What is Christians in Science?
CiS is an international network of those concerned with the relationship between science and Christian faith, open to scientists, teachers, students and all those with an interest in this dialogue.
Although CiS is primarily a professional group, aimed at those working in science, a significant proportion of our members are not scientists, and we are happy to welcome into membership anyone with an interest in science and faith.
To learn more, you can look at our Aims which are reflected in our Activities and guided by our Statement of Faith
Why Christians in Science?
The common misperception that there is always conflict between science and faith can be abused by those with anti-Christian or anti-science agendas. In reality science has always been the domain of many committed Christians such as the astronomer Johannes Kepler who dedicated one of his papers with a prayer, saying I have here completed the work of my calling, with as much intellectual strength as you have granted me.
This same attitude is shared by many Christians who work in science today. CiS exists to support such Christians and their aims.
Who are we?
Among our 650+ members are scientists engaged in research & development, science lecturers, teachers, administrators in university, school or industry, science writers, philosophers, theologians and others who have an interest in the relationship between science and Christian faith.
Members include highly distinguished senior scientists, bench scientists, students and school pupils.
CiS is a member of the Evangelical Alliance and is one of UCCF's recognised Professional Groups.
Science and Faith
To develop and promote biblical Christian views on the nature, scope and limitations of science, and on the changing interactions between science and faith.
To bring biblical Christian thought on scientific issues into the public arena.
Faith at Work
To encourage Christians who are engaged in scientific work to maintain an active faith and to apply it in their professional lives.
To communicate the Christian gospel within the scientific community.
Faith and the Environment
To stimulate responsible Christian attitudes and action towards care for the environment.
Students
To help Christians who are science students to integrate their religious beliefs and their scientific studies.
CiS is an explicitly Christian society and full membership is open only to those who can affirm the declaration below. Corporate bodies such as libraries and individuals who do not wish to make this declaration are welcome to become associate members.
I declare my belief in the triune God as creator and sustainer of the universe, and my faith in Jesus as Saviour, Lord of all and God.
I acknowledge the Bible as the Word of God and its final authority in matters of faith and conduct.
As a steward of God's world, I accept my responsibility to encourage the use of science and technology for the good of humanity and the environment.
I agree with the aims of Christians in Science.
Literature and resources
The journal Science and Christian Belief is sent to all members in April and October each year. It can also be accessed online at www.scienceandchristianbelief.org A newsletter (PreCiS) is sent several times during the year that includes articles and information about forthcoming events, conferences, and publications. Many articles and other resources are available on this website.
Conferences
The CiS annual day conference is held each autumn, usually in London. A Northern day conference has been held in early spring since 2003. A joint conference with our US sister organisation the American Scientific Affiliation, will be held in Edinburgh in 2007. One activity of local groups can be to organise a conference in their area.
Our history
Christians in Science, CiS, is the current name of a group that started life in the early 1940s as a small group within the Graduates' Fellowship of the IVF (which is now called UCCF: the Christian Unions). The group operated under a variety of names the Science Group, the Research Scientists' Section, and so on but in 1950 it became the Research Scientists' Christian Fellowship, RSCF for short, and operated under that name till 1988. Interest in RSCF activities began to extend beyond the community of research scientists, and eventually it was decided to recognise this fact by changing the name to Christians in Science. CiS became financially independent from UCCF in 1996 but continues to be affiliated to that body.
Conferences
The first significant activity of the group was a residential conference held over a weekend in 1944, which was of course during the Second World War. A report of that conference was produced as a printed booklet of sixteen pages, which contains summaries of the papers read and of the discussions that followed. There were six papers: two by G C Steward and one each by O R Barclay, R E D Clark, R J C Harris and A E Bailey. In his book Evangelicalism in Britain 1935-1995 Oliver Barclay records that the participants at this conference were a dozen research students and just two university teachers
. The early conferences were residential, extending over at least two days, which gave members of the group an opportunity to get to know one another better. ... Membership of the group grew from a few dozen In the 1940s to around 700 at the turn of the century. The number of people attending the annual day conferences has grown over the years. By the late 1980s an attendance of around 80 was typical. In the 1990s (not counting a large joint conference in 1998) attendances averaged around 95. In the last few years attendances at the main annual conference have averaged over 100. There have been a number of joint conferences; the partner for two of these (both residential, in 1985 in Oxford and in 1998 in Cambridge) was the American Scientific Affiliation, a body similar in many respects to CiS, which holds its conferences in many different places both within and outside the USA; the 1998 conference had an attendance of 271.
Newsletter - PreCiS - 20 issues since 2000
Hopefully as Christians we all agree about the WHY of creation: God made the universe and everything in it, all by himself, from nothing, and made us to be in relationship with him. This is fundamental to our faith, and it's important that we're clear on this.
WASP do not believe in this premise!
But Christians often disagree on the HOW. For many people this doesn¹t seem important, it doesn't affect them every day, and you may wonder what the fuss is about. You may be happy to stick to whatever you were brought up with, or whatever bit of literature you came across first, be it creation science
, intelligent design
, or theistic evolution
. At some point though, you'll probably delve deeper into Genesis and start asking questions, or talk to friends who aren't Christians, and come across questions that you can't answer. More...
Multimedia ...
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