“How was I treated in the church as a scientist? Man, that’s a trigger question for me. The simple answer is, not very well. Sadly, our long history of often experiencing rejection or simply being ignored is disillusioning for me.”
“I have encountered more hostility as a scientist in a world of Christians, than I have as a Christian in a world of scientists.”
Two scientists, two replies to how they are received in our churches, and neither reflects well on the Body of Christ. It is no wonder that many scientists keep their heads down and don’t draw attention to their day jobs. But that does not mean they are absent in our churches.
Pew estimates that nearly 13% of the American workforce is found in one of 74 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) professions. Sociologists Elaine Howard Ecklund and Christopher Scheitle have found that about 12.4% of evangelicals and 11.9% of mainline Protestants claim that their occupation is science-related.
The number of STEM professionals in the church could grow, significantly. Barna found that over 50% of youth group teens “aspire to science-related careers.”
The question, then, is how do we treat the scientists, both current and aspiring, in our pews? And why do so many report hostility or rejection? Read More
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