FAITH SCIENCE DISCUSSION
The Faith-Science Discussion is an interdisciplinary group established by Southern
Adventist University faculty to provide a context for discussing the complex issue
of origins.
“Our campus has a commitment to creation,” says Greg King, dean of the School of Religion
and convener of the meetings, “and we are unapologetic creationists, but we do not
claim to have all the answers.”
The group comprises faculty members representing biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, religion, and the library. Meetings are held monthly. The group reads an article or book chapter on an origins-related issue and meets to discuss the reading, raise questions, and deepen their understanding of the topic at hand.
“Religion and science don’t need to be at odds,” says King. “We as scientists and theologians have a camaraderie. Our belief in the biblical perspective on origins is what binds us together.”
DISCUSSION QUOTES
BRUCE SCHILLING
Professor of Chemistry
“While we may have determined where we are going to put our faith, that doesn't mean we have all the answers for our students. The Faith-Science Discussion helps equip us to teach them to make choices for themselves.”
MITCH MENZMER
Professor of Chemistry
“We need to help our students accept the discomfort that exists in issues like this. We hope they will see how we believe, that there is room for unanswered questions in this world, to see us struggle, and then still have confidence in the Word of God.”
STEPHEN BAUER
Professor of Religion
“We admit there are questions we don’t have answers for, but it's more honest to wrestle with the mystery than to bend the data from either side to make it comfortable.”
LEE SPENCER
Associate Professor of Biology
"You can be intellectually honest and still believe the Bible.”
GREG KING
Dean of the School of Religion and Professor of Biblical Studies
“I want my students to know that I have confidence in God’s Word and faith in God as my Creator, and that I believe the Bible provides the most accurate account we have for how we came to be and why we are here. Does it fill in all the details about creation? No. Are there things that we are still learning? Absolutely.”
KEITH SNYDER
Chair and Professor of Biology
“Our worldview is fairly uniform. We are not fighting about a worldview; we're trying to recognize our biases and understand how they affect objectivity.”
Books Considered at the Faith-Science Discussion
- Darwin's Doubt
by Stephen Meyer - In the Beginning
by Bryan W. Ball - The Case for a Creator
by Lee Strobel - Coming to Grips with Genesis: Biblical Authority and the Age of the Earth
by Terry Mortenson and Thane H. Ury - Created from Animals: The Moral Implications of Darwinism
by James Rachels