The course has looked at a number of sources ranging from the right to the left of evangelicalism in terms of the authors theological position. The intent of the course was never to change the students position just allow the student to speak to their position with some sense of the strengths and weaknesses of their position.
Just like we said when we started:
"All truth is God's truth, no matter where it is found."
Holmes
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
Aristotle
Students have engaged the material differently, some have written amazing journals but have chosen to be silent in class. With a class participation mark of 20% that was a dangerous choice. Some have chosen to participate in the class discussion in reaction to the points discussed but clearly uninformed by what they have read for their journal. Again, a dangerous choice. But then again the course typically works out that way. We learn to live with what was possible under the circumstances.
It seemed that the class rarely came with either a clear feeling for the important points brought up by the sources or how to interpret them. I would often sense in class, that the class was simply waiting to me to tell the class what to think. Another dangerous choice.
There were times that I had to speak rather emphatically on a point discussed in the sources to cause class discussion. Points that I personally might not take. This might have caused some confusion by times but I felt it was necessary.
Your personal position on Science and Religion is crucial as you continue on in your careers even if they are not in science. Your community, both your civil community and your faith community (even if it is just your child asking you why the sky is blue) need you to not only know the content and concepts but also the meaning and value of both Science and Religion. If you fail in this you fail in the whole reason why we have a degree from a liberal arts and science university.
That said, the course will be marked on how well you know the content of the course (faithfully recounting the sources), the concepts of the course (handling the sources) and integration (analysis and reflection informed by the sources).
As I said in yesterday's lecture if there are places in society where you as an individual with a liberal arts and science degree and a faith position will need to address the content, concepts and integration related to this course it will likely be in the following areas:
1) Evolution and the Age of the Earth, while not really covered in this course were the elephants in the room. As I said, while we need to be careful of initial positions (in that in Science were are expected to change initial positions as more data becomes available while in Religion we are often expected to fight to the death to defend a received position) it is something to think about that in the all of the history of Western culture when Religion has fundamentally disagreed on an issue that Science had a well developed database on it was never Science that had to accommodate Religion. In your heads you will need to at least adopt an Aristotelian objectivity as you deal with the faith issues.
2) Environment: Polkinghorne, Peters and Sagan have all identified this one area as an arena where both Science and Religion speak truth to each other. I do not care to identify causes. In my opinion climate change is littered with both false causalities and incorrect predictions. I will say this though: twenty years of climate change evangelical preaching did not change the behaviour of people in any significant way. Only two things in the recent past has dramatically changed people's behaviour to match what the climate-change prophets have told us to do: the spike in gas prices a couple of years ago made us reduce consumption and the ongoing financial collapse. It is my prediction that we have an open window into the correctness of the climate change models concerning anthrogenic greenhouse gases and climate change. There can be no doubt that the financial crisis has forced us to create less CO2 and green house gases. If I am right, in about five years we will know the truth about our role in climate change.
But then again, who cares about causality? What is clear at this point is that climate change is happening. It is also clear, from the climate models that I have read, that Canada will be in a unique position to weather this change. We are blessed with water, space and natural resources. The best decision you ever made was to be born in Canada at the end of the 20th century.
In any event, the world will be coming to Canada hungry, naked and destitute. What will you do?
As an example of the intent of this course if I were in charge of the evangelical community in Canada I would at this point be selling every church and parsonage in the land (we can meet in peoples houses and back yards). I would preach tithing and thrift like they were foundations of the faith. With the money thus freed up I would then proceed to purchase land, lots of land. I would want that land to be isolated, well above sea level, well watered and with decent soil.
Why? Sanctuary and Refuge. Our gift to Canada would be the creation of green, viable self-sustaining communities founded and supported by the Christians that own the property with the direct intention of accommodating environmental refugees in communities where their culture would be respected and they would be given an immediate opportunity to support themselves. We would be able to say to the world ... in our country there are many rooms and we have prepared one for you. This is how Science and Faith speak Truth to each other. Each of us will need to work that out on our own.
3) Ethics and Morality: In your lifetime we will have children born in artificial wombs, clones and drones (clones without consciousness created for spare parts). Our society is not ready for the ethical and moral decisions that it will have to make as Science and Technology race onward.
Your community, your civil community and your faith community will look to you for leadership, to show that you are not afraid to look objectively at disparate positions and make decisions informed by reason and faith. To find some balance between the two and to have the courage of your convictions to speak up when the time comes ... and the time is coming.
Your thoughts need to be informed by the content and concepts of modern society but there must also be a response from within that is informed by your faith position that speaks to the limits and boundaries of both knowledge and endeavour. It is why you were here.
Take care, I will be praying for you all.
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