My Blog Article on TCPC eBulletin

The most recent eBulletin for The Center for Progressive Christianity (TCPC) has published a blog article I wrote about recent findings in evolutionary biology and how these resonate well with religious faith and ethics.

Check out my blog article on my blog page or at TCPC.

Evolution Favoring Religion?

A recent post by Mark Vernon of Religion Dispatches traces some findings of David Sloan Wilson who is a biologist researching and suggesting that the so-called "selfish gene" proposed by evolutionary biologists of the past is a fallacy. Instead, Wilson's research has lead him to posit the idea that we haven't, as humans, evolved toward the ends and purposes only of the self but rather more toward the aims and benefit of the groups in which individuals live.

Although I haven't delved very deeply into the findings of Wilson, what he's suggesting is quite exciting to me. The notion that we are genetically geared toward doing what's best for the communities in which we work, play, love, live, etc. just makes sense to me from my own personal experience of the world but also from the perspective of evolutionary theory. That is, the maximum potential for survival and sustainability for individual organisms seems best when the larger group of relationships is taken care of primarily. This is because we are, as most if not all life-forms, social beings and thus need the safety, security, and social identity of the community in order for us to survive and prosper as individuals. In other words, the well-being of the group maximizes the well-being of the individual, and not necessarily the other way around.

This lines up quite nicely with the beliefs and practices of most world religions which emphasize the spiritual importance of the community. In Christianity, the Church as the Body of Christ is the community that mystically participates in the love of Christ, carries the good message of liberation from sin, suffering, and death into the world, and supports each other in spiritual growth and transformation through the Spirit of God dwelling in and among its members. Though some Christian denominations emphasize this aspect of community more than others, it was certainly part and parcel of Jesus' message of the Kingdom of God and has historically always been of central significance in the life of the Christian individual. Without the Church, the individual Christian is somehow unfulfilled in the sense that the community of Christ in the Spirit is an essential aspect of the identity and well-being of the Christian. Through the support, loving relationship, and teaching of truth of the Church, the individual Christian finds a home, a family, an identity that shapes their spiritual life. As Thomas Merton has stated in quoting John Donne, "No [hu]man is an island." Amen to that.

To read the whole article, check it out at Religion Dispatches here.

Video of How Science and Religion Debate is Like Professional Wrestling

"In this multimedia presentation, McCane and Mathewson reveal how the equally toothless performances of New Atheists like Richard Dawkins and creationists like Ken Ham share more with the garish world of Hulk Hogan and the Iron Sheik than with serious scholarship." (Religion Dispatches)

Watch the video here.

Though I'm not much of a professional wrestling fan, this presentation not only brought me further insight into the science and religion "debate" it also shed a new light on the creativity and artistic quality of professional wrestling that I surely never had thought of before.

New Book on Buddhist-Christian Dialogue and Science

B. Allan Wallace has written a new book called Mind in the Balance: Meditation in Science, Buddhism and Christianity. Though I haven't had a chance to purchase and read it yet, it looks to be a wonderful scholarly analysis of the inquiry into human consciousness through the meditative techniques of Buddhism and Christianity with the inclusion of modern scientific research into these practices.

"By establishing a dialogue in which the meditative practices of Buddhism and Christianity speak to the theories of modern philosophy and science, B. Alan Wallace reveals the theoretical similarities underlying these disparate disciplines and their unified approach to making sense of the objective world." (Center for Progressive Christianity)

Read the full review of Wallace's book at the Center for Progressive Christianity.

Watch a video of Wallace talking about his book.

Religion and Science: Toward a Postmodern Truce

In a recent article for Religion Dispatches Philip Clayton argues that, despite the apparent oppositional relationship between religion and science, these two systems searching for truth are actually heading toward a "truce" via our present postmodern sensibilities.

It's an interesting article for those who keep up with the religion and science dialogue. Read the essay at Religion Dispatches.

Teaching the Dalai Lama's Monks: Better Religion Through Science

"A scientist/professor in an experimental program teaching science to the Dalai Lama's monks explains why this project is so much bigger than this one program, bigger even than working to reconcile religion and science." (RD 7.1.09)

These interactions between Tibetan monks and scientists are very important in the increased understanding between religious practitioners and scientists through dialogue. However, we must keep in mind that it's not simply religion that must be open to learning from science but also science drawing insight from religion as well (which I haven't seen as often). It's important that the religion-science conversation is truly two-sided -- a real dialogue rather than two disconnected monologues.

Arri Eisen has the story at Religion Dispatches.

New Psychology and Religion Journal

A new journal, Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, has been launched earlier this year which publishes articles using experimental and correlational methods, qualitative analyses, and critical reviews of literature pertaining to topics of religion and spirituality. The editor is Dr. Ralph Piedmont and is published (and thus approved) by the APA.

