Francis Collins, as head of the National Institutes of Health, is arguably America’s top scientist. He has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Science, and recently received the Templeton Prize.
He is also one of America’s most public Christians.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Dr. Collins stated: “I see science as the most reliable way to study nature—and that includes this virus. But science doesn’t help me with deeper questions like why suffering exists, what we are supposed to learn from it, what is the meaning of life, and whether there is a loving God who grieves with us at a time like this. For that, I rely on what I have learned as a person of faith.”
He also lauded the majority of American faith communities for treating the pandemic as an opportunity to express their values by caring for the vulnerable, adding that “most of that loving and altruistic behavior doesn’t get much attention.”
Another scientist in the spotlight during the pandemic is Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Like Dr. Collins, he considers his scientific work and his faith to be mutually reinforcing.
He told the Associated Press, “One of the great things about faith is, you can approach life with a sense of hope—no matter what the challenges you’re dealing with, there’s a path forward.” In responding to the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the death of his son, his faith helped orient him toward the potential for “greater good” to arise from tragedy.
Five steps to loving God with our minds
As I noted in my Faithwire article, some of history’s greatest thinkers have been some of history’s most committed Christians. The…
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