These are good questions @Michelle, and I am sure they are on several people’s minds.
That is very much the case. Our aim is to bring science into legitimate dialogue with other fields and other perspectives, in a way that serves the common good.
There is quite a bit on the blog about how my personal faith perspective informs the mission of the organization, but the organization itself is bigger than my personal point of view. Though I am a Christian, and can motivate these values from my understanding of Jesus, I can also motivate them from a secular point of view. Several non-religious scientists (e.g. @Dan_Eastwood, @T_aquaticus, @davecarlson, @evograd, @nlents and @sfmatheson) are closely aligned with our values, even though they are not Christian, and Peaceful Science intends to include them as equal participants.
Yes, and there is in some ways already. Clearly, it is visible in The Genealogical Adam and Eve. But also…
One of the misconceptions about Peaceful Science is that we are a Christian or religious organization.
It is true that many of us are Christian, but many of us are not. It is true that much of our dialogue has been with the Christian faith, but we plan for dialogue with other points of view to grow as well. It is true that I am a Christian, but many who are invested here are not. It is true that what we do is deeply aligned with Christian values, but what we do is also deeply aligned with scientific values. It is true that much of our prominent work is oriented around origins (Adam and Eve, evolution), but our contributions extend beyond here to other areas too.
Peaceful Science is not a Christian ministry. We are poised to be a trusted secular scientific organization within religious communities and beyond. Our audience is not merely Christians, but also society at large, and our secular colleagues in science.
I am decidedly Christian. Many of us are decidedly Christian. But many of us are decidedly not Christian.
Our organization is meant to be secular, but perhaps in an unusual way. For example, motivated from secular values, we see high value in encouraging Christian scientists to confess their belief in the Resurrection. We see high value in engaging questions about Adam and Eve without anti-religious-prejudice. This trust-building approach to science engagement, we believe, that better way.
What I’m articulating here, to be clear, is affirmed by many of the non-Christian scientists that work with us. In the coming year, we hope that their voices will be more prominent and visible too.