Covalence year in review

Susan BarretoSusan is an author with a long-time interest in religion and science. She currently edits Covalence, the Lutheran Alliance for Faith, Science and Technology’s online magazine. She has written articles in The Lutheran and the Zygon Center for Religion and Science newsletter. Susan is a board member for the Center for Advanced Study of Religion and Science, the supporting organization for the Zygon Center and the Zygon Journal. She also co-wrote Our Bodies Are Selves with Dr. Philip Hefner and Dr. Ann Pederson.

Yes, we are all already to put behind us this year of pandemic, but for many faith has been a source of comfort and has led some to have even greater respect for the healthcare workers and scientists among us.

Looking back, we have seen in 2020 is confirmation that the faith and science dialogue and place in the national discourse is still on the upswing.

What follows is a snapshot of what the year has been for in our newsletter. Of course, we wrote a lot about the pandemic too, but we also gave a fresh look at other long-time touch points being discussed in faith and science circles across the U.S. — including the use of technology in worship, evolution and artificial intelligence.

Here again we include a link to our monthly issues and themes with a summary of each main feature.

Astrotheology: Space neighbors in God’s kingdom?

The contrast between the immensity of God’s cosmic creation and our minute human size is dramatic. We revisit this topic in light of the recent landing of the Mars Rover Perseverance.

Scholars eager to explore the intersection of religion, science and public health

The survey data is still being collected, but from communion practices in South Korea to attitudes around vaccination in the heart of Ohio Amish Country, the intersection of faith and science in this time of COVID is being studied in a series of research efforts...

Faithfully responding to COVID-19: An epidemiologist’s tale

University of Illinois epidemiologist Rebecca Smith jokes about how much of her day, even now, is spent staring at a computer screen and not in a lab coat or using nifty equipment like some might expect. Despite the lack of laboratory action shots, her workdays are...

New book explores the intersection of religion and astronomy

A book released early this year seeks to examine which cultural ideas about "the heavens" shape religious ideas, and vice versa. Published by Routledge, Intersections of Religion and Astronomy, was edited and authored by an interdisciplinary team of scholars from...