A Christian Statement on Science for Pandemic Times
(My comments will be non-bold, the statement itself in bold font). Before looking at the statement, the answer to a question, who is BioLogos? The easiest way to answer that would be to look at their website , but I'll sum up: "Our Mission: BioLogos invites the church and the world to see the harmony between science and biblical faith as we present an evolutionary understanding of God’s creation." I get it, some of you will stop reading right there. You've decided that only 6 literal days 6,000 years ago can possibly be accepted as a faithful reading of Genesis 1-3, that no other interpretation could have been valid in Moses' day, or can be in our own. My own thoughts on the subject can be read here: Faith, Science, and Creation, is there a way forward? but I don't need other Christians to agree with me on this subject provided we can all agree that the Word of God is faithful and true in all that it claims to be. Some will conclude that the Scriptures intend to be scientific manuals, some will not, and that difference will affect interpretation, but it ought not affect the ability to hold the Word of God as our authority for faith and practice. There can be common ground. Within the framework of how those at BioLogos interpret Genesis 1-3, what are they trying to do: Core Commitments:
We embrace the historical Christian faith, upholding the authority and inspiration of the Bible.
We affirm evolutionary creation, recognizing God as Creator of all life over billions of years.
We seek truth, ever learning as we study the natural world and the Bible.
We strive for humility and gracious dialogue with those who hold other views.
We aim for excellence in all areas, from science to education to business practices.
If you want to stop and learn more about BioLogos before proceeding, go right ahead, otherwise let's look at the statement itself.
We, the undersigned, join together as Christians who uphold the authority of God’s Word and see science as a tool to understand God’s world. We call on all Christians to follow the advice of public health experts and support scientists doing crucial biomedical research on COVID-19.
Here is the summary, a commitment to both God's Word as our authority, AND to science (i.e. facts) in the world we inhabit. Few things bother me as consistently as those who bend/twist the truth for their own purposes, it is a practice that the Church cannot allow itself to participate in.
We are deeply concerned about the polarization and politicization of science in the public square when so many lives are at stake. The word “science” has become a weapon in the culture wars. Scientists are vilified and their findings ignored, while conspiracy theories go viral. Sadly, Christians seem just as susceptible to these trends. Thoughtful Christians may disagree on public policy in response to the coronavirus, but none of us should ignore clear scientific evidence.
This pandemic has reminded us that 'alternative facts' are not real. If the scientific consensus is that a virus is contagious, that once caught, some of the infected will develop severe symptoms, and some of them will die, it is easy to see if the scientists are speaking the truth. And low and behold, nearly 200,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. Science is repeatable, it can be tested and demonstrated. Conspiracy theories are the opposite, devoid of the ability to stand the light of day, they flourish in the shadows. As Christ followers, we must be a people who value truth, even uncomfortable truth, even politically disadvantageous truth. Lies are always corrosive, always potentially dangerous, in a pandemic, to embrace them is to support that which will lead to more people suffering. It is unacceptable, immoral, and a sure sign that the American Church has unhealthy habits.
It is appropriate for Christians to be skeptical of claims made by scientists who speak outside their area of expertise. We firmly reject claims that science has somehow shown God does not exist or faith is mere superstition. Such claims go beyond what science is capable of investigating. We lament the times when science and medicine have been misused to perpetrate atrocities like the racist Tuskegee experiments. But Christians should listen to scientists and doctors when they speak in their area of expertise, especially when millions of lives are at stake.
Science can't tell me anything about the existence (on way or the other) of God. Why not? Because the spiritual realm (the existence of the soul, life after death) is beyond its ability to quantify. The purpose and meaning of life will not be discovered in a lab. With that boundary in place, the Church should always support ethical scientific pursuits, those aimed at bettering the human condition and furthering the depth and breadth of human understanding. Scientists can be wrong, they can make errors or be blinded by ego or the pursuit of wealth or fame. They're like the rest of us in that. But their work can be tested by other scientists, if they're telling the truth further study will confirm it.
The Bible teaches that our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made by God (Psalm 139:14). Thus, those doing biomedical research—whether they are Christians or not—are studying the very handiwork of God. Scientists are discovering truths about the virus, our bodies, treatments, and vaccines. As Christians, we know that all truth, including scientific truth, is ultimately from God.
