November 2025 Newsletter
In this Clergy Letter Project update you’ll find the following 20 items:
- Truth Matters: Religion and Science Weekend 2026;
- Across the Cosmos for November 2025: Science, Faith, & Ethics - Stronger Together;
- Immigration is a Gospel Issue;
- Nationalism vs Religion;
- Oklahoma's Bible Mandate Rolled Back;
- Apply for Scientists in Synagogues Program;
- Lives of Christians in the Sciences;
- Saints of Science from the Past;
- What Conflict? Stories of Christian Biologists;
- Scientific Saints Pursue Kingdom Priorities;
- Why Some People Celebrate Misinformation;
- Evolution and Creationism in the Age of Trump;
- The Origin of the First Black Holes?;
- Clergy Say ICE is Threatening Their Religious Freedom;
- The Uncomfortable Rise of Social Darwinism;
- America First - Again;
- How Will We Be Remembered;
- $ucce$$ - That’s Not How It’s Spelled;
- The Heresy of Ham; and
- Ancestors – Honoring Them; Becoming Them.
1. Truth Matters: Religion and Science Weekend 2026
The Reverend Jim Antal is a prolific writer, a compelling speaker, 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. He is also the person who suggested “Truth Matters” as the theme for Religion and Science Weekend 2026. Here’s how he describes the importance of this theme:
Living as we are in a time when science is under attack, facts are denied, vast amounts of government research and data are erased, books are banned, and video and audio "recordings" can be unverifiable, it's time for people of faith to hear from their clergy that truth matters. The Biblical prophets are truth tellers. In addition to confronting the powers and principalities with truth, they compel the faithful to pay attention to the reality – the depth – of their grief. By following their lead, like them, clergy can open the hearts and minds of their congregations to respond to God's call for us to repair the world (Tikkun O'lam).
History assures us that the future is not yet written. How can we convert the chaos of this moment into an opportunity for our future, our children's future, and for the least of these among us whom God calls us to protect?
Jesus taught that the truth will set us free. Let us bind ourselves to truth and embrace the gift of freedom. Let us make full use of all of our gifts and capacities, in partnership with others and guided by the Holy Spirit, as we reinstate our democracy and restore God's creation.
I hope Jim’s thoughtful comments will encourage you to sign up to participate in Religion and Science Weekend 2026 and to discuss the importance of truth with your congregation.
If you’ve not yet done so, please sign up to participate now.
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2. Across the Cosmos for November 2025: Science, Faith, & Ethics - Stronger Together
In this month’s installment of Across the Cosmos, Grace Wolf-Chase, Senior Scientist and Senior Education & Communication Specialist at the Planetary Science Institute as well as a Clergy Letter Project consultant, provides some interesting information about the Planetary Science Institute and shares a way you can help with recovery efforts in the Caribbean.
This month’s column will be short. I realize that the foremost concerns in the minds of most people presently are the affordability of living and health care. On the surface, these are ethical issues that seem detached from the concerns of scientists engaged in basic research. However, now more than ever it is important not to lose sight of the fact that many humanitarian issues will continue to worsen with the erosion of science in our society. I know I’m “preaching to the choir” – over the past several months, I have seen many grass-roots efforts by communities of faith, including CLP members, that demonstrate how science and faith, working together, can be powerful forces for reshaping our world for the better!
Amidst the cuts to science and the shutdown, we at the Planetary Science Institute are continuing our research and outreach efforts as best we can. Science is what we do, and planetary science includes many areas of research that are not just inspiring, but critical to the health of our planet. Recently, our fabulous IT folks have reorganized PSI’s website -- please check it out!(1) From the home page, it is easy to navigate to scientific, technical, and educational resources, and to identify experts in different fields of planetary science and astronomy. We also now have a Planetary Partners program, which, like NPR, invites folks to become members at various levels, accompanied with appropriate levels of “swag” that include things like refrigerator magnets, 3D printed mementos, signed space artwork, and even lunch with PSI’s Director!(2)
The new PSI website also includes links to various community science projects in which everyone can engage. Whether or not you have monetary resources to donate, everyone can help further scientific research by participating in one of these projects. Most immediately, you can assist recovery efforts in the Caribbean by simply participating in Planetary Response Network: Hurricane Melissa 2025, which is hosted on the Zooniverse platform.(3)
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)2. https://www.psi.edu/planetary-partners/
3. https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/alicemead/planetary-response-network-hurricane-melissa-2025/
3.
