• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Emerging Scholars Blog

InterVarsity's Emerging Scholars Network

DONATE
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Our Bloggers
    • Commenting Policy
  • Reading Lists
  • Scholar’s Compass
    • Scholar’s Compass Booklet
    • View Recent Posts
  • Connect
    • Membership
    • Events
    • Donate
    • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Christ / Christ and the Academy / Science Corner: Good Grief! Even My Dogma Has Gone Commercial!

Science Corner: Good Grief! Even My Dogma Has Gone Commercial!

December 17, 2014 by Andy Walsh No Comments

Painting of the nativity
God became man to show us treasure not measured by GDP (The Adoration of the Shepherds by Gerard van Honthorst [Public domain])

Well, this is interesting. Over in Science, we have the headline “Wealth may have driven the rise of today’s religions.” Meanwhile, the Huffington Post’s science blog says religious believers will become a world minority, and ultimately perhaps disappear entirely, thanks to economic prosperity. Seems like there’s a need to get the story straight.

Now, I’m sure there are ways to reconcile these results. They are population-level correlations from very different eras that require contextualization to be fully understood. But then, of course, that underlines the challenge of making predictions from these correlations; as the context changes, so might the relationship between economics and religion.

Ultimately, the premise that changes in one’s life situation can change one’s perspective on religion is a reasonable one; it’s broad enough to be practically unfalsifiable. Still, it does raise the question of what one seeks to get from religion; seeing others achieve those things while following a different sort of religion or no religion at all is legitimately a reason to reflect on one’s own beliefs or expectations.

The Christmas story is then a helpful reminder of what followers of Jesus can and cannot expect. Jesus was born into a very humble and temporary living circumstance. Shortly thereafter, he was a refugee from his homeland under the threat of death. As an adult, he led an itinerant life and frequently appeared to limit the growth of his ministry lest he attract attention prematurely. While not all his followers will have the same experience, it does provide a helpful calibration of the possibilities. What Christmas also reminds us is that God reached across the cosmos to become man in order to be known by men. No amount of wealth gained or lost can replace that knowledge.

About the author:

Andy Walsh
Posts

Andy has worn many hats in his life. He knows this is a dreadfully clichéd notion, but since it is also literally true he uses it anyway. Among his current metaphorical hats: husband of one wife, father of two teenagers, reader of science fiction and science fact, enthusiast of contemporary symphonic music, and chief science officer. Previous metaphorical hats include: comp bio postdoc, molecular biology grad student, InterVarsity chapter president (that one came with a literal hat), music store clerk, house painter, and mosquito trapper. Among his more unique literal hats: British bobby, captain's hats (of varying levels of authenticity) of several specific vessels, a deerstalker from 221B Baker St, and a railroad engineer's cap. His monthly Science in Review is drawn from his weekly Science Corner posts -- Wednesdays, 8am (Eastern) on the Emerging Scholars Network Blog. His book Faith across the Multiverse is available from Hendrickson.

  • Andy Walsh
    https://blog.emergingscholars.org/author/andy/
    I Found a Postdoc in the Sciences: Now What? (Pt 1)
  • Andy Walsh
    https://blog.emergingscholars.org/author/andy/
    I Found a Postdoc in the Sciences: Now What? (Pt 2)
  • Andy Walsh
    https://blog.emergingscholars.org/author/andy/
    Science Corner: Cat Chat
  • Andy Walsh
    https://blog.emergingscholars.org/author/andy/
    Science Corner: A Season of Rest

Share this:

  • Email
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest

Filed Under: Christ and the Academy, Science and Faith Tagged With: Advent, incarnation, science corner, wealth

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Become a Member

Membership is Free. Sign up and receive our monthly newsletter and access ESN member benefits.

Join ESN Today

Scholar’s Compass Booklet

Scholar's Compass Booklet

Click here to get your copy

Top Posts

  • The Mechanism of Creation - The View from Science, Pt. 2
  • The Message of Genesis 1
  • A Prayer for Those Finishing a Semester
  • Christian Views of Creation
  • Faith and Reason, Part 2: Augustine

Facebook Posts

Facebook Posts

Footer

About Us

The Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) is a national network within InterVarsity’s Graduate & Faculty Ministries which supports those on the academic pathway as they work out how their academic vocation serves God and others. We encourage and equip undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and early career faculty as they navigate each stage of their academic vocation and transition to the next step in or beyond the academy.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Recent Posts

  • Forgiveness
  • Confession
  • Temptation: The Little Lie

Article Categories

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Contact Us
Member of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students
Copyright © 2023 - InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA ®. All rights reserved.

InterVarsity, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, and the InterVarsity logo are trademarks of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA and its affiliated companies.