An Open Letter to People of Faith about Science
BioLogos speaks out
In my day job at BioLogos we’ve been debating how much to speak out about the decimation of public funding for scientific and medical research, and about the relative silence from Christian communities in relation to that decimation. In the past we’ve been hesitant to tread too closely to politics, but we decided now that we need to say something. We won’t be endorsing candidates for public office or putting out voter guides. But we do hope to shine a light on issues related to science.
To that end we have launched a campaign of sorts to declare that science is good. Of course the skeptical philosopher in me immediately thinks of all sorts of ways that science isn’t always good. But philosophers aren’t usually in charge of marketing campaigns! I do write a lot of copy for various resources, though, and I was tasked with this one. After a round with several key advisors, we landed on framing this as an open letter to people of faith about science and using the virtues commended in the three parables in Matthew 25 as inspiration.
This text was posted on the BioLogos website today, and I’d encourage you to take a look at that. But acting on the data that the overwhelming majority of you reading my posts don’t ever click on a link, I’ve decided to post it here too. You’re welcome!
BioLogos is launching a new initiative: Science is Good. This is our considered response to a cultural moment marked by distrust of institutions, suspicion of expertise, and a sharp decline in public investment in scientific research. Federal cuts to life-saving programs and the vilification of scientists are not just political developments, but symptoms of a deeper crisis. As Christians, we cannot be silent about this.
At BioLogos, we affirm that science is a God-given tool for understanding and stewarding God’s world, and we believe that Christians should be among its strongest advocates. To help frame this call, we turn to Matthew 25. We do not take these parables as direct commentary on modern science, but they offer enduring insight about living faithfully in the world. In this spirit, we lift up and apply the Kingdom virtues found in Jesus's parables: wisdom, stewardship, and mercy. When we stand for science through them, we stand for the Kingdom of God.
Wisdom: Preparing for What Lies Ahead
In the parable of the bridesmaids (Matt. 25:1-13), Jesus honors as wise those who were prepared — a reminder that wisdom means anticipating challenges and responding with readiness. Today, science is an important means of equipping us for crises we can anticipate so that we are not caught unaware. Ongoing research in public health, climate science, and medicine are wise actions that help us prepare.
It is wise to support this work, just as it is foolish to dismiss it. Wise support includes funding vaccine research, listening to climate experts, and encouraging those who work in STEM fields. When we turn our backs on science in the face of foreseeable dangers, we are choosing complacency over care. Instead, let us be known as those who prepared well — who kept our lamps burning through the night, fueled by faith and knowledge.
Stewardship: Multiplying God-Given Gifts
The parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30) reminds us that we are entrusted with gifts not to bury them, but to use them for good. The ability to understand God’s world and alleviate suffering through research is one such gift. Scientists, engineers, and medical professionals — whether or not they are Christians — can apply and multiply their talents for the common good. When we support robust education, research funding, and evidence-based innovation, we are helping to steward God’s gifts to scientists so they can bear fruit.
To denigrate this work or defund it is to squander divine gifts. Scientific research is not opposed to faith; it is a profound act of stewardship. We must encourage rigorous, ethical science and ensure it has the support it needs to bear fruit. As a society, let us not be like the fearful servant who buried his opportunity. Let us invest in the future, stewarding knowledge and discovery to serve the common good. This is not just good policy; it is a profound way to live out our faith by using our God-given talents to love our neighbors.
Mercy: Serving the Least of These
The last and most challenging parable is the sheep and the goats (Matt. 25:31-46). In it Jesus suggests that the nations and their people will be judged based on how they treat the hungry, the sick, the stranger, and the prisoner. This is a clear call to acts of mercy for the vulnerable with whom Christ identifies. Science, when directed by compassion, is one of the most effective tools we have to live out that calling. Whether through medical technology, environmental protection, or humanitarian aid, science motivated by this Christian calling becomes a means of serving “the least of these.”
Of course science can be misused for profit or power, but when guided by compassion and ethics, it becomes a powerful ally in our Christian call to serve. Faith compels us to love our neighbor; science gives us practical and effective ways to do so at scale. Vaccines that reach children in remote areas, engineering projects that provide clean water, public health campaigns that reduce maternal mortality, digital tools that monitor disease outbreaks — these are not abstract policy issues, but tangible expressions of mercy to Christ himself in our most vulnerable neighbors.
Call to Action
We are convinced that supporting science is not just compatible with Christian faith — it is one of its modern expressions. In an age of polarization and misinformation, we call on the church to be a voice of wisdom, stewardship, and mercy. Let us affirm science not out of political loyalty, but because it serves life, health, and justice.
BioLogos stands with scientists, healthcare workers, and innovators who labor to alleviate suffering and promote human flourishing. We invite you to stand with us in specific ways:
Start a conversation with your friends, family, church, and other communities about how science is a gift from God that contributes to human flourishing.
Advocate for organizations and institutions that invest in scientific research and its humanitarian application.
Tell your story of how science has made your life better or led to greater flourishing in the communities you’re part of. Share that story with us at scienceisgood@biologos.org, and we’ll use some of these in future resources.
In the months to come, BioLogos will build partnerships with other organizations and develop materials to amplify the message that Science is Good. Join our email list and follow us on Instagram or Facebook to keep up with our work and share resources with your friends. Start by sampling the resources linked below from our archive. We’d be happy to hear what you think.
Together let us show the world that science is not the enemy of faith — it is a powerful partner in living out our call to love God and neighbor. May we be wise in preparation, faithful in stewardship, and merciful in action.
As someone who works for a government science agency (at least for now), good for Biologos for being willing to say this.
It has been disappointing (but, after the last 9 years, not surprising) to see how much of the church is either silent or actively cheering the destruction of US science, including science that saves numerous lives.
I hope you can convince people to see what is so interesting and valuable about (much) science.
Alas, the task is daunting. What many theistically-minded and intellectually curious people see most prominently of science are things like arrogant astrophysicists making silly (and yet almost comically aggressive) anti-theist arguments that a reasonably intelligent undergraduate in philosophy could easily pick apart.
More serious arguments *could* be made, but making them would require actually studying the long history of thoughtful consideration of these questions. Given the juvenile nature of the arguments that many prominent scientists actually make (not to mention their rhetoric), it seems implausible that such study has been undertaken by them; they thus appear to be interested only in browbeating, not dialogue, and it is easy to see why people react negatively to them.
I think that's one of the more significant hurdles, for many theistically-minded people, to accepting the value and wonder of scientific investigation. It is a mistake, of course, to associate an entire area of human inquiry with a few loud-mouths, but the mistake is very understandable, and, I suspect, psychologically very difficult to overcome.