"The two most powerful forces in human history are science and religion. The future of humanity depends now more than anything else on how these two forces settle down in relation to one another." -- Alfred North Whitehead


Call off the war. There is no need for science and religion to be in conflict with one another. In fact, with the amazing discoveries of quantum physics, chaos mathematics and other gifts of twentieth century science, it appears to me that religion and science can be in a wonderfully complementary relationship today and repair some of the alienation between them that has colored the past four-hundred years.

Although science and theology occupy separate fields of study and use different sources of knowledge, both share a wonder and respect for mystery and truth. Religion and science also find common ground in our shared commitment of stewardship and care for the earth.

Scientists now say that the universe is largely non-material relationships of fields that interact with each other to form self-organizing interrelated systems which are open to evolving into higher forms of consciousness. Scientists come to that conclusion through disciplined faithfulness to the scientific method. They raise hypotheses which are then tested and confirmed. If a hypothesis is a good one, if it is confirmed by further discoveries and is able to predict new discoveries, it becomes a theory. In science, a theory is an answer that works. Non-scientists should never use language like "it's just a theory." A theory is an answer that fits with as much truth as we know presently.

One of the exciting convergences during the last century is that the language of science and the language of theology are becoming more related. Albert Einstein said, "A human being is part of the whole, of what we call the universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. This is a kind of optical illusion of consciousness. This illusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for those closest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion for all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

Jesus offered a similar vision "that we all may be one" even as Jesus knew himself to be one with God. The New Testament teaches that his purpose was to redeem the whole of creation and not merely human beings (Rom. 8:19-22; Eph. 1:10; Col. 1:20; 2 Cor. 5:19). His life was characterized by an unbounded compassion and love.

Trying to describe the relationship between God and the universe, the Episcopal Church's Catechism of Creation includes this compelling language: "God the Divine Lover loves God's own creation, faithfully holding it in existence, calling it to greater levels of complexity and beauty, but allowing the physical laws that govern the galaxies, and those of chance, environment, and selection that govern life, to take cosmic and biotic evolution in whatever directions the gifts given to creation permit." (p. 13; available as a download at http://episcopalchurch.org/documents/CreationCatechism.pdf)

Theologians speak of God intimately present "in, with and under" the natural processes of order and possibility, continuously creating a world that is able to make itself. St. Augustine famously said that the universe is "God's love song."

We turn to science to help us understand how creation happens. We turn to religion to explore the meaning of that creation. Because religion believes that God is perfect truth, any truth from any source will be consistent ultimately with the truth of God. Whenever science or religion discovers a deeper understanding of truth, we must change our framework of belief in order to widen our understanding of God. Scientists find that whenever they discover some previously unknown truth, it opens them to explore new and even deeper questions. Theologians and contemplatives know that God is ultimate mystery. The deeper we enter into divine life, the more inexpressible is the experience of ineffable Mystery.

I want scientists to discover more and more truth -- more truth about the universe and the vast expanse of interstellar space, more truth about the micro-universe and the indeterminate place where wave and particle collapse, more truth about the biosphere and the evolution of being into consciousness. The more truth science can reveal, the more we know about God and how God brings being into being.

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and wonders of his love, and wonders of his love."