A P LEA FOR MORE AND BETTER COLLABORATION
How important is a dialogue between biology and Christian theology?
Biology is the study of life, and its fi ndings, theories, hypotheses, and
speculations are indeed words about life. Christian theology, at its center,
is a refl ection on the Word of life. Since this Word is also our Creator,
theology is also the study of life. This often centers on spiritual life, to be
sure, but it really cannot neglect physical life, nor its beauty and tragedy.
So, I contend, Christian theology and the life sciences are natural partners,
likely more natural than theology and any of the other sciences. Yet, the
greatest confl icts between large parts of Christian theology and science
are, essentially, with biology. How can we work to lessen this confl ict and
even work together?
Building meaningful, trusting relationships will be the fi rst steps. There
is already much in biological science that cries out for future collaboration
with theology. As a biologist, I will approach the problem from that direc-
tion. Christian theologians will have to determine how and where the fi rst,
or most likely to be benefi cial, or most urgent, forays should be made. As
for how it is to be done, like all human interactions, someone has to start
the conversation. I think post-conservative pentecostal–charismatic theo-
logians are best positioned to be the catalysts (see Smith and Yong 29 and
Yong 30 ). I predict that theologians will be amazed at how many believing
and even nonbelieving biologists would respond positively to approaches
that seek to know, to compare notes, to understand. 31
What questions to address together will be a personal, professional, and
spiritual issue. The proclivity, and sense of urgency and importance the
theologian has for any topic, will be more important than any list I can
provide. But the potential list of topics is growing fast, and the tendency
to turn away from many of the hard ones has been in operation for too
long. Almost as tongue-in-cheek I offer a few topics that may not yet have
made it on to the radar. Perhaps these should be taken more as conversa-
tion starters, or even as friendly warnings that while the past holds many
yet-to-be-addressed issues, the wonders of present and future are bearing
down.
For example, we are not alone. More microbial cells inhabit our bod-
ies than we have cells of our own. Many of these inhabitants, prokaryote
and eukaryote, are essential to our own life. Our attempts to “control”
(read: kill) our microorganisms with antibiotics also destroy those organ-
isms that are essential to us. “Over the last few years our understanding
310 B. K. (BEV) MITCHELL