The BioLogos Foundation

Last updated
The BioLogos Foundation
Formation2007
Legal statusNon-profit
Headquarters Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States
President
Kristine Torjesen
Website biologos.org

The BioLogos Foundation is a Christian advocacy group that supports the view that God created the world using evolution of different species as the mechanism. [1] It was established by Francis Collins in 2007 after receiving letters and emails from people who had read his book, The Language of God . [2] The primary audience was Christians in the beginning, but Collins as well as later leaders of the organization have sought to engage with scientific skeptics as well as general audiences invested in biological science.

Contents

BioLogos affirms evolutionary creation as a core commitment. [3]

History

In his 2006 book The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, Francis Collins wrote that scientific discoveries were an "opportunity to worship" and that he rejected both Young Earth creationism and intelligent design. He wrote that his own belief was theistic evolution or evolutionary creation, which he described as "BioLogos", and that one can "think of DNA as an instructional script, a software program, sitting in the nucleus of the cell." [4] He appeared on The Colbert Report and on Fresh Air radio to discuss his book. [5] [6] In an interview with D. J. Grothe on the Point of Inquiry podcast, he said that the overall aim of the book was to show that "one can be intellectually in a rigorous position and argue that science and faith can be compatible", and that he was prompted to write the book because "most people are seeking a possible harmony between these worldviews [science and faith], and it seems rather sad that we hear so little about this possibility. [7]

In 2007, Collins founded the BioLogos Foundation to "contribute to the public voice that represents the harmony of science and faith." He served as the foundation's president until he was confirmed as director of the NIH. [8] Collins has also spoken at the Veritas Forum on the relationship between science and religion and the existence of God. [9]

Presidents

Founder Francis Collins is known primarily for having served both as leader of the Human Genome Project and as director of the National Institutes of Health. Francis Collins official photo.jpg
Founder Francis Collins is known primarily for having served both as leader of the Human Genome Project and as director of the National Institutes of Health.

The foundation has been led by the following presidents:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, BioLogos sponsored livestream events featuring the NIH director and BioLogos founder Francis Collins. [10]

Responses

A Time article about the foundation reported different responses in 2009. [11]

BioLogos has also received praise and positive responses. Supporters include Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker, who has argued that the foundation's goal of "helping fundamentalists evolve can only be good for civilization." [12]

Reception of the "evolutionary creationism" message of BioLogos within the Christian community has been mixed. Young earth creationists identify BioLogos as one of the great compromisers of the Bible, accusing members of bowing to science over the clear Word of God. [13] BioLogos counters that they affirm all the core tenants of the traditional Christian faith, and that their views on evolution are consistent with notable defenders of Christianity such as Augustine, an early church father, [14] and B. B. Warfield, a staunch 19th century promoter of biblical inerrancy. [15]

References

  1. ↑ "Of faith and reason". Nature Immunology. 11 (5): 357. May 2010. doi: 10.1038/ni0510-357 . ISSN   1529-2916. PMID   20404844.
  2. ↑ "Q & A: Francis Collins".
  3. ↑ "About BioLogos". BioLogos. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  4. ↑ Collins, Francis (September 4, 2008). The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   9781847396150.
  5. ↑ "Francis Collins". The Colbert Report. December 6, 2006. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Francis Collins on 'The Language of God'". Fresh Air. 2007-03-29.
  7. ↑ D.J. Grothe (August 31, 2007). "Dr. Francis Collins - The Language of God". Point of Inquiry . Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  8. ↑ BioLogos website Archived September 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ "Francis Collins - The Veritas Forum". veritas.org. Archived from the original on November 28, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  10. ↑ Randall, Rebecca. "To Debunk Viral Conspiracies, First Build Trust". ChristianityToday.com. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  11. ↑ Sullivan, Amy (May 2, 2009). "Helping Christians Reconcile God with Science". Time . Archived from the original on 2009-05-05. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  12. ↑ Parker, Kathleen (May 10, 2009). "An Evolution for Evangelicals". The Washington Post . Retrieved 2009-04-18.
  13. ↑ John UpChurch, The Danger of BioLogos, Blurring the Line Between Creation and Evolution, Answers Magazine, Oct-Nov, 2011. https://answersingenesis.org/theistic-evolution/the-danger-of-biologos/
  14. ↑ Craig D. Allert, What is a Literal Reading?: Lessons from Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine, BioLogos, January 15, 2015. https://biologos.org/articles/what-is-a-literal-reading-lessons-from-gregory-of-nyssa-and-augustine (accessed Jul 13, 2024)
  15. ↑ Mark Noll, B.B. Warfield, Biblical Inerrancy, and Evolution, BioLogos, August 22, 2011. https://biologos.org/articles/b-b-warfield-biblical-inerrancy-and-evolution (accessed Jul 13, 2024)

Bibliography

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