August 2018 Newsletter

In this Clergy Letter Project update, you’ll find the following six items:

1. The God of Retribution vs The God of Love

As the wildfires in California burned largely out of control, Pastor Kevin Swanson claimed on his radio show that the fires were God’s retribution for the state’s actions to “legitimize the sin of homosexuality.” I took the opportunity to provide a counterpoint to his extreme view in this short essay.

I noted, “the clergy members I know and respect understand and preach that:
· Religion is not about hate;
· Religion is not about bigotry;
· Religion is not about ignorance.”

I went on to point out that “Unlike Swanson, they understand that deep and abiding love wherever it is found is something to be cherished and valued rather than attacked. The God they know, the spirit they celebrate, is open and affirming.”

I’ve learned a great deal working with members of The Clergy Letter Project and I hope you are pleased with what I had to say. If so, please share this piece with others.

Return to Top

2. Astrobiology News for August 2018: A Planet is Born!

In this month’s Astrobiology News, Clergy Letter Project consultant and Adler Planetarium astronomer Grace Wolf-Chase discusses evidence of planetary formation before our very eyes.

Over the past few decades, we’ve accumulated increasing evidence that indicates most stars should be accompanied by planet-sized worlds. We’ve detected thousands of exoplanets orbiting stars, and we’ve observed dusty protoplanetary disks, comparable in size to our Solar System, surrounding young stars. Now, thanks to new high resolution imaging abilities, we are beginning to learn how planets actually form within those disks.

Earlier this year, two independent research teams detected indirect evidence of planets forming within the disk of a young star known as HD 163296, by studying the motions of gas within the star’s disk using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).(1) Just last month, a gas giant exoplanet known as PDS 70b became the first newly forming planet to be imaged directly with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, and a new study has measured the rate at which the planet is growing.(2) PDS 70b is “only” 370 light-years away and its star is a “mere” 10 million years old!

The new study makes use of an adaptive optics system on the 6.5-meter Magellan Clay Telescope in Chile. Adaptive optics is a technique used to remove distortions (aka “twinkling”) produced as a star’s light passes through Earth’s atmosphere.(3) The research team used the luminosity of a spectral line emitted by hydrogen, known as H-alpha, to trace the amount of hot hydrogen gas falling onto the planet. They found the gas giant planet is currently growing at the rate of about one hundred millionth of the mass of Jupiter per year, and is likely to be near the end of its growth period.(4) Observing a variety of planets in the act of forming will help us better understand the amazing diversity of distant worlds.

On a separate note, I would like to remind folks of a public event entitled Becoming Interplanetary: What Living on Earth Can Teach Us about Living on Mars, which will be held at the Library of Congress on September 27, 2018. Check out the web site for details as they become available, and note that the day’s events will be streamed online for remote viewers!(5)

Until next month,

Grace

Grace Wolf-Chase, Ph.D. (gwolfchase@adlerplanetarium.org)

1. Teague, R. et al. 2018, A Kinematical Detection of Two Embedded Jupiter-mass Planets in HD 163296, ApJL, 860, L12 and Pinte, C. et al. 2018, Kinematic Evidence for an Embedded Protoplanet in a Circumstellar Disk, ApJL 860, L13.
2. https://aasnova.org/2018/08/17/planet-formation-caught-in-the-act/
3. Although initially developed for astronomical imaging, adaptive optics has found many applications in medical imaging, including the way vision scientists and opthalmologists view the retina.
4. Wagner, K. et al. 2018, Magellan Adaptive Optics Imaging of PDS 70: Measuring the Mass Accretion Rate of a Young Giant Planet within a Gapped Disk, ApJL, 863, L8.
5. https://www.decolonizemars.org/becoming-interplanetary/

Return to Top

3. The Clergy Letter Project Reaches a New Milestone

I’m delighted to say that since the July Newsletter was published, the number of clergy members who have signed one of our Clergy Letters has surpassed 16,000. Frankly, I’m amazed and humbled that more than 16,000 of you have joined me on this endeavor. I wrote a short essay noting this milestone and discussing many of the important activities undertaken by The Clergy Letter Project. I hope you enjoy the piece and share it broadly. I’m confident that it can be used as a productive recruiting tool if we put it in front of our colleagues.

Return to Top

4. Evolution Weekend 2019: A Free Book Offer

Our theme for Evolution Weekend 2019, The Confluence of Religion and Science, seems more relevant every day and offers many ways for congregations to participate. That theme has apparently already resonated with many of you; at this early date we already have more than 110 congregations representing 39 states plus the District of Columbia as well as five countries signed on to participate. If you’ve not yet signed up, I hope you think about doing so now.

