About The BioLogos Foundation

BioLogos explores, promotes, and celebrates the integration of science and Christian faith.

Who We Are

Science enjoys more power and prominence in our culture than ever before, but confusion and suspicion abound, especially when it comes to implications for Christian faith and doctrine. Old controversies continue to divide: is the earth young or old? Is evolution true or just a creation story for atheists? If evolution were true, what would that mean for our understanding of creation?

The stakes are high if the evangelical church doesn’t honestly wrestle with these questions. The BioLogos Foundation offers a virtual and actual meeting place where the best Christian minds in science, theology, biblical studies, philosophy, and other fields meet on these important topics for the good of the church. With a commitment to spirited and gracious dialogue and a confidence in the harmony between science and faith, we aim to help the church develop a worldview that embraces both of these complex but complementary ways of understanding.

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What We Do

In the short time since the launch of our website in April 2009, The BioLogos Foundation has become a trusted source of excellent and accessible resources on contemporary issues at the science/faith interface. Among the large number of articles and videos on the site, one can find voices who deeply disagree with one another on various aspects of biblical scholarship and theology. This is intentional: evangelical Christianity has long embraced a diversity of views on matters that are not essential for salvation. We think this is healthy and we will continue to show that many evangelical traditions are fully consistent with mainstream science.

In addition to fostering dialogue online, we also host in-person conversations at our conferences, workshops, and other events. Pastors, scholars, scientists, and laypeople each have a unique perspective and all are needed to cultivate a vibrant friendship between science and Christian faith.

Finally, Christian education is critical to our mission as we seek to impact the next generation. We therefore provide professional development opportunities for Christian middle school and high school science teachers. In addition, our plans are to work on a curriculum to supplement biology textbooks for use in Christian high schools.

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What We Believe

Foundational to the BioLogos vision is the belief that the Bible is the inspired and authoritative Word of God. The Bible is a living document through which God, by his Spirit, continues to speak to the church today.

Given the diverse theological backgrounds of our staff and of the BioLogos community in general, we have chosen not to adopt a specific statement of faith. However, we know of no better summary of what we all believe than Paul’s words in I Corinthians 15:1-5:

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.

This summary of the Gospel is at the core of our beliefs as BioLogos staff members. We have come to accept this by faith. The faith we hold is not blind—it is well-supported by evidence, albeit not of the scientific variety.

In addition to these fundamental beliefs about the Bible and knowledge necessary for salvation, we believe that God created the universe and continues to providentially sustain the natural world. We also believe that God is directly involved in human history, including the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ as well as answers to prayer and acts of salvation and personal transformation.

Finally, we also affirm the value of science, which eloquently describes the glory of God’s creation. We stand with a long tradition of Christians for whom faith and science are mutually hospitable, and we see no necessary conflict between the Bible and the findings of science. We have found that the methods of the natural sciences provide the most reliable guide to understanding the material world, and the current evidence from science indicates that the diversity of life is best explained as a result of an evolutionary process. Thus we affirm that evolution is a means by which God providentially achieves His purposes.

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About Our Founder

Collins founded the BioLogos Foundation in November 2007 and served as its president until nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate as the 16th Director of the National Institutes of Health. He resigned from the BioLogos Foundation on August 16, 2009, and was sworn in as NIH Director the following day.

Formerly an atheist, Collins became a Christian in his 20s after realizing his perspective did not provide answers to profound questions about the meaning of life and was inconsistent with observations about the nature of the universe and humankind. He wrote about finding harmony between the scientific and spiritual worldviews in The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, which spent 20 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. Collins coined the term BioLogos to define the conclusions he reached about how life, or bios, came about through God’s word, or logos. DNA, therefore, may be considered God’s language.

Collins received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Virginia, a doctorate in physical chemistry from Yale University and a medical degree from The University of North Carolina. He was elected to the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and in November 2007 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor given by the president, for revolutionizing genetic research.

• Interviews with Francis Collins
• Presentations by Francis Collins
• Blog posts by Francis Collins (all entries were completed prior to August 16, 2009)