[asa] March Newsletter

As many of you are aware our organization keeps being portrayed as
AWOL in the war against the influence of atheism within the
scientific community. As Ted has eloquently put it it is just a
difference of tactics between our organization and others. This makes
us neither superior nor inferior to those organizations, just
different. I want to share with you Randy Isaac's most recent
Executive Director's Corner from the March/April newsletter. The
paragraph I have in bold should remind us our unique purpose that is
beginning to bear fruit.

> In my last column I mentioned that several secular scientific
> organizations had contacted ASA for in-depth discussions on science/
> religion issues. One of them was the American Association for the
> Advancement of Science (AAAS). The AAAS is the oldest and largest
> scientific organization. It publishes Science which has the largest
> paid subscription base of any peer-reviewed technical journal. The
> AAAS office oversees a program called Dialogue on Science, Ethics,
> and Religion (DoSER), directed by Connie Bertka. With the
> encouragement and support of Alan Leshner, AAAS executive director,
> and Al Teich, director of science and policy programs, Connie and
> her team have initiated a series of meetings with various groups of
> evangelicals.
>
> The first meeting brought seven evangelicals to Washington, five of
> whom were ASA members. Alan and Connie pointed out that the mission
> of the AAAS is to “advance science and innovation throughout the
> world for the benefit of all people.” They felt AAAS may not have
> done all it could have for the benefit of evangelicals, a rather
> large segment of the population. They sought to understand the
> evangelical community better and to determine how they could help
> meet its needs. The first step in November was to learn about the
> ASA and its history and mission. A couple of weeks ago they also
> met with leaders of various theological seminaries. More meetings
> are being planned.
>
> One message that the AAAS wishes to convey to evangelicals is that
> mainstream science is not inherently hostile to Christian faith.
> The vocal minority, like Dawkins and Harris, who advocate the
> abolition of religion under the guise of science, does not
> represent the thinking of most secular scientists, they assured us.
> The majority of scientists respect and honor the moral values that
> religion provides, even if they may not concur in theological
> details. They see the role of science to provide religious people
> such as evangelicals with a deeper understanding and appreciation
> of creation as an aid to our care of creation. They want to work
> with us to deploy science and technology in the aid of humankind.
>
> As ASA members, we are all simultaneously members of the scientific
> community and of the Christian church. We may at times feel like
> beleaguered minorities of both groups, but by our very existence we
> demonstrate the coherence and connection between scientific
> endeavor and Christian faith. Part of our mission is to help
> scientists understand that most Christians are not anti-science and
> that our faith does not involve a repudiation of the scientific
> process. On the other hand, our mission to the church is to help
> them understand that most scientists are not seeking to undermine
> our faith and that we can work together constructively on many
> issues we share in common.
>
> An article on the back page in this newsletter reports on another
> dialogue between evangelicals and scientists on the topic of our
> stewardship of God’s creation. This is clearly stated in the fourth
> plank of the ASA statement of faith. As an organization, we are not
> advocates for a particular policy or course of action. Rather, we
> emphasize the need for us as Christians to understand the
> scientific data regarding the state of God’s creation and to carry
> out our responsibility of stewardship accordingly.
>
> Our organization is uniquely positioned to play a key role in the
> dialogue between scientists and Christians. Each of us is a
> testimony in our own community to the way in which science and
> Christianity relate to each other. Our mission as a fellowship of
> Christians in science is to encourage and support one another in
> this endeavor.
>
> We hope to see you in Edinburgh this August. If not, please plan on
> attending the 2008 meeting in Oregon.
>

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Received on Fri Apr 27 10:16:39 2007