Enjoyed my week at Regent for Wonder and Devotion: Bringing Science and Faith Together for the Church. I was struck by how important history was in bringing Science and Faith together. The history of theology in reading the book of Genesis, and the history of the Church's relation ship with science. The history of science and how it's been married to ideologies.
A couple of bits that I found interesting:
The first Christian response to Darwin's On the Origin of Species is dated six days prior to it's publication. Review copies are a very old practice. The first review was positive.
By the 1920's Evolution had been married to political theories such as the Eugenics Movement. The text book that was at the center of the famous "Scopes Monkey Trial" had a section dedicated to the praise of Eugenics. Quotes like "If the stock of domesticated animals can be improved upon, it is not unfair to ask if the health and vigor of the future generations of men and women on the earth might not be improved by applying to them the laws of selection." The opposition to Evolution was more complex than simply insisting on a literal six day creation as it's made out in the popular understanding of the "Scopes Monkey Trial".
Really enjoyed the Canadian premier of Test of Faith. They have a number of great clips, so from the film some not on the Test of Faith YouTube chanel. For example you can hear Dr Denis Alexander on How have different ideologies used Darwinism for their own purposes? There is a good clip from Darrel Falk. He explains his concerns about both the science and the theology of the Intelligent Design movement - and says that both are deeply flawed. He very much echoes the thoughts that Dr. Alexander shared at the conference.
- Peace
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