Afternoon dialogue between Deborah Haarsma and David Robinson
The pandemic has dramatically increased the levels of polarization and politicization around science. The word “science” has become a weapon in the culture wars; scientists are vilified and their findings ignored, while conspiracy theories go viral. Sadly, these dynamics are reaching our churches and are even magnified by faith leaders. Yet we must be discerning about science; scientists don’t always get it right and we need far more than science to make good public policy decisions. When should and shouldn’t Christians listen to science? How can Christians bring a faithful witness to the public square? How do we address tensions and misinformation in our churches? Used well, science and medicine can be gifts from God to enhance the church’s ministry in proclaiming the truth, caring for the sick, loving those we disagree with, bringing hope, and discipling the next generation.
Deborah Haarsma is President of BioLogos. She is a frequent speaker on modern science and Christian faith at research universities, churches, and public venues, and her writing appears in several recent books. As a research astronomer, Haarsma has studied galaxy clusters and the expansion of the universe using telescopes around the world and in orbit. She holds a PhD in astrophysics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Learn more about Deborah on the BioLogos website or on Twitter.
