July 2025 Newsletter
In this Clergy Letter Project update you’ll find the following 19 items:
- Everyone Is Welcome Here;
- Across the Cosmos for July 2025: Vera Rubin and the Vatican Observatory Summer School;
- Religion’s Shifting Role in Higher Education;
- Millennials Are Abandoning Organized Religion;
- Sun Day Is Coming;
- A Children’s Book About Evolution;
- Religion and the 2024 Vote;
- Religion and Science Weekend 2026’s Theme;
- Faith and Science In Conversation;
- Summer Reading Suggestions;
- Promoting “The End Times”;
- An Invasion of Religious Liberty;
- The Threat Against Faith-Based Institutions’ Public Witness;
- A New Creation Care Mass;
- Cardinals From Global South Plead For Climate Action;
- Comparing Jesus and Trump;
- Covalence Focuses on Fruitful Conversations;
- Bridging Science and Spirituality; and
- Opting Out of Evolution.
1. Everyone Is Welcome Here
The East Idaho News ran a truly depressing article about a decision made by the attorney general of the state. It is now illegal for school teachers to put up a banner in their classrooms that says “Everyone is Welcome Here.” You can read the full article here.
2. Across the Cosmos for July 2025: Vera Rubin and the Vatican Observatory Summer School
In this month’s essay, Grace Wolf-Chase, Senior Scientist and Senior Education & Communication Specialist at the Planetary Science Institute as well as a Clergy Letter Project consultant, urges you to explore the first fabulous pictures released by the Vera Rubin Observatory and shares information about the exciting Vatican Observatory Summer School.
The Vera Rubin Observatory released astounding first-light images on June 23.(1) These images include: a stunning vista of 10 million galaxies, roughly 0.05% of the 20 billion galaxies anticipated during a 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST); 2,104 never-before-seen asteroids, with millions more expected during the first two years of the LSST; and a breath-taking view of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae in Sagittarius. If you haven’t seen these images yet, I strongly encourage you to explore the website, and to check out the observatory’s Skyviewer app.(2) The application not only provides guided visual tours, but an interactive sonification that translates color and brightness into a mesmerizing soundscape!(3)
On June 28, CBS Sunday Morning aired a well-timed piece featuring well-renowned Br. Guy Consolmagno speaking about the Vatican Observatory Summer School(4) (VOSS) and the broader work of the Vatican Observatory. Held every two years at the headquarters of the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, the VOSS provides unique opportunities for advanced undergraduate and early graduate students to learn from experts in astronomy. The CBS piece was well-timed because Vera Rubin taught at the very first VOSS in 1986.
Since its inception, the VOSS has accepted talented students from around the world regardless of gender, cultural, ethnic, or religious identity. The only rules limiting attendance are that students must show evidence of likely success as professional astronomers, and no more than two students are accepted from any given nation. The challenge is choosing 25 students out of an applicant pool of as many as 200. Students get free tuition and enough financial support to ensure that every accepted student is able to attend. A majority of selected students come from developing countries. Thus far, more than 55 nations have been represented.
Like the Vatican Observatory, the VOSS program demonstrates a commitment to excellent science. It also enables cross-cultural and cross-national interactions. Roughly every ten years, the Vatican Observatory hosts a week-long gathering of past participants and alumni. These gatherings are devoted to research, science education, the dialog between science and culture, and social gatherings that promote the growth of collaborations and friendships across national and cultural boundaries. Although the theme for the next VOSS has yet to be set, I’d be willing to bet that science results from the Vera Rubin Observatory will feature prominently!
Until next month,
Grace
Grace Wolf-Chase (she/her/hers) (gwolfchase@gmail.com)
Senior Scientist & Senior Education & Communication Specialist, Planetary Science Institute (www.psi.edu/about/staffpage/gwchase)
Vice President, Center for Advanced Study in Religion and Science (CASIRAS: www.casiras.org)1. https://rubinobservatory.org/news/first-imagery-rubin
3. https://skyviewer.app/skysynth
4. https://www.vaticanobservatory.org/education/summer-school/
3. Religion’s Shifting Role in Higher Education
Inside Higher Ed just ran an interesting interview with James W. Fraser, professor emeritus of history and education at New York University and a United Church of Christ minister, about his new book entitled Religion and the American University. The article notes that the book “offers a detailed history of how religion’s role in higher ed has been upended again and again by transformative events, including the discovery of evolution, the emergence of biblical criticism, the Industrial Revolution and the advent of the modern-day research university.” You can read the interview here.
