The United Church of Christ announced Tuesday the launch of its new web-based advertising campaign to reach out to scientists to end the age-old rift between the religious and scientific community.
Efforts toward reconciliation include the purchase of ads on more than 30 popular science-oriented blogs for the month of February. The ads aim to promote both a pro-science, pro-faith message.
“Our hope is to begin to move the church to the place where its public image, public witness and public identity is one of a community of faith that is eager to engage science and to welcome and honor scientists,” said the Rev. John H. Thomas, the UCC’s general minister and president, in a statement.
The 1.2 million-member UCC said the science campaign is part of its “God is still speaking” initiative, which seeks to reach out to groups of people that have been marginalized by the church, either intentionally or unintentionally.
“And, frankly, when it comes to persons engaged in scientific inquiry – geneticists, mathematicians, chemists, engineers, science teachers and students – the church has a history of communicating disinterest, distrust and even hostility,” Thomas noted.
The UCC’s latest outreach to scientists comes alongside the release of a Pastoral Letter on Science and Technology – authored by UCC head Thomas and a nine-member working group of scientists and theologians – that calls the church to “open themselves and our theology to the momentous conceptual changes of our time.”
The pastoral letter, “A New Voice Arising,” will be distributed in February to each of the UCC’s 5,700 local churches. Materials will accompany the letter with suggestions on how churches can host opportunities to study and share about science-related topics in small groups.
The UCC is considered the most liberal Protestant denomination and was the first mainline denomination to endorse gay “marriage” in 2005. Last year it welcomed a Dallas gay megachurch, Cathedral of Hope, to its denomination. The Cathedral claims some 4,300 members and describes itself as the “world’s largest liberal Christian church with a primary outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.”
Conservative Christian critics have said the UCC makes up for its lack of Christian evangelism by political activism.
“Is there a more-left wing Protestant denomination in America than the Episcopal Church? Yes! The 1 million member United Church of Christ (UCC) has lost nearly 1 million member over the last several decades,” wrote Mark D. Tooley, director of the United Methodist committee at the Institute on Religion and Democracy, in a column last year.
Recently, UCC received more media attention following its member, Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) bid for the White House.
Three prominent scientists have endorsed the pastoral letter: Alan I. Leshner, chief executive of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Charles Townes, a UCC member who received both the Nobel and Templeton prizes for physics; and Ian G. Barbour, a physicist and theologian who won the 1999 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.
"In the same way that UCC states that it cannot ignore the context in which it functions, neither can the scientific community ignore its societal context," Leshner said. "For this reason, we see a dialogue between science and religion as vital."
RSS
ebc, “Since all miracles are impossible, they conflict with science.”
Duh huh, what is science, but a theory of knowledge based on certain presuppositions? If miracles were scientifically based, they wouldn’t be miracles now would they? If you want to believe in super-natural selection, that’s your prerogative, but don’t patronize us with this bit about science having all of the answers. And don’t pretend to be a theologian, just because you have read a few half-baked claims on the internet.
“Evidence for structural difference/ descent does not constitute evidence for the mechanism by which structural transformation took place.” -David L. Wilcox
http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/fte/darwinism/chapter13.html
Apropos to Rev. John H. Thomas's call for engagement between science and religion, God has been proven to exist based upon the most reserved view of the known laws of physics. For much more on that, see Prof. Frank J. Tipler's below paper, which among other things demonstrates that the known laws of physics (i.e., the Second Law of Thermodynamics, general relativity, quantum mechanics, and the Standard Model of particle physics) require that the universe end in the Omega Point (the final cosmological singularity and state of infinite informational capacity identified as being God):
F. J. Tipler, "The structure of the world from pure numbers," Reports on Progress in Physics, Vol. 68, No. 4 (April 2005), pp. 897-964. http://math.tulane.edu/~tipler/theoryofeverything.pdf Also released as "Feynman-Weinberg Quantum Gravity and the Extended Standard Model as a Theory of Everything," arXiv:0704.3276, April 24, 2007. http://arxiv.org/abs/0704.3276
See also the below resources for further information on the Omega Point Theory:
Theophysics http://theophysics.gigacities.net
http://geocities.com/theophysics/
"Omega Point (Tipler)," Wikipedia, January 23, 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Omega_Point_%28Tipler%29&oldid=186311623
"Frank J. Tipler," Wikipedia, January 5, 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frank_J._Tipler&oldid=182407923
Tipler is Professor of Mathematics and Physics (joint appointment) at Tulane University. His Ph.D. is in the field of global general relativity (the same rarefied field that Roger Penrose and Stephen Hawking developed), and he is also an expert in particle physics and computer science. His Omega Point Theory has been published in a number of prestigious peer-reviewed physics and science journals, such as Reports on Progress in Physics (which is the leading journal of the Institute of Physics, England's main professional body for physicists), Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (one of the world's leading astrophysics journals), Physics Letters B, the International Journal of Theoretical Physics, etc.
