Science and Christianity often seem at odds in the public imagination. But some churches have made part of their mission to lessen that tension by bringing science into Bible study.

“You can’t have a seat at the table if you don’t speak science,” said Matthew Groves, 24, an adult Bible study teacher at Nashville’s First Baptist Church. He lists climate change, artificial intelligence and bioethics as just a few of the substantive issues people of all faiths are struggling with in today’s world. In order for churches to be relevant cultural institutions, he said, they have to engage with these things.

As important as it is for the church to engage with science, there are still significant challenges, as Sociologist Elaine Ecklund highlights: “When you get to scientific research that seems to challenge conceptions that religious people have about who God is, or who human beings are, then you see some tensions arising.”

At Campus Edge we do our best to be honest about the challenges while also asking how the tension might help us understand the world and God better.