I’m delighted to note that religious leaders have been increasingly speaking out about what they see as the abuses immigrants in the United States have been experiencing. Catholic News Agency recently ran a story about the views expressed by Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso on the subject who made the point that immigration is a gospel issue before it is a political issue. You can read the story here.4. Nationalism vs Religion
Prince-Bishop Radislav (Rutherford) I, of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church and a member of The Clergy Letter Project, recently released a policy statement discussing the relationship between nationalism and religion. You can read his important statement here. You can read his statement here.
5. Oklahoma's Bible Mandate Rolled Back
Finally, there’s some good news out of Oklahoma. After Ryan Walters, superintendent of public schools in Oklahoma, resigned his position after experiencing a bit of a sex scandal, his replacement, Lindel Fields, said “he is scrapping a mandate imposed by his predecessor that forces schools to place Bibles in classrooms and incorporate Scripture into students' lesson plans.” You can read more about this situation here.
6. Apply for Scientists in Synagogues Program
Sinai and Synapses has just announced that it has opened applications for its exciting program: Scientists in Synagogues. This highly successful program, funded by the John Templeton Foundation, is recruiting its fifth round of congregations. They describe the program clearly and succinctly as follows: “Scientists in Synagogues provides communities a $5000 grant, along with mentorship, guidance and connections, in order to run grass-roots programs that offer Jews opportunities to explore the most interesting and pressing questions surrounding Judaism and science. Its aim is to share how some of the most thoughtful Jewish scientists integrate their Judaism and their scientific work so that they can be role models and ambassadors for productive conversations surrounding Judaism and science.” Applications will be accepted until 4 December 2025.
I’m proud to say that I’ve long been associated with the Scientists in Synagogues program as a resource person and I’ve been impressed by many of the events participating congregations have put on. I hasten to add that many of the participating congregations have been led by rabbis who are members of The Clergy Letter Project. I encourage you to read more about the program here and to think about applying.
7. Lives of Christians in the Sciences
Our good friends at Science for the Church have released a four-part series discussing the ways various individuals have negotiated their relationship between science and religion. Part one discusses two Nobel Prize winners. You can read the essay here.
8. Saints of Science from the Past
Part 2 of the Science for the Church series opens with the following: “Niels Steno and Saint Albertus Magnus stand as significant figures at the confluence of faith and science. They offer a profound witness to how faith can inspire and sustain scientific imagination.” You can read the essay here.
9.
Part 3 of the Science for the Church series explains its focus as follows: “Christian biologists have been deeply involved in scientific progress for centuries. They have proclaimed the glory of God through their science. The invention of vaccines and the discovery of penicillin — both great medical discoveries saving millions of lives — were made by two Christians, Louis Pasteur and Alexander Fleming, respectively.” You can read the essay here.
10. Scientific Saints Pursue Kingdom Priorities
Part 4 of the Science for the Church series opens with the following: “As we continue our series honoring scientific saints, I am profiling Christians whose science is deeply informed by the church and the faith it cultivated in them.” The piece focuses on four active scientists: Justin Barrett, Greg Thompson, Sydney Stanley, and Katharine Hayhoe. You can read the essay here.
11. Why Some People Celebrate Misinformation
At a time when misinformation seems incredibly common, it is worth examining a recent article in The Conversation that reports on some peer-reviewed psychological research that explains why misinformation is often celebrated – and explains how the more outrageous the misinformation, the more likely it is to be accepted. This work is particularly relevant to The Clergy Letter Project given that this year’s theme for Religion and Science Weekend is “Truth Matters.” You can read the article here.