4. Millennials Are Abandoning Organized Religion
PsyPost recently published an article discussing a study exploring why millennials are abandoning organized religion. The piece is filled with a great deal of fascinating information. You can read the article here.
5. Sun Day Is Coming
The Reverend Jim Antal, Special Advisor on Climate Justice to the General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ and a member of The Clergy Letter Project, has written a compelling essay inviting people to participate in Sun Day, 20-21 September 2025. He explains that Sun Day is “a grassroots weekend of action when millions of people across the United States will celebrate the gift and power of clean energy and the urgent need to stand up to the wealthy and well-connected who are doing everything they can to stand in its way.” You can read his essay here.
6. A Children’s Book About Evolution
The Louisiana State University, Museum of Natural Science recently published a fabulous book about evolution designed for young children. The book is entitled “Nature Selecting: A children's book explaining evolution.” It was written by Dr. Prosanta Chakrabarty, professor of biology and curator of fish at LSU and was illustrated by her 14-year-old daughter Anjai Noël. Please consider sharing the book with children in your congregation, perhaps using it to celebrate Religion and Science Weekend 2026. You can access the full book for free here.
7. Religion and the 2024 Vote
Religion Unplugged published a summary of research analyzing the results of the 2024 vote. The piece presents a wide array of fascinating data, some not surprising and some both surprising and depressing! You can read the full article here.
8. Religion and Science Weekend 2026’s Theme
It’s time to begin to think about a theme for Religion and Science Weekend 2026. I urge you to give this issue serious attention and share your ideas with me. I’ll collect all suggestions over the next several months and ask members to vote for their favorite.
9.
The Reverend Ed Rosado, a member of The Clergy Letter Project, published an interesting piece entitled “Two Lenses, One Reality: Faith and Science in Conversation” in which he explores the false premise that religion and science must be in conflict. He opens by saying, “In contemporary discourse, science and religion, particularly Christian faith, are frequently cast as adversaries, locked in a struggle over truth and authority. I’m alarmed at the current anti-intellectualism movement (i.e., the distrust or rejection of intellectual thought, scientific knowledge, and those who hold positions of expertise). It could adversely affect every level of our society.” You can read the full essay here.
10. Summer Reading Suggestions
Our friends at Science for the Church have collected summer reading suggestions from members. I suspect that you’ll find many of the titles intriguing. You can view them here.
11. Promoting “The End Times”
Alternet has published an article entitled “'Biblical prophecy': Christian nationalists pushing Trump to 'usher in the End Times.”' This frightening piece is well worth your time. You can read the full article here.
12. An Invasion of Religious Liberty
Alternet has published an article entitled “'Chilling effect': Faith groups slam GOP investigation as 'invasion of religious liberty'.” The piece features comments by Bishop Dwayne Royster, the head of a group called Faith in Action and a member of The Clergy Letter Project. Bishop Royster is quoted as saying the probe was “designed to have a chilling effect” on organizations like Faith in Action. “I will be damned if they’re going to stop us from doing what we feel mandated and called to do by God: To care for other human beings to the best of our ability.” The article can be accessed here.
13. The Threat Against Faith-Based Institutions’ Public Witness
A recent article in Religion Unplugged analyzed the impact that some of Trump’s executive orders might have on religious institutions. As an example, the piece presents a statement by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (“Only by forging authentic relationships can we truly see each other as Christ sees us. Love should then move us to take what we learn from our encounters and examine where society continues to fail our brothers and sisters, or where it perpetuates inequity, and seek to address those problems.”) and argues that it might fall afoul of the executive orders leading to serious consequences. The article concludes by stating the following: “This is not a moment for faith-based institutions to retreat or sanitize their convictions. It is a moment to reclaim their voice and affirm their rightful place in shaping a public life capacious enough to hold true difference — including sacred difference. Religious freedom—grounded in conscience, practice, and institutional distinctiveness — must remain a cornerstone of our shared civic life.” You can read the full piece here.
14. A New Creation Care Mass
Pope Leo XIV just approved a new mass centered on care for the environment. According to an article in RNS, "This new Mass ‘can be used to ask God for the ability to care for creation,’ said Cardinal Michael Czerny, who heads the Vatican’s Dicastery for Integral Human Development, at a press conference.” Cardinal Czerny went on to say, “In a world where the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters are the first to suffer the devastating effects of climate change, deforestation and pollution, care for creation becomes an expression of our faith and humanity.” Please note that his comments are remarkably similar to our Climate Crisis Letter. If your signature is not yet on that letter, please let me know and I’ll get you added. You can read the article here.
