For the past 50 years, the Canadian Scientific and Christian Affiliation has facilitated discussions about science and Christian faith in Canada. As part of our 50th-anniversary celebrations, we asked 50 CSCA members to comment on their personal connections to science, scripture, and Canadian scenery. We will share these contributions throughout 2023 in the hope that you will find them engaging and encouraging.
CSCA member of the week: Harry Cook, Emeritus Professor of Biology at The King’s University (as it is now called) in Edmonton, Alberta. I have been a member of the ASA/CSCA since the early 1970s.
1. Why did you choose your scientific discipline?
I first studied Animal Science at UBC because I liked domestic animals. This led to endocrinological research in zoology. All along, I was also interested in the history of biology.
2. What is one of your favourite Bible verses and why?
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.”
—Col. 1:15-20.
It speaks of creation, and also of God’s care, and the role of Jesus Christ in creation and providence.
3. Which Canadian city or landscape do you love exploring and why?
I grew up on the BC coast and did some research on Pacific salmon. So this part of Canada still means a lot to me! I still remember the Annual Meeting at Trinity Western University fondly—but was it ever hot then!