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Dr. Francis Collins is the Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Collins is a physician and a scientist who led the publicly funded initiative to map and sequence the human genome and the genomes of several model organisms. In addition to being one of the most famous scientists currently working, he is also is an ambassador for genomic science to various communities. He is known for his abaility to communicate effectively and is very in tune with the concerns and interests of his many audiences.
Lately, he has turned his attention to the relationship between evolution and genetic science and religion. Dr. Collins is a Christian and he has written a book called The Language of God. In a recent interview with Beliefnet, he talked about his work as a scientist, evolution as the foundation of modern biology, and how genetics and genomics are providing overwhelming evidence to support the theory of evolutiion. He emphatically maintains that this knowledge of genetics and evolution need not and--most importantly--does not interfere with his faith in God. In fact, he suggests that the wonder of the natural world and the interrelatedness of all life strengthens his belief in God.
We need more discussions of how the developing knowledge that is flowing from biology, physics, astrophysics and other rapidly advancing areas of scientific inquiry can be integrated with the spiriutal experiences and beliefs that have developed over the millennia and have served us so well in the past and the present. I, for one, look forward to this process as a way of growing both in knowledge and faith.