May 2018 Newsletter

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

1. Science for Seminaries

Our good friends at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) program have an exciting opportunity for faculty members working at seminaries. Here’s a description of the program in their own words:

“DoSER recently launched the second phase of our “Science for Seminaries” project, a project that partners with seminaries to provide support and resources to seminary professors to encourage informed dialogue and a positive understanding of science among future religious leaders. Specifically, we just opened applications for the Science for Seminaries Faculty Enrichment Retreat.

“The Faculty Enrichment Retreat assists future religious leaders as they prepare for conversations at the intersection of faith and science. Up to 10 faculty from seminaries across the United States will engage with learning outcomes gleaned from past and current participants in the AAAS Science for Seminaries project. By the end of the four-day retreat, participants will be able to impart an appreciation for science to their students, which will enrich teaching and service as seminary graduates minister to their congregations. The retreat will be held from August 6-9 at The Inn at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club in Stevensville, Maryland.

“Seminary instructors can submit their application and read the official contest rules at https://sci4semretreat.aaas.org/. The deadline to apply is May 30, 2018.”

Yes, the only downside of this great program is that the application deadline is just about upon us. Please apply quickly if you’re interested in participating.

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2. Astrobiology News for May 2018: “Decolonizing” Mars

In this month’s Astrobiology News, Clergy Letter Project consultant and Adler Planetarium astronomer Grace Wolf-Chase discusses colonialism and space exploration as well as a thoughtful graduation speech given by Justin Trudeau that touches on this topic.

I hope the topic of this month’s news will be of interest to everyone! As humanity is on the verge of becoming interplanetary, there are many questions to consider, and how we should proceed is arguably even more important than how we can proceed. In thinking about placing a human presence on other worlds, how do we avoid repeating mistakes of the past, where colonization led to social inequity and injustice?

Next month, individuals at the intersection of astrobiology, anthropology, social justice, and space exploration will gather at the Library of Congress to discuss how to undo the legacy of colonialism and develop fresh ways of thinking about space exploration. On September 27th, there will be a follow-up public event examining what living on Earth can teach us about living on Mars. What follows is a summary of the three “beats” envisioned for that event. During the summer, I’ll provide more details to the CLP as they become available.

The first beat of the program will explore what having “The Right Stuff” means, and how that meaning is evolving. Drawing on Tom Wolfe’s(1) portrayal of the “cowboy astronaut” and frontier themes that have long guided principles of space exploration, this beat will examine how these narratives inform and influence modern ideas about who can explore space. The second beat will focus on how the history of exploration on Earth can inform our thinking about the Martian environment. The third beat will explore “Alternative Futurisms,” using science fiction as a springboard for imagining humanity’s future in space in ways that are radically different from the 19th century emphasis on manifest destiny.

During my son’s recent NYU graduation ceremony at Yankee Stadium, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau challenged graduates to become leaders who would step outside of their own “ideological bubbles” to listen to other perspectives and find common ground.(2) When thinking about how they will impact the future, Trudeau asked, “Do you want to win an argument, or do you want to change the world?” Indeed, as urgent as this message is for bridging cultural divides on our planet, it takes on an even greater urgency as we turn our collective attention to the so-called “final frontier.”

Until next month,

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

1. Wolfe, Tom. The Right Stuff. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1979.
2. The full address can be accessed through multiple youtube uploads.

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3. The Clergy Letter Project is an IRAS Conference Partner

As we have in the past, The Clergy Letter Project is an official Conference Partner for IRAS’s (The Institute on Religion in the Age of Science) Summer Conference. In addition to supporting and promoting a good cause and a great conference, our partnership means that any Clergy Letter Project member who opts to attend will receive a 30 percent discount on the registration fee. Additionally, anyone attending for the first time will receive an additional 30 percent discount on food and housing.

The conference is scheduled for 23-30 June and will be held on Star Island in New Hampshire. The topic should be of interest to many Clergy Letter Project members and friends: “Artificial Intelligence Turns Deep: Who's in Control?” You can read more about the conference and about registration details on the IRAS website.

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4. The Cruelty of Young-Earth Creationism

James McGrath, long-term Clergy Letter Project friend and consistent participant in Evolution Weekend (and a colleague of mine when I worked at Butler University), recently published a piece entitled “The Cruelty of Young-Earth Creationism.” In his short item he references a longer essay by Fred Clark. Both are well worth reading.

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5. Might Evolution Vanish From Arizona Schools?

Our good friends at the National Center for Science Education have recently reported troubling news coming out of Arizona. According to reports, staff members at the state’s Department of Education have made significant changes to the state’s draft of science standards. “Department staff deleted or qualified the word 'evolution' throughout the document.” The changes, which weren’t endorsed by the specialists on the writing committee that drafted the standards, consistently downplayed and/or removed any mention of evolution as well as the concept of speciation.

As crazy as this sounds, it’s well worth remembering that, back in 1987, the chief aide for educational matters to then Arizona Governor Evan Mecham testified before a legislative committee that public school teachers should not impose their belief that the earth is round on students who have been brought up to believe that it is flat.

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6. Evolution Weekend 2019

Yes, I realize that it isn’t even summer (in the northern hemisphere) yet and here I am writing about Evolution Weekend 2019 (8-10 February 2019). Even at this early date, I urge you to put these dates on your calendar and to sign up to participate with your congregation, your university class or your community group. Please sign up now and please start thinking about possible themes for this year.

______ Of course I plan to participate in Evolution Weekend 2019! Please add me to the growing list of participants.

Name of Congregation:
Location:
Your Name:

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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