Building Bridges Between Science and Religion continued

however, move from religion to science. While these paths can be more difficult to articulate, Bob has always maintained that there is meaningful work to be done here. “His book, Time in Eternity, is an example of such work.

CTNS would not exist without the passion Bob has for the work and the sacrifices he and his family have made. He has inspired generations of scholars and religious leaders through his teaching of seminary and doctoral students at the GTU.

He likes to affectionately say that he has academic “grandchildren,” in that he has taught doctoral students who have gone on to have their own doctoral students. The work Bob has done over the years provided opportunities to many, even as the time and effort he puts into it has also affected his own scholarly work. I look forward to seeing Bob’s scholarship continue as he goes through this next transition.

On a personal level, Bob has put a great deal of faith in me over the years. I am thankful that he believed I was capable to taking on the additional responsibilities he assigned over the years, and he has always been supportive of my scholarship and career. I have quite enjoyed the evolution of our relationship from a student worker with little direct contact, to a caring mentor who welcomes challenges, new ideas, and collaboration. I know I’m not alone in saying that Bob has had a profound influence on my life. It is my hope that people will share their memories and experiences of Bob this year as a celebration of both his scholarship and humanity.

GTU: As you take up the Director role at CTNS, what are you most excited about? What challenges do you foresee and how are you planning to address those?

BM: Inevitably, there are challenges when a leader like this moves on, but I think the best way to address this is to acknowledge that I am not Bob, that I never will be, and to do what I see as best to carry on the legacy of CTNS. A challenge I am looking forward to engaging with is to continue the mission of CTNS in new directions.

As the name says, the focus of CTNS has been on the natural sciences, but over time what that includes has expanded. Our understanding of science continues to deepen and shift focus, as does the work which with CTNS engages. Issues including gene editing, transhumanism, and AI are increasingly important and these topics are a natural expansion of the Center’s core mission and values. Bob is a physicist, but my undergraduate scientific training was in genetics, so I am naturally more drawn to the biological sciences. CTNS has been exploring frontiers for a long time, most recently issues of astrobiology and astrotheology.

I also believe that technology is going to be increasingly important with how we engage with our constituents. With GTU’s growing online presence through GTUx, I believe there will be ways in which we can grow our online presence to better serve those already interested in the Center’s work and hopefully engage new people as well.

GTU: Thinking about the most pressing issues of our time, why does CTNS’s work matter now?

BM: The past several years have shown that the world is very connected, and that technology affects that connection in a multitude of ways. On the other hand, there is great conflict and division as well. CTNS’s work remains as important as ever to show that conflict is not the only way in which science and religion can relate, that experts in a variety of fields can have meaningful conversations about both personal experience as well as the implications of their scholarship, and that building bridges is an ongoing task.

READ the reflection online here.