Prof. John A. Wheeler (the father of most relativity research in the U.S.) wrote that "Frank Tipler is widely known for important concepts and theorems in general relativity and gravitation physics" on pg. viii in the "Foreword" to The Anthropic Cosmological Principle (1986) by cosmologist Prof. John D. Barrow and Tipler, which was the first book wherein Tipler's Omega Point Theory was described.
The leading quantum physicist in the world, Prof. David Deutsch (inventor of the quantum computer, being the first person to mathematically describe the workings of such a device, and winner of the Institute of Physics' 1998 Paul Dirac Medal and Prize for his work), endorses the physics of the Omega Point Theory in his book The Fabric of Reality (1997). For that, see: http://theophysics.gigacities.net/deutsch-ends-of-the-universe.html
ebcdic:
God Word has never failed. Its the same Word that was preached beyond two thousand years ago. It was the same Word proven on the cross. It is the same Word today. God Word is still going forth (future). Jesus is salvation to those who believe and follow His example.
In beginning (God's time), God(force) created (motion) the heavens(space) and the earth (matter). These are the guiding principles of all of science without them there is no science. Check with any scientist and see if time, force, motion, space and matter are not fundementals.
Questions: If science cannot prove something does it make it wrong? And if science cannot prove where man for the universe came? How reliable is science? ebcdic please answer these three by your admission the Bible is made up?
This is called a made up story. It's completely against science. If you people want to believe in an anti-science religion, I don't care, but you could at least be honest about it. This wild claim that christianity has no conflicts with science is lying. It's lying to yourselves and it's lying to everyone else.
So I guess you are made up too because science cannot tell you where you derived. Science has neither proven where the universe came. It has a lot of theories. But theories aren't proof; they just what they are defined as conjectures and speculation. You can weave any number of facts together you choose but that doesn't make it right.
ebc,
To the Christians who assume the Genesis account of Creation conflicts with science, I would say that either the scientific perspective is wrong, or their understanding of the Bible is wrong. In either case, there is no insurmountable contradiction between science and Christianity.
Regarding the case of the science teacher, a true Christian would never threaten another human being, even if the case was much more serious. What you are observing is cultural Christians who do not understand their faith. In any case what happens in society is not of any consequence to my point, I only said that science does not refute Christianity, and it does not.
You assume that scientists do not have time to deal with Christians, which is very funny considering the vast amount of time Richard Dawkins, the atheist poster boy, has spent dealing with Christians, and how much time angry "scientists" spend arguing against Christians.
(Yes I copied and pasted, because you did not address the points I made)
Oglefam, yes, I'm sure there is only one correct answer to every question. Your examples explain how wrong answers were corrected, but your examples don't change the fact those questions had only one correct answer. My point was people can't pretend science is an opinion. If evidence shows all life evolved, people can't ignore that evidence and call evolution an opinion. They can't claim magical creation, which has no evidence at all, is equal to evolution, which has a mountain of evidence.
TheHuron137, Of course I agree with you. All holy books are a collection of made up stories. Only the brainwashed could believe the nonsense in the bible, the koran, the torah, or the book of mormon.
to crc
To say the bible has never been wrong is ludicrous. To assert things like that reminds me of mormon and islamic apologists who say the same thing about their holy books. By the way Isaac Newton was an anti-trinitarian. Look it up.
ebcdic
"To every question there is always only one correct answer." Are you sure? Many years ago the world was believed to be flat. At the time it was the correct answer. Many years ago the sun was believed to revolve around the earth. At the time it was the correct answer. Many "facts" thought to be correct have been changed over the centuries. Who is to say that in 100 years all of the correct answers now will have changed?