12. Evolution and Creationism in the Age of Trump
Paul Braterman, frequent contributor to this newsletter and a member of The Clergy Letter Project's list of scientific consultants, posted a fascinating essay detailing the link between creationism and right-wing politics in the United States. You can read the essay here.
13. The Origin of the First Black Holes?
Live Science recently ran an article discussing a discovery made by the James Webb Space Telescope that may reveal the origins of the first black holes in the Universe. You can read the article here.
14. Clergy Say ICE is Threatening Their Religious Freedom
While the attacks by ICE agents on clergy (in addition to journalists, locals, children, etc.) have received a good deal of attention of late, this article in Religion News Service was one of the first to explore the situation. It’s well worth reading and you can do so here.
15. The Uncomfortable Rise of Social Darwinism
Christianity Today published an interesting article that discusses the irony associated with the fact that while many evangelicals disavow evolution they seem fully on board with the concept of social Darwinism. You can read the piece here.
16. America First - Again
The Rev. Ken Olson, a member of The Clergy Letter Project and a frequent contributor to this newsletter, has been very active writing compelling essays this month! I’m sharing a series of three of his pieces that have been published in his local newspaper. This first one explores the reprise of the “America First” movement with Ken noting that “Trump’s drumbeat of the phrase is not new but part of another deliberate effort to camouflage abusive power as patriotism.” He also pointed out that a speaker a large “Christian Front” rally in the 1930s said, “I am not content to walk in the footsteps of Christ. I will walk ahead of him with a club!” Ken goes on to say, “We are now hearing white Christian nationalists say that Christ was ‘too weak and too woke.’” You can read his essay here.
17. How Will We Be Remembered
Ken’s second essay for this month asked the provocative question: How will we be remembered? This thoughtful piece wonders, “will our legacy include our having done our best to battle racism, or will we have been part of perpetuating this evil? Will we be known for having had such small and fearful minds that we needed to depreciate others who, under the skin, in flesh and blood and bone and brain, are the same as us?” You can read his essay here.
18. $ucce$$ - That’s Not How It’s Spelled
In the third of his essays, Ken discusses the value of money, if it’s used to accomplish good. He compares the behaviors of Donald Trump to Andrew Carnegie, who, toward the end of his life, began to give away most of his fortune, saying “It’s a sin to die this rich.” Ken wisely notes that “His money did a world of good --when he came to value more than money.” You can read his essay here.
19. The Heresy of Ham
Covalence Magazine ran a fascinating review of the revised edition of The Heresy of Ham which details the beliefs of Ken Ham, the founder of The Creation Museum. The book’s subtitle provides insight into its content: “What EVERY Evangelical Needs to Know about Young Earth Creationism, the Creation-Evolution Controversy…and What We All Can Learn about Rigid Ideology and ‘Fighting the Culture War’” You can read the review here.
20. Ancestors – Honoring Them; Becoming Them
JD Stillwater, a good friend of The Clergy Letter Project, published a moving essay discussing the intergenerational ties that bind us with both our ancestors and our descendants. His thoughtful reflections are certainly fully in keeping with the ideas that animate our Climate Crisis Letter. You can read his essay here.
Concluding Thoughts
Every month the disgraceful actions of the Trump regime seem to become more extreme, more immoral, more dangerous, and more deserving of our attention and protest. I’m disgusted to see my country make use of illegal extra-judicial killings in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, sue to ensure that poor, starving people in all parts of the country don’t receive needed aid, release tear gas in residential areas impacting school-age children, lie in federal courts, abuse immigrants, and so much more. All of these actions are absolutely contrary to the teachings and beliefs of virtually every religion so it is galling to see Christian nationalists celebrate every one of them. At the same time, it is encouraging to see a growing number of religious leaders, including Pope Leo XIV, speak out about these outrages. And knowing that so many of you are speaking and writing about all of this warms my heart. Thank you for what you do. Please hang in there!
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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