Doctors, and the scientists whose research aids them, are doing the work of the Lord when they care for others. It is a form of ministry. Not of the same kind as that of Gospel ministry itself, but a way of honoring our Heavenly Father, of showing God respect by helping to sustain life.
God can do miracles of healing, but God also uses doctors and scientists to bring healing. Before Jonas Salk discovered his vaccine, polio killed 350,000 people a year, most of them children. Christians in the biomedical sciences, like Dr. Francis Collins, see their work as continuing the healing ministry of Jesus (Matthew 15:30). Pursuing medical treatment is not a sign of weak faith in God, but a grateful acceptance of God’s gifts.
The beliefs of the Christian Scientists founded by Mary Baker Eddy in the 19th Century, are not mainstream Christianity, although the tendency to see medical care as in competition with faith (rather than complimenting it) has a long history, and still exists in the minds of many Christians. Hebrews 11:1 New International Version Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. We do not need faith to believe that which science can demonstrate. If doctors can heal a disease, by all means seek that medical care. Why ignore the blessing of wisdom that God has allowed to blossom through modern medicine? It is an insult to God to demand that he heal by faith when knowledge exists to heal by medicine.
Scientists of all faiths at many universities and research institutes have been working hard to combat COVID-19, including at the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control. Many scientists have dropped their own research programs to devote themselves full time to understanding exactly how this virus works, how it spreads, how the disease can be treated, and which vaccines would be both safe and effective. Experts have been communicating their knowledge in real time as the pandemic progresses, which has led to some confusion. In the early days, they advised the public against masks when supplies were needed for healthcare workers, but later they changed their message in response to more data. A change in expert advice is not a sign of weakness or unreliability, but of good scientific practice and honesty. On the biggest points, scientific predictions have been proven right: scientists said stay-home orders would reduce cases, and thankfully those measures worked. Scientists predicted that ending quarantine too soon would increase cases, and that has been the case.
Knowledge in incomplete. Science changes to fit new data. This doesn't sit well in our hyper-partisan culture where doubt and questioning is viewed as a lack of loyalty or commitment, but its how things work in the real world. COVID-19 is new, massive amounts of research is ongoing. Expect corrections, expect there to be new information. The mask mandate is a case in point. It would have been less confusing had the majority of scientists arrived at the need to have the public wear masks in January rather than June, but that's hindsight, the reality is that in the Spring there was a mask shortage for healthcare workers, now things have changed; change with them.
Scientists are not all-knowing and have biases like the rest of us. That’s why the process of scientific research has built-in steps for testing, vetting, and validation by the whole community. While any individual scientist may be biased, the community actively critiques each other’s work to reduce bias and errors until together they develop a consensus on what the data are saying. It’s not a perfect process and one can always find dissenters, but scientists working together are far more accurate than one person’s theory on YouTube. Scientists are trained to communicate where the consensus is uncertain and to not overstate conclusions. They may speak in sound bites in an interview, but if you listen a bit longer you will hear the caveats. So when Dr. Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, tells us what scientists have learned about this infectious disease, he should be listened to.
"The Truth doctors don't want you to hear!!" Sigh. That's not the way science works, not the way medicine works. If there really was a 'cure' to COVID-19, it wouldn't be brought to us by the founder of My Pillow {The apparent blasphemy of My Pillow founder Michael Lindell regarding a COVID-19 'cure'.} but by reputable scientists in reputable institutions following rigorous double-blind testing. Snake Oil salesmen are not how one protects the public during a pandemic.
We need more than science alone to make good decisions. Invoking “science” is not a one-word rationale for public policy; many factors need to be considered. The economic losses and social hardships of the pandemic are painful, and thoughtful Christians will disagree on how to balance those needs with health needs. Even closer to our hearts is the impact of quarantine on church fellowship. As churches reopen, Christians need to balance God’s call to meet together with God’s call to protect the vulnerable among us. We need more than science to make these decisions; we need biblical faith to be wise and discerning (James 3:13-18). As Christians throughout history have shown during other pandemics, our faith is what moves us to deep compassion for the sick, the young, the old, and the vulnerable, as we follow Jesus’ command to care for the least of these (Matthew 25:31-36). Our faith calls us to sacrifice ourselves for others and accept temporary limitations on our freedoms because we have a permanent and complete freedom in Christ (Hebrews 10:34). Our faith helps us be humble and patient when discussing contentious issues (Ephesians 4:2-3). It is our faith, not science, that overcomes fear and brings hope. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).