Genesis conflicts with science, I don't care how it's interpreted. The Noah's Ark myth conflicts with science. Since all miracles are impossible, they conflict with science.
"For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is"
This is called a made up story. It's completely against science. If you people want to believe in an anti-science religion, I don't care, but you could at least be honest about it. This wild claim that christianity has no conflicts with science is lying. It's lying to yourselves and it's lying to everyone else.
Why did the law not bring you to faith?
Scientist please wake up. The Bible has never been wrong. And many like Isaac Newton drew on it in their contributions to science. Verses like the following are repeated through out scripture, not just one or two places; even Jesus said the following so I know it is true and not some allegorical explanation. By the way when Jesus spoke in parables to the people you can always tell.
Exodus 20:11
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
“Our hope is to begin to move the church to the place where its public image, public witness and public identity is one of a community of faith that is eager to engage science and to welcome and honor scientists,” said the Rev. John H. Thomas, the UCC’s general minister and president, in a statement.
People honored the Pharisees, but Jesus called the vile serpents. So honor scientist for what purpose?
When did science prove there was a God? How does it prove righteousness, holiness, just, honest and faith? How does it prove the Spirit?
ebc,
To the Christians who assume the Genesis account of Creation conflicts with science, I would say that either the scientific perspective is wrong, or their understanding of the Bible is wrong. In either case, there is no insurmountable contradiction between science and Christianity.
Regarding the case of the science teacher, a true Christian would never threaten another human being, even if the case was much more serious. What you are observing is cultural Christians who do not understand their faith. In any case what happens in society is not of any consequence to my point, I only said that science does not refute Christianity, and it does not.
You assume that scientists do not have time to deal with Christians, which is very funny considering the vast amount of time Richard Dawkins, the atheist poster boy, has spent dealing with Christians, and how much time angry "scientists" spend arguing against Christians.
HampsteadPete: "On the contrary, there are almost no areas where science agrees with the bible, so far as I know. Almost everyplace the bible mentions anything along that line, it is demonstrably wrong."
----------------------------------------------------------
Science confirms the bible (continued):
--------------------------------------------------------
Myth: The ocean floor is flat
Bible: 2 Samuel 22:16, Jonah 2:6
[ 2 Sam 22:16: The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke of the LORD,
at the blast of breath from his nostrils
Jon 2:6: To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you brought my life up from the pit,
O LORD my God.]
Science confirms: The ocean floor has mountains and valleys
---------------------------------------------------------
Myth: Ocean only fed by rivers and rain
Bible: Job 38:16
[16 Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?]
Science confirms: Ocean has springs
--------------------------------------------------------------
Myth: Hands should be washed in still water
Bible: Leviticus 15:13
[13 " 'When a man is cleansed from his discharge, he is to count off seven days for his ceremonial cleansing; he must wash his clothes and bathe himself with fresh water, and he will be clean.]
Science confirms: Hands should be washed in running water when dealing with sickness
------------------------------------------------------
HampsteadPete: "On the contrary, there are almost no areas where science agrees with the bible, so far as I know. Almost everyplace the bible mentions anything along that line, it is demonstrably wrong."
----------------------------------------------------------
Science confirms the bible (continued):
-----------------------------------
Myth: Light does not move
Bible: Job 38:19,20
[19 "What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?
20 Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths to their dwellings? ]
Science confirms: Light moves as waves
--------------------------------------
Myth: Air is weightless
Bible: Job 28:25
[25 When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,]
Science confirms: Air has weight [weight is a force]
---------------------------------------------
Myth: Wind blows straight
Bible: Ecclesiates 1:6
[6 The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.]
Science confirms: Wind blows in cyclones
----------------------------------------------------------
Myth: Sick people must be bled to remove sickness
Bible: Leviticus 17:11
[11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.]
