Reflections on the Relationship between Faith and Science

COVID-19 has proven to be a worthy foe. It thrives in summer heat and jumps easily from one person to the next. How do we go about fighting this unseen interloper in our lives? The answer for a religious person is we fight COVID with science and with faith.

Science is a gift of God to humans, just as faith is. Without a sustained engagement with science, faith is no more than magical thinking. Only when faith and science come together and address the causes of a disease with the spiritual implication of a disease can we prepare for the fight before us. As people of science, let us heed what the medical experts are saying about wearing masks, physical distancing, avoiding large gatherings, and washing our hands. As people of faith, let us continue to pray for the development of a vaccine, to assess the spiritual toll of isolation, and address the issue of where God is during a pandemic. Being people of faith and science sets before us a more robust and focused picture of reality which allows us to better direct our personal behavior so that our actions are a part of solving COVID and not spreading COVID. David K. Popham, Conference Minister