multnomah Daniel Samboonsiri.jpg
Daniel Samboonsiri, 39, is pursuing a master's degree in theological studies at Multnomah Biblical Seminary at Multnomah University in Portland.
(Multnomah University)
Faith & Values
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A couple in southern California asked Daniel Somboonsiri one of the hardest questions he's ever faced as a spiritual leader: Is it OK to use in vitro fertilization to design a desirable child?
Scientists are able to select genes that help determine health and sex, and the couple had the money to pay for it. They wanted to know if doing so was consistent with their Christian beliefs.
Somboonsiri didn't believe in the practice, but kept his opinion to himself. Instead, he responded with questions — Is a fertilized egg considered a human being? — to help the couple reach their own conclusion. They moved forward with the plan.
The 39-year-old seminary student still thinks about that question. He wishes he'd understood more about the science of in vitro fertilization. He wishes he'd asked smarter questions to help the couple consider the ethical implications of their choice.
Many Americans, even some in supposedly "unchurched" Portland, turn to religious leaders for guidance on moral questions. Without a firm grounding in science, those leaders can not only appear out of touch, but also be less well equipped to advise members of their congregations when it comes to tough ethical questions.
Paul Metzger is a professor of theology and culture at Multnomah Biblical Seminary at Multnomah University.
There is a real "dearth" of Christian leaders in tune with modern science, said Paul Metzger, a professor of theology at Multnomah Biblical Seminary in Portland and a mentor to Somboonsiri, who is in his third year at the seminary.
"It is a scientific age," Metzger said. "We cannot live in another universe."
Metzger, with Somboonsiri as his aide, is leading an effort at the 150-student seminary to integrate science into core classes.
The Multnomah Biblical Seminary, a non-denominational Christian school located on Northeast Glisan Street, is one of 10 institutions nationwide selected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science to pilot a "Science for Seminaries" program.
"Religious leaders get very little exposure to science in their religious training," said Jennifer Wiseman, director of the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion. Yet they are the ones many people of faith turn to for answers.
Multnomah Biblical Seminary
The association's advisors have been insisting for years that the world's largest general scientific society should provide science training for religious leaders, Wiseman said. This year, the organization finally took action, giving between $80,000 and $200,000 to each Christian seminary. (Multnomah leaders wouldn't disclose the amount they received.)
The list of recipients includes also the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C..
The goal is a sort of trickle-down science: teach America's future religious leaders, the thinking goes, and eventually average faithful Americans will understand science better, too.
Multnomah will be adding conversations about the intersection of science and faith to at least seven core classes, Metzger said. Here are a few examples of what that integration will look like:
- In a course on theology and ethics, students will be presented with the latest research on the human brain and consciousness. Students will tackle questions such as:
- In a course on Biblical studies, students will compare the Bible's account of the earth's origin to theories in modern science.
- In a course on historical theology, students will study the history of the relationship between the Christian church and science.
The grant
Multnomah Biblical Seminary will integrate science into at least seven core classes in areas of
theology
,
ethics
,
biblical studies
,
historical theology
and
pastoral care
.
The seminary will have scientific advisors in
astrophysics
,
macrobiology
and
neuroscience
.
Science integration is already in the works. The grant went into effect August 2014.
"Often in American Christianity, the church has been seen as a bastion apart from culture, which to me is frightening," Somboonsiri said.
People today, particularly millennials, are looking for a more "holistic" view of the world, he said. They aren't afraid to ask difficult questions. Participating in those conversations is "part of what it means to be a minister in the twenty-first century," he said.
Leaders from all 10 participating seminaries will convene after two years to discuss what did and didn't work, Wiseman said. They'll also put together a packet of resources, such as classroom syllabi and short science videos.
If the program is successful, the association might expand the grant to more seminaries and possibly to other religious educational institutions.
Somboonsiri said he thinks the grant will "greatly benefit" seminary students and congregations they'll someday serve — just as studying science has improved his own faith.
"My understanding of science influences my understanding of faith," he said. "Science is not this strong man to be beaten down."
-- Melissa Binder