June 2025 Newsletter
In this Clergy Letter Project update you’ll find the following 19 items:
- An Open Letter to People of Faith about Science;
- Across the Cosmos for June 2025: Space Science is for Everyone;
- Minnesota Requiring Instruction about "The Creator" Dies;
- Start Fostering Love Across Political Divides;
- Francis Collins & Kristine Torjesen On the Value of Science;
- Creationism In Post-Scopes America;
- Infusing Christianity into Public Schools;
- Bridging Science and Religion with Grace Wolf-Chase;
- More Grace;
- The 2025 Friend of Darwin Award;
- The Dire Consequences of USAID Cuts;
- On a Mission from God;
- WesleyNexus Faith and Science Weekend;
- Philosophy on the Stand in America's Evolution Wars;
- Parents Fighting Against Religious Indoctrination;
- What Happens When Money Comes First;
- Covalence Focuses on Environmental Ethics;
- The Passion at the Intersection of Religion and Science; and
- Smithsonian Reviews the Scopes Trial.
1. An Open Letter to People of Faith about Science
Our good friends at BioLogos have begun a new initiative entitled “Science is Good.” They explain what their goals are in an open letter that announced the initiative. The Letter opens by stating, “This is our considered response to a cultural moment marked by distrust of institutions, suspicion of expertise, and a sharp decline in public investment in scientific research. Federal cuts to life-saving programs and the vilification of scientists are not just political developments, but symptoms of a deeper crisis. As Christians, we cannot be silent about this.” I believe that this sentiment is true for adherents of all religions and all who don’t follow any religion. You can read the full letter here.
2. Across the Cosmos for June 2025: Space Science is For Everyone
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, balances the political and the scientific, discussing her critical work as a science communicator and the “extinction-level event for the Earth and space science communities” posed by draconian federal cuts, as she calls for all of us to take action.
Throughout my career, I have been engaged in efforts to bridge conversations across different academic disciplines, and between scientists and general audiences. Many of these efforts have been unfunded. Presently, all of these efforts are unfunded. However, I regard communicating the benefits of science to the broadest possible audience to be critically important, and I intend to continue to do so for as long as I am able.
As you know, we are facing the largest cuts to federal agencies that fund scientific research and education that we have seen in decades. As The Planetary Society puts it, “This is an extinction-level event for the Earth and space science communities, upending decades of work and tens of billions in taxpayers' investment.” I know that CLP signatories recognize the benefits of science to society – to everyone, not just to the “eggheads” in the “ivory tower.” I encourage you to check out the economic impact of NASA in your state(1) and to sign The Planetary Society’s petition to save NASA science.(2)
This month, I would also like to highlight an effort of a colleague of mine at the Planetary Science Institute – Pamela Gay. Pamela spearheads CosmoQuest.(3) She writes, “CosmoQuest is your place to learn and do science. This privately-funded project is providing unfiltered updates on developments in space science from around the world. From climate change to planetary exploration, to the origins of the universe, we help you understand today's latest science and what it means to humans here on Earth. Check out our flagship news show, Escape Velocity Space News, wherever you get podcasts. CosmoQuest also has a diverse Discord community where all are welcome, and the concepts of DEI are baked into how we support each other. Historically, CosmoQuest was built around Citizen Science projects, but we have chosen to remove federally funded efforts instead of removing our DEI content. We hope to bring back privately funded citizen science this summer. Join all that we do at CosmoQuest.org and donate at bit.ly/CQX-FY25."
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://dashboards.planetary.org/nasa-science.html
2. https://www.planetary.org/advocacy-action-center#/55
3. Minnesota Requiring Instruction about "The Creator" Dies
Not surprisingly, the bill I reported on in last month’s newsletter introduced in the Minnesota Senate that required school districts to "provide instruction to students in grades 9 to 12 exploring the contrast between the scientific facts on how sickness, disease, pain, suffering, and death relate to the existence of complex living organisms, and how sickness, disease, pain, suffering, and death are a consequence imposed by the Creator of complex living organisms" died in committee. Despite its demise, its introduction provides insight into the type of opposition we are facing around the country. You can read more about the situation here.
4. Start Fostering Love Across Political Divides
Religion Unplugged recently conducted an interview with Dr. Dorothy Boorse. The article notes that “As a Christian ecologist and professor at Gordon College, Dorothy Boorse has endeavored to connect science to faith communities for over 30 years. Throughout her writing, she links the core Christian values of justice, compassion and caring for the least of these to pressing climate issues.” You can read the interview here.
5. Francis Collins & Kristine Torjesen On the Value of Science
Francis Collins, founder of BioLogos, past director of the National Institutes of Health, and a member of The Clergy Letter Project’s list of scientific consultants, and Kristine Torjesen, the new President and CEO of BioLogos, discuss the importance of science and BioLogos’s new initiative mentioned in item one above. You can read their discussion here.
6. Creationism In Post-Scopes America
The AP ran a large story about Ken Ham’s Ark theme park and the shape of creationism in the United States a century after the Scopes Trial. I wish we were in a better place! Cleary the combined voices of The Clergy Letter Project remain critical. You can read the full article here.
7. Infusing Christianity into Public Schools
The Texas legislature adopted legislation that permits public schools to set aside time during the school day for prayer. As an article in The Texas Tribune notes, this is part of a larger national effort to infuse more Christianity into public schools. You can read the full article here.
8. Bridging Science and Religion with Grace Wolf-Chase
The Planetary Science Institute (PSI) published a great feature on our very own Grace Wolf-Chase who is also a senior scientist and senior education and communication specialist at PSI. I encourage you to read the full article here.
9.
