Science and Faith for Catholic Seminaries
Exploring the Intersection of Science and Faith at Catholic Seminaries
As part of a Templeton Religious Trust grant, members of the Society of Catholic Scientists offerred “Modern Science and the Catholic Faith” seminars at a number of US Catholic seminaries during the 2024-25 academic year. The seminars were designed based upon information gathered from Science and Catholicism surveys that had been administered to Catholic seminarians across the country.
In particular, the seminars addressed the philosophical and scientific issues that seminarians reported to generate the most perceived conflict with Catholic teaching. Three of the key issues were 1) how to reconcile human evolution with a Catholic understanding of Creation and the human person, 2) how to understand the limits of artificial intelligence when it comes to the powers of the human soul, intellect and will, and 3) how to develop the best pastoral approach to gender dysphoria that takes into account both the Catholic understanding of the human person and the best scientific data on the gender dysphoria treatments.
Talks from the Science and Faith seminars that address these three issues can be found below. If you are interested in having SCS organize a seminar at your Catholic seminary, please click on the link below and fill out the information in the linked form and we will contact you to discuss how we might be able to tailor a seminar or an individual talk to the needs of your particular seminary.
Seminary Interest Form
Dr. Chris Baglow, Beyond Conflict: Teaching and Preaching in the Light of Modern Science.
This presentation discusses how to enrich our theological understanding of God and creation through serious reflection on the what modern science has revealed about creation.
Dr. Steve Barr, Are We Nothing But Atoms? Are our Minds Just Machines?
Dr. Barr explains how human minds transcend matter and he discusses what this implies for the development of artificial intelligence and the possibility of AI models becoming self-aware.
Dr. Daniel Kuebler, Human Evolution and Creation: A Catholic Perspective.
This presentation highlights how humans are both created by God and the product of an evolutionary process. It examines how these two complementary realities can be integrated in a coherent fashion that helps illuminate both.
Dr. Corey Hayes, Creaturely Causation: Aquinas and Evolutionary Change.
Dr. Hayes discusses how the ability of creatures to cause real change in the world does not detract from God’s primary creative power. This distinction between primary and secondary causation help understand how evolution and creation can be integrated.
Dr. Andrew Sodergren, Integrating Body and Soul: Principle for a Catholic Approach to Gender Dysphoria.
This presentation discusses the Catholic view of the human person and how this should guide the best pastoral approach to gender dysphoria. Recent data on gender dysphoria is highlighted and explained within this context.