“Faith and reason are hand-in-hand ways that we find answers.”
Dr. Francis Collins, a physician-scientist, gave the forum address today. He began by sharing about his childhood as well as his research for the Human Genome project and many other scientific breakthroughs.
Collins admitted that he spent most of his young life as an atheist but, through a tender experience with a patient during his time as a medical student, he began on his path to finding faith in Christ.
Considering his deep roots in Christianity and science and the research done therein, Dr. Collins suggested four traditional anchors that have been widely lost in our society: truth, science, faith and trust.
He shared how impactful two Bible verses, James 1:5 and James 3:17, were for him in his faith journey. He invited listeners to “re-anchor” themselves through living those verses and others taught in scripture, as well as the following practices:
- Honing in the personal intellectual radar to detect fact from fake
- Engaging with family and friends
- Seeking out opportunities for civil discourse
- Following leaders with good character and values
“Christians should be in the best position to advocate… against divisiveness, animosity, vitriol, grievances… and for love, grace and truth,” stated Collins.
To close his address, Collins asked the audience to stand and join him in an original hymn written by a Christian pastor in Colorado, sung to the tune of “In Humility, Our Savior.”
The final verse of the hymn read:
As two currents in a river fight each other’s undertow
Till converging they deliver one coherent steady flow;
Blend, O God, our faith and learning till they carve a single course,
Till they join as one, returning praise and thanks to You, their source.
