Can people live simultaneously in a world of science and a world of faith? Can we find truth in both? How will we balance them, or even integrate them?

Trinity Parish is a community of faith within a community of science and technology, so questions like these arise within many of our personal faith journeys. We're eager to explore them together. A new discussion group will form this month to share ideas, conversations, and books and to hear speakers on the relationship between our modern science and ancient faith.

April 11 - Informal Organizational Meeting @ 7pm
Let's talk about what we want to do with this group. Bring your ideas!

April 18 - Speaker: Dr. Sjoerd J. Bonting, Priest-Scientist for the Diocese of California
6:30 pm - Gathering time with light refreshment; talk starts at 7:00 pm Dr. Bonting will initiate our program with a talk titled, "Science-Theology Dialogue: Why and How?"

May 2 - Speaker: Dr. Sjoerd J. Bonting
6:30 pm - Gathering time with light refreshment; talk starts at 7:00 pm In his second presentation, Dr. Bonting will introduce us to "Chaos Theology."

You need not be expert in either science or theology to participate, all who are curious and eager to share and learn should join in. Please contact Jay Dean at jay@gadean.com if you would like to be involved, or come to one of our meetings, and bring your friends who are doubtful that science and religion can mix!

Next Speaker: Dr. Sjoerd Bonting - April 18 and May 2

Sjoern J. Bonting

Born in 1924 in Amsterdam, he studied chemistry at the University of Amsterdam, receiving a B.Sc. chemistry degree in 1944, a M.Sc. biochemistry degree cum laude in 1950, and a Ph.D. biochemistry degree in 1952. Three weeks later he sailed with his young wife Susan to the USA on a postdoctoral fellowship of the National Institutes of Health. Between 1952-1960 he worked at the Universities of Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois, and from 1960-1965 at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda MD. In 1965 he returned to the Netherlands to become chairman and professor of biochemistry at the Radboud University Nijmegen. From 1965-1985 he and his students worked in two research areas, the visual system and the active sodium transport system.

In 1985 he returned to the USA as a scientific consultant for NASA at Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA for preparation of biological research on the International Space Station, from 1985-1993.

He published 363 scientific papers, edited 9 books, was editor of Advances in Space Biology and Medicine (7vols.1989-99), and sponsor of 52 Ph.D. dissertations.
From 1957-1963 Bonting studied theology, and in 1964 he was ordained priest in Washington Cathedral (Anglican). As such he ministered to English-speaking persons in the Netherlands, founding four congregations in Nijmegen, Eindhoven, Arnhem en Twente between 1965-1985. From 1985-1993 he was assistant priest at St. Thomas' Church, Sunnyvale and St. Mark's Church, Palo Alto. Since his return to the Netherlands in 1993 he is still active in the Anglican congregations there, but his main activity is in the science-theology dialogue.

In this field he has published five books:
Creation and Evolution: Attempt at Synthesis (1996; in Dutch),
Human, Chaos, Reconciliation (1998; in Dutch),
Between Belief and Unbelief (2000; in Dutch),
Chaos Theology, A Revised Creation Theology (2002),
Creation and Double Chaos (2005)
…and 74 articles.