Welcome to Resources on Science and Christian
Faith from the American Scientific Affiliation. We have
prepared mini-courses on a variety of faith and science topics using
resources from our journal, Perspectives on Science and Christian
Faith (formally Journal of the American Scientific
Affiliation) and from presentations from our annual meetings.
Click on one of the categories below to find readings, audio recordings, and
videos that have been selected from our collection to introduce you to
a particular topic. We encourage you to proceed through the collection
in the order presented and write answers to the study questions in a
personal journal. These study questions can also be used in a
conversation with another person or in a discussion in a small group.
Use the search form to find faith/science topics and authors
that may interest you.
In 2020 we began holding online
"Brown Bag Lunch" events over Zoom. These events feature a recording
of an earlier ASA event, followed by live interaction with the original
speaker(s).
Our ASA YouTube channel offers many video recordings of events held since 2020,
including online and in-person events. Our Diving Deeper Discussions are posted here,
as well as our Brown Bag Lunch events. There are also a number of pre-2020 recordings
posted here. More to come!
The YouTube channel for our Canadian affiliate, the Canadian Scientific and Christian Affiliation,
offers many in-person and online recordings from ASA local chapter & conference events held in Canada.
ASA has a long history of dialogue and discussion.
Anyone interested in this debate would profit from tracking this
history. Seeing how ASA members worked through these issues and settled
on the various options could be instructive for those currently
exploring these questions.
Book reviews have been a prominent feature of the Journal of the
ASA and Perspectives on Science & Christian Faith since the
earliest days of the ASA. Many members contribute book reviews, and it
has been an important way to keep ASA members up to date on recent
thought in science, theology, and their intersection.
From February 1996 to January 2010, the ASA email Listserv provided
a forum for open discussion among ASA member participants. At any given
time, 30 or more ASA members shared thoughts and reactions on virtually
all topics related to science and Christian Faith. A search for a
particular topic will lead to various threads on that topic. All email
notes are archived in unedited format.
This leads to the older ASA resources page. It contains links to a course
on Whole Person Education by Craig Rusbult, as well as number of Topics
covered on an older version of the ASA website. Please note that these pages
are no longer maintained—watch out for broken links!
The science/faith or evolution/creation discussion is huge. Where do
you start? We have pulled together this set of resources as an introduction covering
the areas of reading Genesis, the age of the earth, evidences for
evolution, theistic evolution (or evolutionary creation), the first
humans (Adam and Eve), and intelligent design.
For some the Bible-Science conflict starts with the opening chapter of Genesis.
This curated list features a wealth of resources focussing on this fascinating discussion.
What is the image of God? Are Adam and Eve historical figures?
Are there theological truths in Genesis that can be separated from
actual historical events? This resource list contributions by ASA
members to annual meetings, articles in PSCF, books
and blog posts written by ASA members that address the question.
How old is the earth? What do scientists really know on the basis of
radiometric and non-radiometric dating methods? Find out more with this
list of resources.
Intelligent Design theory is a major topic in science-faith discussions.
This resource list contains videos, conference recordings, and PSCF
articles on the topic.
If God operated in the ordinary cause
and effect relations that scientists study, would his operation be
detectable? If they are not detectable, how might they be present?
The reflections of ASA members on the subject of
God's interaction with Creation covers a wide range of topics.
The ASA has become increasingly
cognizant of the professionalization of the philosophy of science and,
while scientists among us never, stop doing philosophy, we have
encouraged philosophers to inform the conversation in significant ways.
With every advance in biology, ethology, and psychology
new questions emerge about what it means to be human.
As always, the conversation in the ASA is among people who have
Christian commitments and share the key elements of a Christian
worldview.
ASA counts many biologists, philosophers, and theologians among our members,
which affords us a terrific opportunity to engage on the many thorny issues
involved in bioethics.
As a principle, environmental stewardship has been relatively
non-controverisal in the ASA--the idea is found in the ASA
statement of faith. However, as with many of the faith/science issues
discussed within the ASA there is a range of perspectives.
The early months of 2025 have brought widespread disruption and
uncertainty. In addition to prioritizing prayer, we want to offer some other
resources and support in a new section of our website:
"Standing Together for Faith & Science in Uncertain Times."
ClassicalU is an online teacher-training platform that provides 80+
courses (including these two with ASA Fellow Ted Davis)
by highly qualified presenters with a clear path toward mastery
for educators seeking to understand the classical tradition of
education and to teach with excellence.
