[_ Old Earth _] Biologos

[Barbarian]

Francis Collins is a world-class physician/biologist, the director of the Human Genome Project, and currently director of the National Institute of Health. Formerly an atheist, his journey led him to accept Christ as his Lord and Savior.

Dismayed at the idea that one had to deny science to believe in God, in 2007, Collins founded the Biologos Foundation, dedicated to the idea that science and God are not incompatible.

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.

• 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.

What We Believe

1. We believe the Bible is the inspired and authoritative word of God. By the Holy Spirit it is the “living and active” means through which God speaks to the church today, bearing witness to God’s Son, Jesus, as the divine Logos, or Word of God.
2. We believe that God also reveals himself in and through the natural world he created, which displays his glory, eternal power, and divine nature. Properly interpreted, Scripture and nature are complementary and faithful witnesses to their common Author.
3. We believe that all people have sinned against God and are in need of salvation.
4. We believe in the historical incarnation of Jesus Christ as fully God and fully man. We believe in the historical death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, by which we are saved and reconciled to God.
5. We believe that God is directly involved in the lives of people today through acts of redemption, personal transformation, and answers to prayer.
6. We believe that God typically sustains the world using faithful, consistent processes that humans describe as "natural laws." Yet we also affirm that God works outside of natural law in supernatural events, including the miracles described in Scripture. In both natural and supernatural ways, God continues to be directly involved in creation and in human history.
7. We believe that the methods of science are an important and reliable means to investigate and describe the world God has made. In this, we stand with a long tradition of Christians for whom Christian faith and science are mutually hospitable. Therefore, we reject ideologies such as Materialism and Scientism that claim science is the sole source of knowledge and truth, that science has debunked God and religion, or that the physical world constitutes the whole of reality.
8. We believe that God created the universe, the earth, and all life over billions of years. God continues to sustain the existence and functioning of the natural world, and the cosmos continues to declare the glory of God. Therefore, we reject ideologies such as Deism that claim the universe is self-sustaining, that God is no longer active in the natural world, or that God is not active in human history.
9. We believe that the diversity and interrelation of all life on earth are best explained by the God-ordained process of evolution with common descent. Thus, evolution is not in opposition to God, but a means by which God providentially achieves his purposes. Therefore, we reject ideologies that claim that evolution is a purposeless process or that evolution replaces God.
10. We believe that God created humans in biological continuity with all life on earth, but also as spiritual beings. God established a unique relationship with humanity by endowing us with his image and calling us to an elevated position within the created order.
11. We believe that conversations among Christians about controversial issues of science and faith can and must be conducted with humility, grace, honesty, and compassion as a visible sign of the Spirit’s presence in Christ’s body, the Church.

http://biologos.org/

 

[Jamsie]

Barbarian - Dismayed at the idea that one had to deny science to believe in God, in 2007, Collins founded the Biologos Foundation, dedicated to the idea that science and God are not incompatible.

Very much agree with all of the points...though #11 is a considerable undertaking at times.

 

[Vaccine]

It's refreshing to see a positive dialog.