Lipscomb receives collaborative grant to address perceived conflict between faith and science

Biology faculty recalls influences in his personal journey of academic and spiritual growth.

Keely Hagan | 615-966-6491 | 12/01/2023

Lipscomb University has been awarded a collaboration grant by the Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities to lead an initiative including Samford University and Belmont University, aimed at addressing the perception among GenZ students that Christianity is inherently at odds with scientific principles. This grant will support a workshop with participants from the sciences, theology, and administration from all three universities. The primary goal of this workshop is to produce a survey to analyze our students’ views on faith and science. The second goal is to design modules that will aid and advance our current courses to better discuss the relationship of science and our Christian faith and biblical truth.

The initiative is a project close to the heart of its leader, Josh A. Owens, assistant professor and undergraduate research coordinator in the biology department at Lipscomb. His proposal to the Lilly Network was sparked by his own personal Christian upbringing and experiences in both public and faith-based schools. 

“Our team firmly believes that students can be both studious scientists and faithful Christians,” says Owens. “By increasing the integration of faith and science, we will be able to advance scientific teaching and stimulate our students, and eventually our communities, to rethink preconceived notions in the light of new data and ideas.

“As college professors and administrators at faith-based institutions, we are committed to helping our students learn how to remain rooted in their faith while pursuing high-level academics,” says Owens. “We want to remove any perceived stumbling blocks for students who are capable of making an impact in their fields but fear they must abandon their faith in order to engage in relevant academic discussions.”

Trained up with conservative Christian values, Owens says he embarked on a profound journey when he chose to pursue a career in science. As a student, he grappled with what was presented as inconsistencies between his Christian faith and scientific understanding, and tried to navigate the conflicting teachings he received along the way that shaped both his spiritual and academic growth. Now, as biology faculty, Owens is on a mission to assist students who are confronted with the same turmoil he faced.

His narrative begins in his hometown of Huntsville, Alabama, where he was raised in a conservative Christian home and church body, which he says shaped his perspective on everything, including science. He recalls one pivotal lesson at a church retreat in the fourth grade where a speaker explained young-earth creationism, which debunks evolutionary theory. This retreat planted a seed of scientific doubt. Later, his high school AP biology teacher presented the concept of evolution which began a process of questioning his earlier beliefs. 

Then as an undergraduate at Lipscomb, Owens was encouraged to consider the transformative power of scripture. He attributes 2 Timothy 3:16, which states, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” This scripture served as the catalyst for a key shift in his thinking. He says he realized that, “as a Christian, I should be using the bible to train myself in righteousness, and to be transformed by it, becoming more like the image of Christ, instead of limiting God’s Word to function as a scientific textbook.” He ultimately came to his personal conclusion that there is no conflict between faith and science. 

Armed with his new understanding, Owens was prepared when he was challenged in graduate school. During an interview, Owens was told, “Christianity is only followed by those who are intellectually weak.” At that moment, he had the confidence to reply that he was a Christian because he knew that his faith did not equate to being academically bankrupt as that professor implied. However, he says that he is haunted by the fact that many individuals do not believe that you can be both a Christian and a scientist.

Motivated by his personal testimony, Owens is dedicated to paving the way for students to resolve internal conflicts and create a foundation where faith and science can coexist.

Along with Owens, the Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities grant will include John Lewis, the Lipscomb McClure Professor of Faith and Science, and Josh Reeves, director of the Samford Center for Science and Religion. 

With a team of scientists, theologians, and administrators, they will be able to address the issue of the perceived conflict between faith and science by administering surveys at Lipscomb, Samford and Belmont that assess students’ perspectives on this issue as well as the core reasons for their beliefs. Owens says, “Ultimately, we believe in a creator God that wants to invite us into his story of creation.”

For more information on Lipscomb’s commitment to conversations and study on faith and science, the McClure Center for Faith and Science at Lipscomb provides space and support for students exploring the relationship between faith and scientific inquiry. Through the center, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences aims to help students lean into their Christian identity and reconcile their understandings of science through book clubs, discussions, chapels and seminars.