______ Yes, I want to be a part of Evolution Weekend 2019! Please add me to the growing list of participants.

Name of Congregation (or school group):
Location:
Your Name:

In keeping with our theme, I’m delighted to say that Church Publishing has just released a new book and has generously made a number of free copies available to The Clergy Letter Project to help members prepare for Evolution Weekend 2019. The book is entitled Faith and Science in the 21st Century: A Postmodern Primer for Youth and Adults and was edited by Clergy Letter Project member Reverend Peter Wallace. The book is based on the popular Day 1 radio program. Here’s a brief description from the publisher:

For many Christians, science and faith seem incompatible. This companion to the Day 1 Faith and Science program series offers a means to hold conversations for youth and adults who desire to reconcile their belief in science with their faith, or vice versa. Join eight noted theologians across the denominational spectrum for fruitful discussions on topics such as creation, time, genetics, and the cosmos, all in relation to God.

I hasten to add that some of the eight contributors are also members of The Clergy Letter Project!

The book would be perfect for those of you who might want to lead discussions with parishioners about the relationship between religion and science. Charlaine Apsel, Executive Director for Practical Resources for Churches, said the following about the book:

For anyone wanting to lead a study on faith and science, this eight-session study guide for Faith and Science in the 21st Century is a wonderful resource. The guide provides everything a leader would need to confidently lead a group. The accompanying video clips from the Day1® Faith and Science series are visually stunning and theologically thought provoking.

I’ll award a free copy of Faith and Science in the 21st Century to every fourth person who requests one until all copies are accounted for. If you’re not one of the lucky ones to win a free copy, you can purchase a copy directly from the publisher.

_____ Of course I’ll participate in Evolution Weekend 2019 8-10 February 2019)! (But I don’t need the book!)

Name of Congregation:
Location:
Your name:

_____ Yes, I plan to participate in Evolution Weekend 2019 (8-10 February 2019) and this book looks great. Please enter me in the free book sweepstakes. If selected, I promise to pay $5 to cover postage and handling.

Name of Congregation:
Location:
Your name:

Either way, please sign up to participate in Evolution Weekend 2019 now. Given all that is happening, it is more important than ever for religious leaders to demonstrate the compatibility of religion and science. (Please remember that if the specific dates selected for Evolution Weekend 2019 don’t work for your congregation, you can participate any time in the temporal vicinity – and participation can take any form you find useful for you and your congregation.)

Return to Top

5. Are Faith and Science Contradictory? Or Complementary?

Earlier this year, Christine Zenner, associate professor of theology, science and ethics at Fordham University, published a review of three recently published books dealing with the interface of religion and science. Her review was reprinted on-line in America: The Jesuit Review and I thought it would be helpful to bring to the attention of members.

Zenner reviews On Faith and Science, by Edward J. Larson and Michael Ruse, The New Cosmic Story: Inside Our Awakening Universe by John Haught, and The Image of the Unseen God: Catholicity, Science, and Our Evolving Understanding of God by Thomas Hosinski. Happy reading!

Return to Top

6. Embracing Ignorance: How Modern Science Helps Us Rediscover Our Ancient Faith

Sinai and Synapses, our sister organization, consistently publishes interesting pieces on its blog. Their latest is by Rev. Zachary Jackson, pastor of Community United Church of Christ in Reading, PA. Entitled “Embracing ignorance: How modern science helps us rediscover our ancient faith,” the essay is thought-provoking and well worth reading. Rev. Jackson concludes by writing, “And I have no interest in debating whether or not science and religion can exist together. I know they can. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think that. And to leave you with a quote from the physicist Sir William Bragg, “Sometimes people ask me if religion and science are not opposed to one another. They are: in the sense that the thumb and the fingers on my hands are opposed one another. It is an opposition by means of which anything can be grasped.” Thank you for your time.” You can read the full essay here.

Return to Top

Finally, as always, I want to thank you for your continued support and as I do every month, I urge you to take one simple action. Please share this month’s Newsletter with a colleague or two (or post a link via any social media platform you use) and ask them to add their voices to those promoting a deep and meaningful understanding between religion and science. They can add their signatures to a Clergy Letter simply by dropping me a note at mz@theclergyletterproject.org. Together we are making a difference.

Michael

Michael Zimmerman
Founder and Executive Director
The Clergy Letter Project
www.theclergyletterproject.org
mz@theclergyletterproject.org