From The Interim Pastor:

A Not-So-Quantum Leap

For too long, science and faith have had a combustible relationship. But even churches evolve. In the UCC, we're not afraid of science and technology. In fact, we embrace it. On Jan. 29, the Rev. John H. Thomas, the UCC's general minister and president, released a groundbreaking theological statement, "A New Voice Arising: A Pastoral Letter on Faith Engaging Science and Technology," which speaks a new prophetic word about the millenniums-old feud between religion and science. We want to make clear the UCC's belief that science and religion are not mutually exclusive, and we extend our unequivocal welcome to persons who devote their lives to scientific inquiry, no matter the discipline. We are a thoughtful, thinking church.  

"Many today are hungering for an authentic spirituality that is intellectually honest and at home in a scientific era," the UCC's pastoral letter states. "They are searching for a new kind of wisdom to live by, one that is scientifically sophisticated, technologically advanced, morally just, ecologically sustainable, and spiritually alive."

Below is the introduction to "A New Voice Arising." The complete four page document can be found at http://www.ucc.org/not-mutually-exclusive/pdfs/pastoral-letter.pdf.

"Through the scientific advances of our time, we are seeing nature with new eyes, and what we see fills us with wonder and praise. Stunning images of deep space are like new windows on creation. Microscopic details of living cells show us the unexpected intricacies of our biology. Mathematical equations unravel the secrets of the first seconds following the firth of the universe. Through these gifts of science, we look across ever-expanding vistas of cosmic beauty, almost to the beginning of time itself. What we see evokes wonder and humility, and we hear within ourselves a new voice arising and singing an anthem of praise that reverberates through the whole creation.

Science shows us a cosmos that gives birth to stars, galaxies, planets, life, mind and self-consciousness, all emerging one after the other, each stage giving birth to what follows, each playing its part in the interactive dance of cosmic self-generation. Through these discoveries, science reveals a new picture of human beings as tiny creatures in a vast cosmic sea. We are filled with amazement and awe, and we are brought face to face with new questions about ourselves and our place in the universe. Are we alone? Does the universe have a purpose? What does it mean to be human?

Questions like these are as old as scripture and as new as the latest discoveries of physics and biology. For many people today, old answers to theses questions are no longer credible. Science is sometimes unsettling because it destroys old foundations without providing new ones. Yet because of science, many today are on a new search for meaning. Can our church address the seekers of today? Can we offer a word for our time, one full of hope, and encouragement, one taken seriously for its keen insight and honest comprehension? Can we dare to seek, to wonder, and if necessary to doubt until we believe anew, confident that in the end we will be filled with a fresh faith that engages the hunger in so many hearts and minds?"  

Blessings!
Scott Opsahl
Interim Lead Pastor

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