Previous Events
University of Michigan, March 20, 2009
The University of Michigan, represented by facilitator Howard Hu, hosted a Friendship Collaborative workshop at the beautiful Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor, MI. Some great scientific minds were there as well as a number of local and regional evangelical leaders. Why such a gathering? Simply put, to form friendships that will act as bridges of communication between two groups of people which for some time now have fought either passively or actively against each other’s efforts. Because there are people in both camps with great passion for the cause of environmental stewardship, hopes are high that enough common ground can exists to enable strong cooperation
Facilitators Carl Safina from the Blue Ocean Institute and Ken Wilson from the Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor both did an excellent job of fostering thought-provoking discussions. Dr. Safina focused on the effects humanity is having on the Earth, concentrating on his personal area of interest, the sea and the life that thrives there. Wilson offered scientists an idea of what a well-informed layperson’s scientific knowledge might look like. He also suggested that the evangelical community should honor the virtue of prudence with respect to climate change science, and both men exhorted all present to work together in hopes of being more effective as environmental stewards.
The event, however, was not all business. As its namesake implies, the Friendship Collaborative seeks to build continuing relationships between environmental scientists and evangelical leaders. This was fostered at the workshop by allowing for a series of roundtable discussions, including lunch, where groups of scientists and evangelicals were able to sit in a relaxed environment and discuss things held in common. All participants in attendance were exceedingly gracious; conversations were honest, but always in good spirit. One common theme mentioned as the entire group reconvened was that of trust between the two groups, which unfortunately are too often polarized.
The Ohio State University, Columbus Ohio, May 2 2008
Scientists and local evangelical leaders gathered at Ohio State University on Friday, May 2 for a workshop intended to foster understanding between the science and faith communities about environmental threats to our planet.
The Friendship Collaborative workshop at the Byrd Polar Research Center was led by Dr. Calvin DeWitt of the University of Wisconsin Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and Ken Wilson, senior pastor of Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor, Michigan. More than 30 scientists, including Jim Hansen from the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and faith leaders attended the workshop, which was convened by Ohio State University Faculty Christian Fellowship. more
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Akron University Workshop, Akron Ohio, August 31 2007
Twenty-five scientists and evangelical ministers gathered at The University of Akron recently for a meeting of the “Friendship Collaborative,” a movement to address environmental issues combining the resources of science and faith.
The meeting was equally split between science-related and religion-related topics, according to Dr. Stephen Weeks, professor of biology in The University of Akron’s Integrated Bioscience Program. “For the former, there was general discussion that evangelicals and secular scientists need to communicate better to change public opinion about global warming, specifically, and conservation more generally,” Weeks says. more
