God and Nature Winter 2021
how it all started |
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By Thomas Burnett
In 2009, at a AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion reception in Washington DC, I was talking with DoSER director Jennifer Wiseman when she turned to Randy Isaac and introduced us. Randy greeted me with his infectious enthusiasm, and I mentioned that I had been an ASA member in graduate school. He told me, "Tom, most people in ASA look like me, but I would like to see more members of ASA who are young like you. Do you have any ideas of how to make that happen?" I told him I would think about it and get back to him. After some reflection, I concluded that ASA's greatest asset was its members. But for those who didn't attend the annual meetings-- as I had not-- they never got a chance to get to know the other amazing people who ar a part of it. Since young people are less likely to have the financial resources to travel to annual meetings, this limitation fell acutely on them. So I thought to myself, how can I introduce ASA members to each other virtually? Randy enabled me to send a message to all ASA members asking if any of them would be willing to be interviewed, and I got an overwhelming response from over 90 of them. I selected an initial slate of about 10, set up phone interviews, and began writing profiles based on my conversations with them. It was fun for me to get to know ASA members this way, and I created a blog as a way to share these profiles with anyone who might be interested. I named the blog God and Nature in honor of the book bearing this name that was edited by Ronald Numbers and David Lindberg. This volume of essays, written by preeminent historians of science, definitively debunked the thesis that science and religion were in perpetual warfare, a view that had been taken for granted since the late 19th century. In my mind, ASA was a living embodiment that science and the Christian faith could exist harmoniously and mutually enrich each other.
After I got the blog up and running and my other professional obligations ramped up, I handed off editorial responsibilities to Emily Ruppel, who enhanced the blog considerably with illustrations, poetry, and a new layout. I'm delighted to see God and Nature still going strong after a decade, and I am grateful for everyone who has contributed to it!
Thomas Burnett is the Assistant Director of Public Engagement at the John Templeton Foundation. He is responsible for identifying thought-provoking, under-appreciated, and potentially beneficial findings from recent research initiatives in order to enhance public engagement with “Science and the Big Questions.” Before joining the Foundation, Thomas worked in communications at the National Academy of Sciences. Prior to that, he worked for BioLogos and the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion. He also served as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in Innsbruck, Austria. Mr. Burnett received his B.A. in philosophy from Rice University and pursued his doctoral studies in the history of science at University of California, Berkeley.
In 2009, at a AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion reception in Washington DC, I was talking with DoSER director Jennifer Wiseman when she turned to Randy Isaac and introduced us. Randy greeted me with his infectious enthusiasm, and I mentioned that I had been an ASA member in graduate school. He told me, "Tom, most people in ASA look like me, but I would like to see more members of ASA who are young like you. Do you have any ideas of how to make that happen?" I told him I would think about it and get back to him. After some reflection, I concluded that ASA's greatest asset was its members. But for those who didn't attend the annual meetings-- as I had not-- they never got a chance to get to know the other amazing people who ar a part of it. Since young people are less likely to have the financial resources to travel to annual meetings, this limitation fell acutely on them. So I thought to myself, how can I introduce ASA members to each other virtually? Randy enabled me to send a message to all ASA members asking if any of them would be willing to be interviewed, and I got an overwhelming response from over 90 of them. I selected an initial slate of about 10, set up phone interviews, and began writing profiles based on my conversations with them. It was fun for me to get to know ASA members this way, and I created a blog as a way to share these profiles with anyone who might be interested. I named the blog God and Nature in honor of the book bearing this name that was edited by Ronald Numbers and David Lindberg. This volume of essays, written by preeminent historians of science, definitively debunked the thesis that science and religion were in perpetual warfare, a view that had been taken for granted since the late 19th century. In my mind, ASA was a living embodiment that science and the Christian faith could exist harmoniously and mutually enrich each other.
After I got the blog up and running and my other professional obligations ramped up, I handed off editorial responsibilities to Emily Ruppel, who enhanced the blog considerably with illustrations, poetry, and a new layout. I'm delighted to see God and Nature still going strong after a decade, and I am grateful for everyone who has contributed to it!
Thomas Burnett is the Assistant Director of Public Engagement at the John Templeton Foundation. He is responsible for identifying thought-provoking, under-appreciated, and potentially beneficial findings from recent research initiatives in order to enhance public engagement with “Science and the Big Questions.” Before joining the Foundation, Thomas worked in communications at the National Academy of Sciences. Prior to that, he worked for BioLogos and the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion. He also served as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in Innsbruck, Austria. Mr. Burnett received his B.A. in philosophy from Rice University and pursued his doctoral studies in the history of science at University of California, Berkeley.