Resources on Science and Faith to Help Your Congregation
Many people, especially young people, think science contradicts their faith. This view can have a devastating impact on their belief in God. In reality, the genuine discoveries of science have been friendly to faith, not hostile to it. Here are some resources to help you communicate to members of your congregation.
Newsletters and Websites
Faith and Science Update
Produced monthly, this free e-newsletter from Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture highlights new articles, books, videos, events, and other resources related to science and faith. Subscribe to this newsletter to stay updated on practical science and faith resources you can use in your church, ministry, or school.
FaithandEvolution.org
For those who have questions about evolution and its relationship to faith, this educational website provides free access to hundreds of articles, debates, questions and answers, and even downloadable curricula.
Curricula
TrueU: Does God Exist?
Produced by Focus on the Family, this 10-part DVD series features bestselling author Dr. Stephen Meyer and explores how scientific discoveries over the past century have made belief in God more defensible, not less. This is a tremendous resource for high school students, college students, and adults. To maximize your use of the series, there is a free downloadable leader’s guide containing lesson plans, discussion questions, handouts, and other resources. Especially suitable for: teens, students, parents, other adults.
The Toughest Test in College
This dramatic 45-minute documentary for teens and parents features compelling interviews with many Christian young people about their experiences in college, and it includes insights from leading experts on issues relating to science and faith. This documentary can be used in a variety of ways, including as part of an annual “College Prep Night” for high school teens and their parents. Watch The Toughest Test. A free downloadable leader’s guide is available for use by churches and Christian schools with this resource. Especially suitable for: teens, students, parents, other adults.
Discovering Intelligent Design
This new supplementary science curriculum (textbook, workbook, and DVD) presents the best evidence from physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology and related fields that provide evidence that nature is the product of intelligent design rather than blind unguided processes. The curriculum also has a free online companion. Especially suitable for: homeschool educators and private schools.
Articles & Discussion Questions
“The Case for Intelligent Design”
Use this free article by Stephen Meyer and accompanying discussion questions to explore the history, logic, and evidence for intelligent design as a scientific theory. Especially suitable for: small group discussions, or as one session of an adult Sunday School class on science and faith or intelligent design.
“The Roots of Intelligent Design”
Use this free collection of readings, audio clips, and discussion questions to explore the intellectual roots of intelligent design in Greco-Roman, Judeo-Christian, and modern thought. Especially suitable for: small group discussions, or an adult education mini-course of 2 or 3 sessions.
“God and Darwin: Are They Compatible?”
Can you believe in God and Darwinian evolution at the same time? Use these free discussion questions to help you explore this question by examining what leading proponents of evolution say. Especially suitable for: Small group discussions, or as part of a larger adult Sunday School class on science and faith or evolution.
DVDs and Multimedia
Case for a Creator
Use this DVD, participant’s guide, and book by award-winning journalist Lee Strobel to explore the evidence from astronomy, physics, biochemistry, origin of life studies, and other fields that point toward a Creator. Be sure to check out Case for a Creator for Kids for younger age groups. Especially suitable for: adult Sunday School classes; small group discussions; private study; adult enrichment seminars.
The Privileged Species Series
Are humans the accidental products of a blind and uncaring universe? Or do they hold a special place in the universe? Explore this crucial question along with geneticist and author Michael Denton in Privileged Species as he investigates the unique features of our world that make human life possible. The Biology of the Baroque and Fire-Maker follow Privileged Species to explore more specific, but no less exquisite, ways in which the universe and our biosphere are fine-tuned for life like us.
Westminster Conference on Science and Faith Series
The Westminster Conference on Science and Faith is a conference series co-sponsored by Westminster Theological Seminary and Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture. Held in the greater Philadelphia area in the spring of each year, this annual event explores cutting-edge themes at the intersection of science and faith. The videos of each year’s conference provide hours of compelling content.
War on Humans
Are humans the enemy? Should pigs and plants be given constitutional rights? The War on Humans book by Wesley J. Smith, and companion documentary, explore how a new generation of activists are pushing a radical agenda whose ultimate victims may be the poorest and most vulnerable among us.