This journal is a significant move in the relationship between science and religion, particularly from the scientific side of the issue. That is, since the European Enlightenment and scientific revolution, which centralized and standardized the use of reason and empirical methodology, scientists have largely been reluctant to attempt to study humans concerning religion and spirituality. However, this journal represents an attempt by science (specifically, psychologists who have been for decades trying to attain increasing credibility in the "hard" sciences) to better understand what religion and spirituality are about from the perspective of the cognitive and behavioral scientific perspective and using these methodologies. As the first academic peer-reviewed journal to treat how faith affects human behavior, it is a monumental step in the direction of greater learning among scientists about the benefits of religion for humanity and will boost the dialogue between scientists and people of faith.

See more info about the journal at the APA website.

Listen to the editor Dr. Piedmont in an interview on Interfaith Voices.

(Above image from APA journal webpage.)

Let’s Talk About God: New Book Redefines Faith Debate

Recently, outspoken atheist critics of religion such as Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Richard Dawkins have popularized the a-religious, or even anti-religious, perspectives through their prolific and often witty publications. They've argued very publicly for an ultimatum: either you don't believe in God/Ultimate Reality or you're intelligently deficient (to put it nicely). There have been relatively few theists or pro-religionists that have retorted in any substantial way -- a notable example being Alister McGrath who has published significantly against especially Richard Dawkins (see The Dawkins Delusion).

In a forthcoming book called The Evolution of God, Robert Wright reframes the debate by not asking "Is God real?" but rather addresses how the notions and understandings of God have evolved over time in history. His argument centers on the fact that there is much potential and actual expression of benefit and good that has come of religious scripture, belief, practice, and life than is recognized by some atheistic, anti-religion writers.

The most compelling and important idea he presents is in a hypothetical conversation with a biologist. He relates God to an electron. He tells the scientist that you know the electron is there but you can't know anything about what its properties are like through observation of any kind. Rather, we believe electrons exist because of the effects that they have on the physical world. Similarly, it's only reasonable and fair that the possibility be considered that there is an Unseen Reality that effects our reality and in which we participate; perhaps we might say that love, truth, and goodness be understood as the primary expressions of the Divine effecting human experience. Admitting this kind of analogical reasoning is an important step toward greater understanding and mutual learning in the atheist-religion / faith and reason debates.

In Unity, we surely fall in the category of belief in the reality and power of God, but since we also have shown a significant amount of interest in the sciences (especially the new science or quantum physics) it is possible to set an example for other religious denominations by highlighting this sensitivity in our ministries, outreach, and publication. Espousing a flexible and open-minded worldview, Unity is in the strategic position of being at the forefront of the dialogue (rather than debate) between atheists and religious people because of this value of plurality, diversity, and the compatibility of the spiritual and scientific spheres. (In fact, Unity Institute's Lyceum 2009 scholarly conference has the theme Science and Religion: An Evolving Dialogue, which is a testament to our awareness of the need and importance of this conversation.)

Lisa Miller of Newsweek has a review and commentary of The Evolution of God.

Science, Consciousness, and the Soul -- David Chalmers article

Author David Chalmers writes an article for EnlightenNext magazine about science, consciousness, and the soul -- a look at new theories of awareness that embraces both the spiritual/mystical and quantum physics/neuroscience dimensions of the issue.

Check out Chalmers's article on EnlightenNext.

Francis Collins and the BioLogos Foundation

Geneticist and Christian Francis Collins has stepped down just last year from his role as director of the Human Genome Project (1990-2003) and has already founded a new organization, BioLogos Foundation, (launched last Tuesday April 28) which seeks to bridge the perceived gap/debate between science and religion (particularly Christianity). Collins aims to communicate to others the compatability he sees between science and Christianity by fostering dialogues between Christian and scientist leaders as well as creating science curricula for Christian schools.

Daniel Burke of the Religion News Service interviews Francis Collins about the new project.

John Polkinghorne, Christianity and Science

Anglican physicist and theologian John Polkinghorne is dedicated to showing how physics, biology, and geology can be employed by Christian (as well as other) theologians as they're doing theology. Using science in our task of interpreting, understanding, and making sense of our faith and practice is important for us in today's context, which is pervaded by scientific inquiry and worldview. The more we, as theologians, are able to traverse and keep up in the realm of science the better we'll learn the intricacies of the physical/material world (an unavoidable part of our daily lives and God's good creation) and the more conversant we'll be in our dialogues with members of the scientific community.

Dr. Polkinghorne is another one of those amazing people who is able to crossover between the theological and scientific disciplines with great ease; an ability I admire, to say the least. His new book, Theology in the Context of Science (Yale, 2009) examines what scientific topics like space and time can teach us about God, and how a scientific style of inquiry can benefit theologians.

See the brief interview with Dr. Polkinghorne the Religion News Service has recently published.