What excites Tom most about BioLogos? Hard to top the visual presentation structure and the carefully selected offerings found in the suggested resource section. None-the-less, the weekly thoughts on Science and the Sacred may open new possibilities for much needed visceral, entry level conversation for those who face isolation, not realizing resources and events/communities exist. The Science and the Sacred blog may also remind those who have found comfortable learning communities that they can be a blessing/mentor/resource to those early in their academic journey and/or in a location which feels isolating, even oppressive.
To give you a taste for the blog, below’s the first part of Francis Collins’ BioLoguration. Check out the post and let me know what you would share with student at the beginning of their academic (possibly vocational) journey.
It happened again this week. I received an e-mail from a student at a major university who is in the midst of a profound personal crisis. Was this a financial problem? A failure in course work that threatens a lifelong career dream? A romantic breakup? No doubt there are plenty of those kinds of crises happening all over college campuses. But none of those accounted for her distress. Instead, my correspondent was having a wrenching crisis of worldviews, and her deepest foundations were being shaken.
She had been home-schooled by loving parents who were dedicated Christians, and who made sure that she learned the deep and profound principles of their faith. She made a personal commitment to that faith as a teenager, and her relationship with Christ was a central part of her life. She arrived at university fully aware that this secular environment might threaten her faith, but she quickly found other believers to share experiences with, and she learned to love the undergraduate experience.
That is, until she decided to major in biology. — BioLoguration by Francis Collins, 4/29/2009.
About the author:
Tom enjoys daily conversations regarding living out the Biblical Story with his wife Theresa and their four girls, around the block, at Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church (where he teaches adult electives and co-leads a small group), among healthcare professionals as the Northeast Regional Director for the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), and in higher ed as a volunteer with the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN). For a number of years, the Christian Medical Society / CMDA at Penn State College of Medicine was the hub of his ministry with CMDA. Note: Tom served with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA for 20+ years, including 6+ years as the Associate Director of ESN. He has written for the ESN blog from its launch in August 2008. He has studied Biology (B.S.), Higher Education (M.A.), Spiritual Direction (Certificate), Spiritual Formation (M.A.R.), Ministry to Emerging Generations (D.Min.). To God be the glory!
Thanks for the link. It’ll be almost as interesting to see the comments generated by this blog as the actual blog content.