God and Nature Winter 2024
By Sy Garte and Anikó Albert
Welcome to the Winter 2024 issue of God and Nature, the first of what promises to be an exciting year. This summer the ASA’s annual meeting will be held in Washington DC, and as local residents and members of the Washington DC Metro Chapter of the ASA, we are both on the organizing committee for the conference. We already have a great list of plenary speakers! Look for more information coming in the next issue.
The theme of the conference this year is One Body, Many Gifts: The Diversity of Divine and Human Endeavor (inspired by Romans 12:4-6a), and this issue features essays and columns from past issues of God and Nature that reflect that theme. The essays are themselves diverse with respect to topic, including: the story of Origen, a Black church father and scientist (Omololu Fagunwa); a reflection from science and Ecclesiastes on being human (Oscar Gonzalez), a journey searching for consensus (Terry Defoe); a photoessay on the birds of New Zealand (Janel Curry); compromise and dialog on environmental problems (Johnny Lin); the genetics and theology of race (Sy Garte); and needing a third culture in church (John Pohl). We also are featuring past work from our two columnists: “Mentors” from On Camera --Scripture in Creation (Cheryl Grey Bostrom) and “Hidden Figures” from Across the Pond (Mike Clifford). Finally, we included two poems: “A Goldfish Sings a Tentative Psalm” (Anikó Albert) and “Contact Points” (Zachary Ardern).
We are fortunate to have such a wealth of great writing and interesting material. Choosing what to reprint from among the many potential candidates was difficult, and it’s quite likely that we missed one or more excellent examples that fit the theme from the past five years.
The essays are presented in chronological order of first release, from the most recent going back in time. The table of contents lists the essays as usual, adding the date of the original publication (OP). The essays are reprinted without further editing or changes, except for the biographical information in some. All authors have given enthusiastic approval for the reuse of their essays.
As discussed in the last issue, we will continue to mention in this letter new or recent publications of contributors to God and Nature: Sy’s new book Science and Faith in Harmony is about to be released (Feb. 13), and he is busily working on another one.
Please enjoy this retrospective issue from your colleagues and friends, and don’t forget to spread the word about God and Nature and the ASA, including the opportunity to have essays, poetry, and artwork published here. We’re currently accepting submissions for the Spring issue. God bless you all!
Sy Garte, Ph.D. Biochemistry, is Editor-in-Chief of God and Nature, and the author of The Works of His Hands: A Scientist's Journey from Atheism to Faith (Kregel 2019) and Science and Faith in Harmony: Contemplations on a Distilled Doxology (Kregel 2024). He has been a Professor of Public Health and Environmental Health Sciences at three universities, and was an Associate Director at the Center for Scientific Review at the NIH. He blogs at The Book of Works, and his website is sygarte.com. Sy is Vice President of the Washington DC ASA Chapter, and a fellow of the ASA.
Anikó Albert grew up in Budapest, Hungary, and is a graduate of Eötvös Loránd University. A serial migrant, she taught English as a Foreign Language in her hometown, high-school Spanish in Kingston, Jamaica, and English and various subjects in Alameda, California. She is currently the Managing Editor of God and Nature, and Chair of Rockville Help, an emergency assistance charitable organization in Rockville, Maryland.
Welcome to the Winter 2024 issue of God and Nature, the first of what promises to be an exciting year. This summer the ASA’s annual meeting will be held in Washington DC, and as local residents and members of the Washington DC Metro Chapter of the ASA, we are both on the organizing committee for the conference. We already have a great list of plenary speakers! Look for more information coming in the next issue.
The theme of the conference this year is One Body, Many Gifts: The Diversity of Divine and Human Endeavor (inspired by Romans 12:4-6a), and this issue features essays and columns from past issues of God and Nature that reflect that theme. The essays are themselves diverse with respect to topic, including: the story of Origen, a Black church father and scientist (Omololu Fagunwa); a reflection from science and Ecclesiastes on being human (Oscar Gonzalez), a journey searching for consensus (Terry Defoe); a photoessay on the birds of New Zealand (Janel Curry); compromise and dialog on environmental problems (Johnny Lin); the genetics and theology of race (Sy Garte); and needing a third culture in church (John Pohl). We also are featuring past work from our two columnists: “Mentors” from On Camera --Scripture in Creation (Cheryl Grey Bostrom) and “Hidden Figures” from Across the Pond (Mike Clifford). Finally, we included two poems: “A Goldfish Sings a Tentative Psalm” (Anikó Albert) and “Contact Points” (Zachary Ardern).
We are fortunate to have such a wealth of great writing and interesting material. Choosing what to reprint from among the many potential candidates was difficult, and it’s quite likely that we missed one or more excellent examples that fit the theme from the past five years.
The essays are presented in chronological order of first release, from the most recent going back in time. The table of contents lists the essays as usual, adding the date of the original publication (OP). The essays are reprinted without further editing or changes, except for the biographical information in some. All authors have given enthusiastic approval for the reuse of their essays.
As discussed in the last issue, we will continue to mention in this letter new or recent publications of contributors to God and Nature: Sy’s new book Science and Faith in Harmony is about to be released (Feb. 13), and he is busily working on another one.
Please enjoy this retrospective issue from your colleagues and friends, and don’t forget to spread the word about God and Nature and the ASA, including the opportunity to have essays, poetry, and artwork published here. We’re currently accepting submissions for the Spring issue. God bless you all!
Sy Garte, Ph.D. Biochemistry, is Editor-in-Chief of God and Nature, and the author of The Works of His Hands: A Scientist's Journey from Atheism to Faith (Kregel 2019) and Science and Faith in Harmony: Contemplations on a Distilled Doxology (Kregel 2024). He has been a Professor of Public Health and Environmental Health Sciences at three universities, and was an Associate Director at the Center for Scientific Review at the NIH. He blogs at The Book of Works, and his website is sygarte.com. Sy is Vice President of the Washington DC ASA Chapter, and a fellow of the ASA.
Anikó Albert grew up in Budapest, Hungary, and is a graduate of Eötvös Loránd University. A serial migrant, she taught English as a Foreign Language in her hometown, high-school Spanish in Kingston, Jamaica, and English and various subjects in Alameda, California. She is currently the Managing Editor of God and Nature, and Chair of Rockville Help, an emergency assistance charitable organization in Rockville, Maryland.