Science can tell us what is, not what should be. It can outline the likely consequences of actions, not weigh the moral cost of each. In the end, people and governments have to make tough choices, but they need to do so on the basis of reality not fantasy. Re-open your church building? When? How? With what precautions? There are no easy answers, but we stand a far better chance of making wise decisions when we allow our thought processes to be guided by scientific realities. The answers we come up with, even if we are all trying to utilize the most up to date and accurate scientific information, won't always be uniform. That's not news, 500 years ago Martin Luther himself addressed the struggles the Church was having to respond to the Black Death {How should Christians act during a pandemic? - Wisdom from Martin Luther's experience with the Plague}. We need to seek the Truth, weigh the options, and make use the wisdom God has given us, prayerfully, to seek a way forward.
Therefore, because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we will:
WEAR MASKS
Wear masks in indoor public spaces and follow other physical distancing rules given by public health officials (1 Peter 2:13-17), unless there are underlying health conditions. Yes, wearing a mask is uncomfortable and awkward, but the evidence is clear that masks reduce the chance we will transmit the disease to others. Mask rules are not experts taking away our freedom, but an opportunity to follow Jesus’ command to love our neighbors as ourselves (Luke 6:31).
Paul wouldn't let his moral freedom become a stumbling block to fellow Christians, it is unfortunate that millions of Christians have not followed his lead, but instead have proclaimed that their own freedom to not wear a mask should outweigh any and all public health concerns.
GET VACCINATED
Get vaccinated against COVID-19 when a safe and effective vaccine is available and as directed by a physician. A large fraction of the population needs to be vaccinated to develop the “herd immunity” which protects the immuno-compromised and others who cannot be vaccinated. Vaccination is a provision from God that will prevent disease not only for ourselves but for the most vulnerable among us (Matthew 25:31-36).
The anti-vaccine movement is in overdrive during this pandemic, winning more converts than ever before. But their entire platform is a lie. Listen to your primary care doctor. When the vaccine is safe and ready, trust the doctor with whom you have a relationship, not social media.
CORRECT MISINFORMATION
Correct misinformation and conspiracy theories when we encounter them in our social media and communities. Christians are called to love the truth; we should not be swayed by falsehoods (1 Corinthians 13:6). We will actively promote accurate scientific and public health information from trustworthy, consensus sources, and use this information when making decisions for our families, churches, schools, and workplaces.
By May I was exhausted from the ongoing parade of misinformation on social media. In fact, I had to block a number of people, and even 'unfriend' one person, to slow down the torrent. I posted what I could, tried to stem the tide, to do my small part. {For example: An analysis of Rev. Danny Jones, "Is this Coronavirus a Sign of the End of the World?": 1 part very poor interpretation of Scripture, 2 part conspiracy theory = a danger to the Church } The problem is, too many people would prefer that the misinformation they're sharing be the truth, even when it isn't. Our desire that something be true does not affect whether or not it is.
WORK FOR JUSTICE
Work for justice for communities who have suffered the most deaths from COVID-19. Christians are called to be courageous in fighting for justice (Micah 6:8). We should be the least indifferent to the disadvantaged and vulnerable. Groups that have been hit hard include the elderly in nursing homes, the Navajo nation where many do not have access to clean water, and people of color who continue to experience discrimination in access to health care.
This pandemic has highlighted some of the flaws in our society that we'd probably rather ignore. We can't afford to keep doing that.
PRAY
We pray for God to heal the millions of sick, to comfort the thousands of grieving families, and to give wisdom to decision-makers. We pray for God to sustain biomedical and public health researchers as they work to develop treatments and a safe and effective vaccine. We pray for God to protect nurses, doctors, lab techs, and all healthcare workers fighting COVID-19 as they serve patients and our communities. And we pray for God to bless our cities and nation with justice and flourishing for all (Jeremiah 29:7).
Seek truth, do our part, help where we can; and pray. If you agree with the statement from BioLogos, please consider going to the website and signing, it doesn't matter if you don't represent an organization like those listed as the marque signers, because you yourself are a child of God, a person made in his image, capable of embracing the quest for truth.
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