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We have created this small group reflection based on our first series of Stories of Science and Faith. While the articles were originally published during Pentecost, they can be used at any time of year as a way to spark conversations about different ways of knowing, and how science and faith can serve one another. Each week will feature a brief description of themes, a Bible reading or two related to the article, then the article itself accompanied by discussion questions. This activity can be completed alone or as part of a group. We hope that by the end, you have a clearer idea of how science and Christian faith have supported, enriched, and challenged one another throughout history.

To begin, let’s offer up a prayer:

Dear God, thank you for your word, by which we can learn more about you,

for the indwelling of your Holy spirit, through whom your power flows,

and for the gift of science – may we use it responsibly and prayerfully.

Amen.

 

Week 1: Calculating Easter

Bible reading: Acts 2:1-11

Article: Calculating Easter

This week’s article outlines the challenges of deciding on a date for Easter, and how different churches and calendars have used astronomical and mathematical methods to try and solve this problem over the centuries.

In the Bible, the day of Pentecost marks the coming of the Holy Spirit, which gave the apostles the ability to be understood by multitudes of people from across the region in their own native tongue. God was showing that the word of life is for all, not a chosen few, and Pentecost marks a turning point in the growth of the church. Today’s article raises questions of church unity, and asks whether it is important for the Church that Christians globally celebrate Easter at the same time.

The article also points to ways in which science, including astronomy, and mathematics were used by Christians to help determine the date on which Easter should fall – playing an important role in the development of these fields and in education as a whole.

Discussion questions:

1. What is the value of the church calendar in your life and/or in the life of your community?
2. Would it be a good idea to unite the international church calendar? How would you feel about changing yours to fit in?
3. Which forms of time measurement enhance your life, and which diminish it? How can you live better in time?

 

Week 2: How do plants teach us?

Bible reading: Job 12:1-12

Article: How do plants teach us?

In this week’s study, you are invited to consider your relationship with the natural world. Many societies around the world, and throughout history, have recognised that humanity has much to learn from nature, but we don’t always think of our relationship with nature as two-way. All too often we think of nature as something separate to ourselves, valuable only in terms of its benefit to us.

The reading from Job reminds us that God’s dominion extends to every living thing, and that all parts of creation testify to God’s wisdom. If we open our minds to receive that wisdom, who knows what we might learn about God, the world, and ourselves?

Discussion questions:

1. What plant do you particularly appreciate? Where do you encounter it? What might it be teaching you?
2. What do you make of this saying by Robin Wall Kimmerer: ‘It’s not just land that is broken, but more importantly, our relationship to land’?
3. How can the church recover and promote the wisdom of people such as Colmcille?

 

Week 3: Making miracles

Bible reading: Psalm 86:8-13

Article: Making miracles

Would you believe a miracle if you saw one?

What if it could be scientifically proven?

In a world where miracles are often disputed or anecdotal, today’s article explains how the Catholic church has established processes for verifying miracles which rely on the authority of both scientists and theologians.

The article and discussion prompt us to ask ourselves who we trust as authorities, and whether that changes between the ‘secular’ and ‘religious’ parts of our lives.

Discussion questions:

1. Who do you trust to bring you news about science, and why?
2. Who do you trust to bring you news about God’s work in the world, and why?
3. What role does testimony, of whatever kind, play in your faith community? What role would you like to see for it?

 

Week 4: New frontiers of faith and space

Bible reading: Psalm 148:1-6

Article: New frontiers of faith and space

Psalm 148 says: “Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights!” Today’s article is all about prayer and worship in space, from Apollo 1 to the present day.

There are unique challenges to prayer and worship in space – both logistical and political. The article describes the risks of colonialism and controversy involved in practicing faith in space, but also its importance to individual astronauts and to communities watching from Earth.

Discussion questions:

1. If you were an astronaut, what faith-based practice would you want to carry out in space? Why?
2. Is it dangerous to mix up religious faith with the exploration or colonisation of space?
3. Many astronauts report awe and wonder upon seeing the Earth from space. By contrast, the Star Trekactor William Shatner said, “It was among the strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered. The contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness.” What do you make of these different reactions?

 

Week 5: Bones and belief

Bible reading: Acts 2:42-47

Article: Bones and belief

In the reading from Acts we hear how the temple was a place of fellowship and hospitality for the early Church, a place to gather, teach and be taught. We can imagine the conversations that happened there as an important meeting place – the invitations to come for a meal, the sharing of money and possessions, and the growth in followers that all took place as a result.

This week’s article shows what can happen when we invite people into our church or place of worship. For the congregation of St Mary and St Eanswythe’s church in Folkestone, there was a risk to inviting scientists into their building – but the results for both the congregation and the scientists involved were profound.

Discussion questions:

1. If you were in the congregation of St Mary and St Eanswythe, would you have voted in favour of the scientific analysis? Why/why not?
2. The idea of saints’ relics can feel strange to some church cultures today. Are there other kinds of relics, though, that still bring communities together – whether for good or ill?
3. Do you agree that science can be a ‘form of veneration’? Can you think of other examples?

 

Week 6: The Nun and the cheese

Bible reading: Ecclesiastes 3:9-13

Article: The nun and the cheese

In today’s article we see how science helps a nun to understand creation through the practice and study of cheese-making. Benedictines such as Mother Noella believe that not only does God invite us to witness the glory of creation, but God invites us to be partners in the ongoing making and re-making of creation through physical work.

The nature of that work comes down to vocation, which can be understood as a combination of gifts and passion. The writer of Ecclesiastes says that finding “satisfaction in toil” is a gift of God. This may broaden our understanding of traditional vocation to include work the world typically considers secular, such as science.

Discussion questions:

1. A cheesemaker doesn’t fit with the media image of a scientist as a physics boffin in a white coat. What other kinds of ordinary jobs in science, technology and medicine can you think of, perhaps within your faith community?
2. What do you make of the Benedictine concept that to work with one’s hands is to participate in creation?
3. If you were to follow Mother Noella’s example in learning more about your passion, what would you study?

 

Final reflection

Once you have read all the articles and discussed the questions, we invite you to think about whether this reflection challenged any of your assumptions about the relationship between science and the Church. While the relationship is not always simple, nor is it the site of conflict – there are many instances where faith and science have both been enriched by engagement with the other.

If you would like to explore these ideas any further, you might enjoy reading more Stories of Science and Faith.