166. Molly Worthen | Science and the Journey to Faith
Mar 7, 2024
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Historian Molly Worthen shares her journey from skeptic to baptized Southern Baptist, exploring questions about miracles, science, and intellectual engagement with faith. Recorded live at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, she reflects on blending scientific background with Christianity and navigating traditional doctrine in a pluralistic society.
Molly Worthen's journey highlights the struggle to balance critical thinking and faith in embracing Christianity.
The intersection of science and belief in Christ's resurrection challenges individuals to align intellectual pursuits with faith commitments.
Faith is viewed as an ongoing process that intertwines rational evaluation with spiritual beliefs, emphasizing the importance of continued commitment in the face of doubt.
Deep dives
Exploring the Process of Conversion and Intellectual Engagement
Molly Worthen, a historian, discusses her journey from a secular standpoint to embracing Christianity with a focus on the struggle to balance her critical thinking ability with developing faith. She highlights her fascination with the complexity of religious movements and the challenges she faced in aligning her intellectual pursuits with faith, especially the intersection of science and belief in the resurrection of Christ.
Influence of Intellectual Background on Faith Exploration
Worthen delves into the impact of intellectual backgrounds on individuals' interpretations of evidence and faith commitments. She reflects on engaging with different arguments of scholars on Christianity and the nuances of presuppositions affecting how evidence is interpreted. Worthen emphasizes personal narratives and how they shape perspectives on faith, acknowledging the necessity of understanding diverse viewpoints within the evangelical context.
Faith as Commitment and Intellectual Struggle
The conversation touches on the essence of faith as a commitment despite fluctuations in belief, emphasizing the importance of a steadfast decision to adhere to certain beliefs even during times of doubt. Worthen's intellectual journey leads her to view faith as an ongoing process of embracing propositions rooted in rational evaluation, recognizing the intertwining of critical inquiry and spiritual beliefs.
Navigating Intellectual Diversity and Evangelical Identity
Worthen navigates the complexities of intellectual diversity and evangelical identity, embracing the label while acknowledging the inherent contradictions and diversity within the evangelical community. She reflects on the challenge of articulating her conversion within academic and secular contexts, highlighting the need for space for differing perspectives and avoiding polarized views of evangelicalism.
Striving for Balance Between Faith and Critical Thinking
A central theme in Worthen's exploration is finding a balance between faith and critical thinking, often struggling with the tension between these two aspects. She grapples with maintaining intellectual integrity while cultivating a space for faith to flourish, recognizing the ongoing journey of reconciliation between reason and belief in her scholarly and personal endeavors.
Molly Worthen is a historian by training and wrote the book, Apostles of Reason, which explores the history of evangelicalism in America. When she wrote the book about 10 years ago, she approached the topic as an outsider, identifying as an agnostic. Then in 2022, she rather surprisingly found herself getting baptized at the front of a large evangelical Southern Baptist megachurch.
In the conversation she tells the story of her conversion and questions she asked, including questions about miracles, science, and what it means to be intellectually engaged and also believe in the resurrection of Christ.
This conversation was recorded in front of a live audience at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary on February 21, 2024.
Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Titan Sound, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.
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