As a follow-up to the feature article the Planetary Science Institute ran on Grace Wolf-Chase, mentioned in the above item, they also published a short interview with her. You can read the interview here.
10. The 2025 Friend of Darwin Award
I’m delighted to announce that one of the winners of the 2025 Friend of Darwin Award made annually by the National Center for Science Education was Dr. Katie Hinde, a biological anthropologist at Arizona State University, the founding director of March Mammal Madness, and a member of The Clergy Letter Project’s list of scientific consultants. (I’m proud to say that, on behalf of The Clergy Letter Project, I was the 2007 winner of this award.) You can read more about Katie’s work as well as learn about the other winners here.
11. The Dire Consequences of USAID Cuts
ProPublica has published a deeply researched and terribly depressing article outlining the consequences of the decimation of the USAID budget by the Trump regime. The piece notes that, “As the Trump administration abandons its humanitarian commitments, diplomats are reporting that the cuts have led to violence and instability while undermining anti-terrorism initiatives.” While none of this is surprising, it is utterly devastating. I can’t understand how anyone who claims to be religious, in any sense of the word, can accept that these cuts make sense. You can read the full article here.
12. On a Mission from God
Paul Braterman, a member of The Clergy Letter Project’s list of scientific consultants, brought an essay to my attention that Heather Cox Richardson posted on her blog entitled “Letters from an American.” The essay ends as follows: “He [Trump] posted a meme on his social media account showing an image of himself walking toward the viewer on what appears to be a wet, nighttime city street. Pepe the Frog, a symbol of the far right, stands in the background. Above Trump, in all capital letters, are the words: ‘He’s on a mission from God.’ Below his feet, also in all caps, the message continues: ‘& nothing can stop what is coming.’ This is a phrase from the right-wing QAnon conspiracy community and refers to the idea that members of the ‘Deep State’ and its collaborators will soon be arrested.” Absolutely frightening stuff. Paul asks, “"Where are the pastors?" I remind Paul, and others, that The Clergy Letter Project consistently rebels against images and sentiments of this sort. We need to continue to do so loudly and often. The essay can be accessed here.
13. WesleyNexus Faith and Science Weekend
Our good friends at WesleyNexus have set aside 10 & 11 October 2025 to celebrate Faith and Science Weekend. Two great speakers, both members of The Clergy Letter Project list of scientific consultants, are scheduled to speak. Dr. Jennifer Wiseman, Director Emeritus of the Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion (DoSER), a program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a senior astrophysicist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, will be speaking at 7 pm on the 10th. Dr. Francis Collins, founder of BioLogos and past director of the National Institutes of Health, will be speaking at 4 pm on the 11th. You can attend in person in Fulton, MD or via a virtual link. There is no cost for either but registration is required. You can learn more about the event and you may register here.
14. Philosophy on the Stand in America's Evolution Wars
Glenn Branch, the deputy director of the National Center for Science Education published an article entitled “Philosophy on the Stand in America’s Evolution Wars” in an issue of Isis, a history of science journal, with a section devoted to the 100th anniversary of the Scopes Trial. He reviews the role that philosophers played in three trials focused on various aspects of evolution: the Scopes trial in 1925, the McLean trial in 1981, and the Kitzmiller trial in 2005. You can read his interesting piece here.
15. Parents Fighting Against Religious Indoctrination
Oklahoma Voice just ran in interesting story describing the frustrations many Oklahoma parents are feeling given the new statewide social studies standards being implemented. The subheading of the piece explains that “New academic standards for social studies classes include Bible teachings, doubts of 2020 election integrity,” while the opening sentence reports that “Frustrated with religious content and polarizing language added to Oklahoma academic standards, some parents say they plan to opt their children out of 'ideologically charged' social studies lessons in public schools.” You can read the full article here.
16. What Happens When Money Comes First
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 of his with us. It’s entitled “What Happens When Money Comes First,” and, as usual, his range is so great that he cites Francis Bacon, John Ruskin, and the Roman poet Horace. You can enjoy his essay here.
17. Covalence Focuses on Environmental Ethics
The May issue of Covalence focuses on environmental ethics with articles centered on the passing of Holmes Rolston III, the father of environmental ethics, a look back at the environmental and scientific record of Pope Francis and a recap of “the most intriguing faith and science topics” discussed in the journal over the past year. You can access the issue here.
18. The Passion at the Intersection of Religion and Science
Science for the Church published an interesting essay exploring the depth of the passion out there for understanding and integrating religion and science. The piece also provides a range of resources that I suspect many of you will find very useful. You can read the essay here.
19. Smithsonian Reviews the Scopes Trial
The centennial of the Scopes Trial has generated scores of articles – and I’ve shared many of them with you over the past several months. Smtihsonian Magazine just published a particularly good one and you can read it here.
Concluding Thoughts
The goal of The Clergy Letter Project since the outset over two decades ago (!), has been to promote the compatibility of religion and science while explaining the value of both fields. We have reached a time in the history of the United States where we find both under attack, from fellow citizens as well as from our own government. It appears that everything religion is supposed to stand for, helping the neediest among us, building a shared community, and caring for the planet upon which we live is being denigrated and undercut. Similarly, the scientific infrastructure of the United States is being dismantled and we have every reason to believe that all of this will result in dire health consequences for many of us. At the same time, US marines and federalized national guard troops are patrolling the streets of a major US city ostensibly to quell an insurrection supposedly taking place by immigrants and paid insurrectionists. The mainstream media is complicit by constantly referring to the protests that are occurring as riots. I hope we can get past these truly dangerous times. I hope many of you will join me in protesting the policies that endanger us all and that make a mockery of both religion and science. And I hope all of you remain safe. Thanks for all have done and will continue to 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
https://bsky.app/profile/mzclergyletter.bsky.social