CSCA members will recall our earlier announcement of our Local Chapters Project, funded by a grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation, Inc. By now many of you have heard about our new Local Chapters Project, funded by a grant from Templeton World Charity Foundation, Inc. With this funding, we are able to start at least six additional chapters in locations across Canada! This will help you to fund local events and join the conversation that is taking place in existing active local chapters like Hamilton and Vancouver.Local chapters will allow the CSCA to develop strong and colourful local identities …
PSCF, March 2016: Canadian Contributions
The March 2016 issue of Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, the peer-reviewed academic journal of the ASA and CSCA, is now available for members. As is often the case, there are a good number of Canadian contributions to this issue, which we highlight below. If you are not yet a member of CSCA, the journal may be available in an academic library near you. Canadian Contributions to PSCF 68, no. 1 (March 2016) CSCA Past President and PSCF Editor James C. Peterson opens the issue with “The Science and Theology of Creation and Sin,” a brief editorial introducing the theme of …
Introducing Our New Student and Early Career Member
The CSCA warmly welcomes our recently appointed New Student and Early Career Member, Daniel Rudisill! Rev. Dan Rudisill hails from Pennsylvania, and came with his wife Hannah to Canada so he could work towards his PhD in Philosophy at the Institute of Christian Studies in Toronto. Dan received his M.A.R. from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in Systematic Theology & Ethics. He has a deep interest in the history of science and the so-called “science-religion debate,” which has guided his work from his undergraduate days at Messiah College through to his current doctoral research, which is focused on the philosophical …
Call for Papers: Sustainable Development and Human Flourishing
The Christian Journal for Global Health has issued a call for papers on Sustainable Development and Human Flourishing for the 30th annual Christian Connections for International Health conference (June 17-19, 2016 at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, USA). Sustainable Development and Human Flourishing The public sector is increasingly recognizing the key role of religious health assets in sustaining progress in development. Community health workers are increasingly recognized as a vital element in health service equity and education. Christian churches and faith-based organizations are in a unique position to participate in conversations at the local, regional and international level on what …
Science and Religion Conference Scholarships
Note! OUR 2018 SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST IS NOW OPEN! As a part of our Local Chapters Project, the CSCA is delighted to offer fifteen student scholarships over three years (five per year) in order to help encourage the next generation of thinkers in science and religion! Science and Religion Conference Scholarships We are offering (at least) five scholarships each year from 2016 to 2018 of up to $1600 each to help Canadian students attend conferences dealing with science and religion. The money for each scholarship will go toward paying the flights, conference fees, and lodging for a major science-and-religion event of the …
Announcing Our “Local Chapters Project”
The CSCA recently hired a Project Development Officer, having received a grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation, Inc. In this post we now offer some exciting details on how we will be putting this funding to work! Our “Local Chapters Project” seeks to answer the big question held by the Canadian Scientific and Christian Affiliation: Given the unique challenges of the Canadian context, how can we foster and deepen people’s understanding of the integrity of science and Christian faith? The project aims to address the major problem of a small population living in a vast geographical landscape and the challenges such separation …
Nature, Nurture, and Destiny
From several corners of Western culture, the rallying cry entering the twenty-first century has been to be “true to oneself,” emphasizing “self-actualization”: a casting-off of traditional authorities and a rush to realize one’s own potential. But how are we to understand that potential, and the “self,” in view of modern genetics? When considering the role of genetics in human behaviour, it’s not long before one runs up against the question of “nature or nurture,” and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the West is rather confused about the matter. While some use genetics as a way to justify and explain their behaviour–being true to themselves in …
Introducing CSCA’s PDO
The CSCA warmly welcomes our recently appointed Project Development Officer, Mark McEwan! Originally from Edmonton, Mark lives in B.C.’s Lower Mainland with his wife, Krystal. He is avidly interested in matters of science and religion, and is in the final stages of earning a Master’s degree in Theological Studies at Trinity Western University, where he also teaches classes occasionally. In addition to being a certified Electrician, Mark is qualified to teach physical sciences and mathematics at the secondary level (B.Ed., University of Alberta). His academic interests include epistemology, languages, apologetics, and the fruitful interaction of science and theology. Also, he …
Cognitive Science of Religion and Christian Faith
Justin L. Barrett is the Thrive Professor of Developmental Science in the Graduate School of Psychology, and Chief Project Developer for the Office of Science, Theology, and Religion Initiatives at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA. A cognitive and developmental psychologist (Ph.D., Cornell University), his books include Why Would Anyone Believe in God? (2004), Cognitive Science, Religion, and Theology: From Human Minds to Divine Minds (2011), and Born Believers: The Science of Childhood Religion (2012). Barrett describes for us here the latest developments and challenges in the cognitive sciences for Christian faith. The essay is intended as an invitation. Readers are …
Call for Papers: Didaskalia
Dear fellow CSCA members, In addition to serving as the Coordinating Book Review Editor of PSCF, I also serve as the Editor of Didaskalia, which is the peer reviewed theological journal of Providence University College and Theological Seminary. The theme for our Spring 2016 issue is something that I believe will be of interest to you, namely Christ Centered Education. We are inviting essays that address the question: What does it mean to be a Christian scholar and teacher? We are anticipating a variety of perspectives on this, as contributors reflect contextually (i.e., within their own field, discipline, setting/type of institution, …