John F. Haught is Senior Fellow, Science & Religion at Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University. He has authored 18 books and numerous articles and reviews. He lectures internationally on issues related to science and religion.
For many centuries science and faith could not exist in the same sentence. Intellectual battles were fought and people even died trying to defend their preference for one over the other. According to John Haught, today there are three main ways in which these two are related:
1. Conflict: The old animosities stand: science and faith are opposites and there can be no reconciliation.
2. Contrast: Both science and faith have something to offer although they are very different from each other.
3. Convergence: Science and faith can converge and make beautiful music together. Under this banner scientific discoveries can expand and enrich our faith in God. And faith can add to the advances of science with its explorations of mysteries.
In chapters two through eleven, Haught poses a question and then provides responses from each of these three positions. For those who put themselves in the convergence seat, the material here explains the new cosmic story that enables us to ponder the wild possibilities when we accept that faith is compatible with science; when we see that creation is a work in progress; and when we revel in the curiosity of scientists and in the quest for meaning of theologians. When we affirm our destiny in God, we can also do the great work of mending the world. And if there is life on other planets, we can rejoice in the deep creativity of God and open our hearts and minds to those from very faraway places.
Science and Faith: A New Introduction by John Haught is highly recommended for both youth and adult education classes.