Science confirms: Blood is source of life and health
HampsteadPete: "On the contrary, there are almost no areas where science agrees with the bible, so far as I know. Almost everyplace the bible mentions anything along that line, it is demonstrably wrong."
----------------------------------------------------------
Science confirms the bible:
----------------------
Myth: Earth is flat
Bible: Isaiah 40:22
[22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,]
Science confirms: The earth is a sphere
----------------------------
Myth: Limited number of stars
Bible: Jeremiah 33:22
[22 I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars of the sky]
Science confirms: innumerable stars
---------------------------
Myth: Earth was on the back of an animal or “being”
Bible: Job 26:7
[7 He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.]
Science confirms: Earth is suspended in space
---------------------------
Myth: Creation made out of seen elements
Bible: Hebrews 11:3
[3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.]
Science confirms: Creation made out of invisible elements
-------------------------------------------
Myth: All the stars are the same
Bible: 1 Corinthian 15:41
[41The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.]
Science confirms: Each star is different
quecat
my understanding is that scripture is an inerrant book about spirit. that of ourselves we unable to see god's truth except thru the holy spirit. that now in the covenant of christ we are now led by the spirit. and that scripture thru the holy spirit is our resource that points to that spirit.
but if you believe the bible is a theocratic designator of societal sin, then please explain romans 1:24. what sin was exchanged for what lie and how was what entity of creation worshipped and served so that certain individuals were given over to homosexuality?
iand if the bible is a treatise of scientific phenomena, please explain genesis's explanation of the process by which god brought the world (galaxies, planets, and biological life on thjis planet as well as others) into existence.
Karl, why should any scientist waste time debating your dishonest worthless Mastropaolo? Scientists work hard and their time is limited. They don't have time for insane people who think the earth is flat, or who think people were magically created. Scientists ignore religious insanity, except when religious nuts try to destroy science education.
333: "If science actually did say something contradictory to the Bible then you would have a case, but since it does not, you do not have a case."
Explain that to the Christians who think evolution conflicts with Genesis. Many of these same Christians attack science education, especially biology. There's a Christian war against science that has been going on for centuries, and this war is now worse than ever. Look at what this 62 year old female science teacher had to put up with. Threats and harassment from Christian parents and a Christian school administration. What cowards these Christians are, threatening a female science teacher because she was doing her job. She got sick of the Christian threats and retired one year early, and she was the best science teacher that Deep South school ever had. It was all because of Christians who were against science that conflicts with the Bible.
http://tinyurl.com/228z58
"If science actually did say something contradictory to the Bible then you would have a case, but since it does not, you do not have a case."
Well gee, let's see:
The earth is not flat, nor is it nestled under a "firmament" that holds the stars and planets. The earth is NOT the center of anything, but merely a minor planet orbiting a common star in a distant arm of a spiral galaxy. The earth is 4.5 billion years old, and has had life on it for 4 billion of those years. The first "humans" walked on the planet at least 3 million years ago, about 62 million years after the dinosaurs all died.
There is absolutely no way the earth was covered with five miles of water anytime in its history, there is absolutely no evidence the Jews were ever in Egypt as captives (although they were captives almost everywhere else).
On the contrary, there are almost no areas where science agrees with the bible, so far as I know. Almost everyplace the bible mentions anything along that line, it is demonstrably wrong.
Hey, I'm sorry your faith has no basis in fact, but I guess that's why they call it faith.
ebc, science does not have to accomodate Christianity, and Christianity does not have to accomodate science. Rather the former supports the latter. If your deal is that science refutes Christianity, then you could not be more wrong. Anyways what are you saying? If science actually did say something contradictory to the Bible then you would have a case, but since it does not, you do not have a case.
Evolutionists are bluffing when they say their beliefs are scientific. Be sure to look at the list of evolutionists who refuse the debate challenge from Dr. Joseph Mastropaolo. See the list at http://www.lifescienceprize.org/
To every question there is always only one correct answer. Science is not an opinion. Your "worldview" is a poor excuse to deny facts. Science will never accommodate any religion. Christians, unless they want to continue living in the Dark Ages, have to accommodate science. Hiding behind a worldview and wishing science would go away doesn't work. It just sends a loud message to young people that Christianity is against science and against scientists.
strong evidence? or misinterpreted evidence?
