Dr. William Newsome - Chairman of Neurobiology Department, Stanford University on faith and science

May 6, 8:13 PMChristian Worldview ExaminerBill Belew

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A few friends and I ventured to UCSF last evening to hear Dr. William Newsome - Chairman and Professor of the Neurobiology Department at Stanford University speak on science and faith: the vantage point of one neuroscientist.

"I am a practicing scientist and a practicing Christian—commitments that are inconsistent in the minds of many.  While I encounter tension at times between my science and my faith, my overwhelming belief is that both science and faith contribute critically to a meaningful, fully-experienced human life.  Giving up either would result in a regrettable loss of understanding, depth of experience, and simple joy in my life. I believe that much of the perceived incompatibility between science and religion is specious, although real tensions do exist.  In this talk I will lay out the central issues from my point of view, hoping to dispel some of the false conflicts between science and faith while bringing into focus real choices that need to be made." (Bill Newsome)

It is most always fun for me when someone sticks an ice pick in my brain and stirs things up. I was not disappointed last evening, and happy it was a neuroscientist who was doing the brain digging.

A few of his points -

"random mechanisms can be purposeful" - I am not sure I can buy this. He explained he and his researchers have used randomness to accomplish a purpose. The key idea here is that someone (they) USED the randomness for the purpose of acheiving purpose, no? If randomness were left alone, then what?

"convergence of evolution"- somehow all the randomness and chaos converged in evolution, resulting in design. Chaos, randomness are opposites of convergence, no?

"There are no deep conflicts between my religious faith and the actual findings of science." And to think that Christians are led to believe/think that science will give us cause to NOT believe. Not so according to Dr. Newsome.

"Science makes assumptions about standards in truth, who they believe, where to start.":

"Religion requires commitment in the absence of proof." These two statements seem strikingly similar to me.

"The more important the question, the more likely science cannot answer it."

  1. Is it better to live or die?

  2. Should I uproot my family to pursue my own interests/career?

  3. Who should I marry?

  4. Is there an ultimate source of meaning to the universe?

Science cannot answer such questions.

"If God exists he must disclose himself to us and has in the person of Jesus."

  1. Jesus has an amazing depth of human understanding 

  2. Jesus has an incisive sense of justice

  3. Jesus identifies with the outcasts of society

  4. Jesus has a deep sense of humility

"Words of life are not found in the journal of neurophysiology." Well said...well said.

Dr. Newsome and I may disagree on the origins of the universe but not on the place of Jesus in the universe.

Dr. Newsome is an evolutionary theist, claims there were no eyewitnesses to tell us how it all started.

I disagree. There was an eyewitness, and his name is Jesus.

Matthew 19:4 - "Haven't you read," he (Jesus) replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female'".

Thanks for sharing, Dr. Newsome. Thanks for the reassurance that the scientist and the Christian can indeed hold hands and love the same God and know that God through the same Savior.

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