Christians in your field
Christian Scientists
Many of the founders of modern science were Christians who studied the world because they believed it was the ordered work of a rational Creator. That heritage is alive: you can be a serious scientist and a serious Christian without dividing your mind. There are real fellowships of Christians in the sciences, ways to serve, and honest questions worth engaging rather than avoiding.
Following Christ in science
To study creation carefully is, for a Christian, a way of thinking God's thoughts after him. Honesty with the evidence, humility before what we do not yet know, and wonder at what we find are all at home in faith. Science answers how; it was never meant to answer why. A Christian scientist can hold both, letting each ask its own kind of question.
Note: this page is about Christians who work in the sciences. It is not about Christian Science, the separate movement founded by Mary Baker Eddy.
Christian community in science
Christians in the sciences have long-standing fellowships for study, dialogue, and encouragement:
- the American Scientific Affiliation (ASA), a fellowship of Christians in the sciences founded in 1941, holding annual meetings and publishing on faith and science.
- BioLogos, an organization founded by geneticist Francis Collins that explores the relationship between Christian faith and the natural sciences.
- Christians in Science (CiS), a UK-based network of Christians working and studying in the sciences.
These groups are named as information, not endorsement. The Living Bread is not affiliated with them. Details, membership terms, and doctrinal statements vary, so look into each one for yourself.
The hard questions
- Faith and evidence
- Does science leave room for God? Many Christian scientists argue that a lawful, intelligible universe fits a Creator well, and that faith and rigorous science ask different questions rather than competing.
- Origins
- Christians hold a range of honest views on creation and evolution. Fellowships like BioLogos and the American Scientific Affiliation exist precisely to discuss these openly and charitably.
- Integrity in research
- Publish-or-perish tempts toward selective data and hype. Faith calls for scrupulous honesty even when the results disappoint.
- Power and consequence
- From genetics to climate to weapons, science hands humanity enormous power. A Christian ethic asks what that power is for, and who bears its costs.
Where to serve
Scientific training serves the world: public health, clean water, agriculture, teaching, and honest witness in the academy.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you be a scientist and a Christian?
- Yes. Many founders of modern science were Christians, and fellowships like the American Scientific Affiliation and BioLogos exist for working scientists of faith. Faith and science are widely held to ask different kinds of questions rather than to compete.
- Is this about Christian Science?
- No. This page is about Christians who work in the sciences. Christian Science is a separate religious movement founded by Mary Baker Eddy and is not the subject here.
- Is there an association for Christian scientists?
- Yes. The American Scientific Affiliation, founded in 1941, is a fellowship of Christians in the sciences; BioLogos and the UK's Christians in Science serve similar communities. Named as information, not endorsement.
Come and see
Before any of this is a career it is a calling, and the One who calls is a Person, not a principle. Whatever your field, the same Christ meets the accountant and the surgeon, the coder and the schoolteacher, and he is gentle with everyone who comes to him honestly. If you have never really met him, you can begin today. It costs you nothing but a little quiet and an open heart.
Read the Gospel of JohnWhy Jesus?Ask for prayerJesus Christ is Lord.