversation and mutual exploration. I also don't reject dragons, elves, hobbits, and dwarves. I love fantasy as much as science. And did I mention parallel universes? Don't get me started. Love 'em!
Count me in as a Protestant pastor who finds no conflict between the discoveries of science and faith - though we may well disagree on how we interpret or use those discoveries.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, which is why it is important for churches to do the hard work of engaging scientific discoveries. Our genetics social statement should be just one example.
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