15. Cardinals From Global South Plead For Climate Action
RNS published an article detailing the release of a document entitled “A call for Climate Justice and the Common Home: Ecological Conversion, Transformation and Resistance to False Solutions” by Cardinals from the Global South. The document was written by bishops, activists and climate experts from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. The article notes that “the document calls the climate crisis ‘an existential issue of justice, dignity, and care for our common home’ and lays out the Global South’s demands for equity, justice and protection of the most vulnerable.” You can read the full article here.
16. Comparing Jesus and Trump
The Rev. Ken Olson, a member of The Clergy Letter Project and a frequent contributor to this newsletter, has shared another of his striking, short essays with us. It’s entitled “The Opposite, Upside Down World of Trumpism,” and it discusses some of the cruel lies of Donald Trump, concluding with the words of biblical scholar Arland Jacobson who said, “If Jesus is your ideal human being, Trump is the opposite.” You can enjoy his essay here.
17. Covalence Focuses on Fruitful Conversations
The June issue of Covalence focuses on on complex, often controversial, timely, and fruitful conversations. As editor Susan Barreto explains, the conversations in question are “Not just any type of conversations, say between old friends, pastors and congregants, or even those between patient and therapist, but wide-ranging discussions between those who would not normally have them. This may be between a group of scientists and faith leaders or even just among interested individuals wanting to discuss a particular issue at the intersection of faith and science.” You won’t want to miss the articles in this issue which can be accessed here.
18. Bridging Science and Spirituality
Although this article was published in Frontiers in Psychiatry two years ago, it just came to my attention, and I thought that many of you would find it interesting. The paper’s title, “Bridging science and spirituality: the intersection of religion and public health in the COVID-19 pandemic,” does a good job of explaining what the focus of the research is about. One of the paper’s conclusion states that “This review highlights the essential role of religious leaders, faith-based organizations, and faith communities in promoting education, preparedness, and response efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.” You can read the paper here.
19. Opting Out of Evolution
Our good friends at the National Center for Science Education have raised interesting points about the recent US Supreme Court decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor. In that case, the Court ruled, in a 6-3 decision, that parents have the right to opt their children out of instruction they find religiously objectionable. The question now is might parents opt their children out of lessons touching on evolution. Rachel Laser of Americans United for Separation of Church and State raised an even bigger concern: "Rather than implement an unworkable system of opt-outs to certain books or lessons, public schools are more likely to strike content from the curriculum that could be challenged — which is the ultimate goal of the Christian Nationalists backing this case. What's next? ... Demanding opt-outs from students learning about evolution?" You can read the article here.
Concluding Thoughts
Earlier this week when I was at SeaTac Airport in Seattle, I met a person who, after 28 years working at USAID, had been forcibly retired. He told me about some of the work he had been doing and how, since funding was cut off just months ago, in his small portion of the world, in Burundi, hundreds had already died because malaria and HIV medicines were no longer available. Of course, I had read about all of this, but speaking to someone who saw the carnage first-hand made the disgrace of what’s happening so much more real. Similarly, on a daily basis, we see pictures of individuals being abducted off the streets by people in masks, and we read that the majority of those being deported have committed no crimes. And then, just yesterday, the US Congress voted to remove millions from receiving healthcare benefits. For those of us who have compassion for our fellow humans, and I suspect that’s all of you who are reading this, I know you share my despair. At the same time, I’ve learned about people who I thought were reasonably well read and informed who had no idea that deportations were going on and who had no clue about what was included in the bill passed by Congress. All of this tells me that we must continue to raise our voices, to educate those around us to the crises we are facing. I want to believe, I have to believe, that when people learn about the way the US government is treating people, they will find such behavior objectionable. Please raise your voices, help protect the most vulnerable among us, care for our environment, and ensure that meaningful science helps shape public policy. As dire as the situation appears, we cannot give up. Thanks for all you do.
Finally, as I do every month, I urge you to take one simple action. Please share this month’s Newsletter with a colleague or two (or post a link via any social media platform you use) and ask them to add their voices to those promoting a deep and meaningful understanding between religion and science. They can add their signatures to one of our Clergy Letters simply by dropping me a note at mz@theclergyletterproject.org. Spread the word; change the world. Together we are making a difference.
Michael
Michael Zimmerman
Founder and Executive Director
The Clergy Letter Project
www.theclergyletterproject.org
mz@theclergyletterproject.org
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