What Hath Darwin Wrought?
Use this 80-minute DVD along with a free discussion and study guide to explore the cultural impact of “social Darwinism” on Nazi Germany, the American eugenics movement, and current debates over the sanctity and dignity of human life. Especially suitable for: small groups, adult education/adult Sunday School classes,adult enrichment seminars, high school classes (home school and private school).
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed Starring Ben Stein
Use this thought-provoking documentary film hosted by actor/writer Ben Stein along with a free leader’s guide to educate people about the growing debate over intelligent design and the impact of Darwin’s theory on culture. Especially suitable for: adult enrichment seminars, a “movie” night at church, and small group discussions.
Books
Undeniable: How Biology Confirms Our Intuition that Life is Designed
Throughout his distinguished and unconventional career, engineer-turned-molecular-biologist Douglas Axe has been asking the questions that much of the scientific community would rather silence. Now, he presents his conclusions in this brave and pioneering book. Axe argues that the key to understanding our origin is the “design intuition” — the innate belief held by all humans that tasks we would need knowledge to accomplish can only be accomplished by someone who has that knowledge. For the ingenious task of inventing life, this knower can only be God. Recently released as a paperback!
Intelligent Design Uncensored
Bill Dembski and Jonathan Witt plainly lay out just what intelligent design is and is not. They answer objections with straight talk that is down to earth. You’ll be surprised at how often smart people have misrepresented ID. Especially suitable for: high school and college students.
God and Evolution
Edited by Jay Richards, this award-winning book includes essays by Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish writers exploring the tensions between Darwinian theory and faith. Named co-book of the year by Worldmagazine. A free discussion guide and video clips are available for those who want to use the book in adult education classes.
The Magician’s Twin: C. S. Lewis on Science, Scientism, and Society
Beloved for his Narnian tales and his books of Christian apologetics, C.S. Lewis also was a prophetic critic of the the misguided effort to apply science to areas outside its proper bounds. In this anthology, contemporary writers probe Lewis’s warnings about the dehumanizing impact of scientism on ethics, politics, faith, reason, and science itself. Watch the video series inspired by the book for free.
Science and Human Origins
Written by three scientists, Science and Human Origins challenges the claim that undirected natural selection is capable of building a human being. The authors critically assess fossil and genetic evidence that human beings share a common ancestor with apes, and debunk recent claims that the human race could not have started from an original couple.
The Devil’s Delusion
In this brilliant, incisive, and funny book, David Berlinski explores the limits of science and the pretensions of prominent atheists who insist it can be—indeed must be—the ultimate touchstone for understanding our world and ourselves. A free discussion guide is available for those who want to use this book for small group discussions.
Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design
Darwin’s Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design
These two books by philosopher of science Stephen Meyer present cutting-edge evidence from biology that point to the reality of intelligent design in nature. They are great books for personal study as well to give to friends who think nature is the product of blind and unguided causes.
Darwin Day in America
Written by John G. West, this book shows how the ideology of scientism has corrupted American politics and culture. “A well-documented account of the frightening influence of philosophical materialism on the application of science to American society throughout the twentieth century…essential reading.”— Robert C. Koons, Professor of Philosophy, University of Texas, Austin. “Much to be recommended.”—New Oxford Review
Science and Faith: Friends or Foes?
Many believers worry that science undermines the Christian faith. Instead of fearing scientific discovery, Jack Collins believes that Christians should delight in the natural world and study it. God’s truth will stand against any challenge and will enrich the very scientific studies that we fear.
Who Sponsors this Site?
This site was developed by the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Seattle, Discovery Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan, educational and research organization with programs in the areas of technology, science and culture, regional development, mass transit, international affairs, bioethics, and more. The Center for Science and Culture is a program of Discovery Institute and was launched in 1996. The Center seeks long-term change through scientific research and scholarship; education and training of young leaders; communication to the general public; and advocacy of academic freedom for scientists, teachers, and students to question Darwinism.