I would aver that the outcome is colored by one's worldview.
It looks like no Christian here is interested in ending their feud with biologists. Instead they are more interested in justifying their feud. They should know people who love science want nothing to do with an anti-science religion.
"In Christianity, God acts upon nature and the world in ways consistent with His special (Scripture) and natural (creation) revelation. In other words, the God of Scripture is a God of order who created according to laws that are universal and thus men could discern these laws and by theorizing based on these fixed laws, gain a greater understanding of creation. This served as the basis of Western science and its preeminence."
"Christianity is more than mere religion; it is the true interpretation of reality in which individuals and societies alike fare better in every category when they live consistent with biblical truth. Rodney Stark points out in his insightful book, The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success, “While other religions emphasized mystery and intuition, Christianity alone embraced reason and logic as the primary guide to religious truth.” This emphasis on “reason and logic” naturally flows from a rational God who has revealed Himself through both the written word and an orderly creation. These combine to provide a rational theology that through reason men are able to apprehend and apply to every aspect of life and culture producing humane and successful societies."
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080130/31024_2_Christianity_and_Islam%3A_Two_Worldviews_and_Why_They_Matter.htm
Blacksho89: "A true Christian should gently but firmly disagree with errors taught in the secular world"
What if those "errors" have strong evidence? How does a Christian disagree with evidence without appearing to be anti-science? I'm talking about evolution. This cornerstone of biology is what the feud with scientists is all about. The biologists think the evolution-deniers are against them. Of course scientists don't care what religions say, except when those religions try to insert their anti-science ideas into science classes. The Christian war against science is a war against education.
A true Christian must be at war with apostasy, false teachings, and the compromised Church that is Babylon.
A true Christian should gently but firmly disagree with errors taught in the secular world, but for those taught by supposed Christians the standard is much higher.
Quecat, does a real Christian have to be at war against biologists?
2 Tim 3:16,17
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, THOROUGHLY equipped for every good work.
More info about UCC:
Beyond these social issues are the far deeper theological issues. For example, using inclusive language for God (Father / Mother) in liturgy. Also, removing masculine (Father, Son, He) and authoritative (Lord, King) language for God in its New Century Hymnal (published in 1995). Even more serious is the teachings of the Jesus Seminar in its seminaries, as well as at various denominational meetings. Some of the teachings coming out of the Jesus Seminar movement are: the denial of Jesus’ literal virgin birth, physical resurrection, atoning sacrifice on the cross, His divinity as the eternal and only Son of God, and much more. And most recently, the "God is Still Speaking" identity campaign, which we feel usurps the authority of the Bible as the "sole and infallible guide of faith and life."
The UCC is a very liberal mainline Protestant denomination. At its various levels (local church, regional associations, state wide conferences, General Synod, and national offices) as well as its Instrumentalities (including Seminaries), there are those (but not all) in the UCC who support abortion (including Partial Birth Abortion), and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) lifestyle. In fact, the UCC was the first denomination to ordain a practicing homosexual, Rev. William R. Johnson, on June 25th, 1972. And, according to Rev. Rebecca Voekel, the interim national coordinator of the UCC Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns, at least 1,000 UCC clergy and seminary students are gay, out of about 10,300 total. The UCC has developed curriculum for children and youth that advocates this lifestyle, as ordained by God, through its Our Whole Lives (OWL) curriculum. And on July 4th, 2005, the UCC General Synod approved a resolution endorsing "Same-Sex Marriage" by roughly an 80% vote of over 800 voting delegates, including an equal proportion of the 15 delegates from the Illinois South Conference of the UCC.
Not surprising considering the UCC's heretical views on scripture. UCC=ultimate oxymoron.
Just goes to show that anyone can "claim" to be a christian - it does not necessarily make it so.
I did a little research on the United Church of Christ. I found out they are pro-evolution, unlike some flat-earthers I have seen on this blog.
http://www.ucc.org/justice/public-education/pdfs/evolutionbrochurefinal.pdf
They could end their feud with biologists if they accepted the cornerstone of biology, evolution.