The BioLogos Forum: Kathryn Applegate
Kathryn Applegate is Program Director at The BioLogos Foundation. She received her PhD in computational cell biology at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. At Scripps, she developed computer vision software tools for analyzing the cell's infrastructure, the cytoskeleton. You can read more about Applegate here.
Series by Applegate
Behe’s B Cell Bravado (3 Parts)
This three part series by Kathryn Applegate argues strongly against Michael Behe’s claim that the immune system is irreducibly complex. She begins with a brief review of antibody generation in B-cells. Then, she addresses Behe’s invalid assumptions about this process. Looking at the function of bacterial transposons, she then provides a reasonable explanation for the gradual evolution of the system and calls Behe to engage the scientific literature. Southern Baptist Voices: Kenneth Keathely (2 Parts)
The first entry in the Southern Baptist Voices series presents a unique ongoing dialogue between Kenneth Keathely, a significant voice for the Southern Baptist churches, and several BioLogos scholars. Carried out in a respectful and humble manner, Keathely simply expresses six areas in which he does not agree with the BioLogos approach to Genesis 1-3. Darrel Falk, Kathryn Applegate and Deborah Haarsma then thoughtfully respond to each point in order to clarify the BioLogos’ view on each issue and, hopefully, remove any stumbling blocks. Immunity and Evolution: The Same Story? (2 Parts)
In this brief series, Kathryn Applegate focuses on the mechanisms of the immune system to demonstrate that God works through random process to preserve life. She looks at similarities between the generation of anti-bodies and the evolutionary process, which both depend on a certain level of randomness to adapt to the world. She affirms that the good, bad, and neutral mutations work together for good in the end. Bacterial Flagellum (3 Parts)
In this three part series, Kathryn Applegate explores the structure and operation of the bacterial flagellum which is often described in depth by ID proponents. Although it is an extraordinary natural machine, ID supporters speak about it in misleading ways that suggest special intervention over evolution. However, she explains that self-assembly is an outcome of natural laws that direct life. Posts by Applegate
That’s Random! A Look at Viral Self-Assembly
May 16, 2012
Despite this usage, most of us know that randomness has something to do with probability, and that it often implies a lack of conscious intentionality. But what do mathematicians and scientists mean when they say something is random? Can a random process lead to an ordered, even predictable outcome? Is there evidence that God makes use of random processes to fulfill his creative purposes?
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Vision for Change: Evolution & Christian Faith Grants Program
May 10, 2012
We at BioLogos are convinced that the Bible is the Word of God and that God has created through a gradual, evolutionary process, but we don’t have all of the answers. Therefore, we've launched a program to address theological and philosophical questions commonly voiced by Christians about evolutionary creation in a way that is relevant to the church.
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NPR’S Adam and Eve Story
August 10, 2011
The conversation regarding the historicity of Adam and Eve, described so clearly in the cover story of the June issue of Christianity Today, continues in an unlikely place—at National Public Radio. If you haven’t already heard it, you’ll want to listen to this story.
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Coming Soon to San Diego: Let Newton Be!
April 19, 2011
Isaac Newton is famous for his work on universal gravitation, optics, and calculus (much to many college students’ dismay!), but he actually wrote more about theology and alchemy than about science. The play highlights his obsessive quest for scientific and theological understanding and gives insight into three stages of his life.
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Dueling Scientists and the Tree of Life: Analyzing the ID Response
March 14, 2011
Last week I came across a blog post by Intelligent Design leader Bill Dembski, provocatively titled Craig Venter denies common descent — Dawkins incredulous. Now J. Craig Venter is a world leader in genomics; if he denied common descent, it would be a huge deal in the scientific community. Surprised by the headline, I clicked over to read the story.
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How Evolutionary Science Reveals God’s Character
November 3, 2010
In this video “Conversation,” BioLogos Program Director Kathryn Applegate points to evolutionary science as a way to gain a richer understanding of the glory of God. Scientists become fairly comfortable with a certain level of uncertainty within scientific data, notes Applegate, but that is not the case for most people. Uncertainty—especially where faith is concerned—can be scary for people who want a black and white answer.
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The Valley of Vision
October 17, 2010
Many mornings I begin my devotional time by meditating on a selection from The Valley of Vision, a small book of prayers collected by Arthur Bennett. One of my favorites is the introductory piece by Bennett himself, which like the book takes its title from Isaiah 22:1. The prayer centers on the many paradoxes of the Christian faith.
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Sin in the Church
September 12, 2010
We often talk about what’s holding her back from giving the control of her life over to Christ. One of the biggest barriers is the blatant sinfulness of self-professing Christians, which can be alarming and hard to understand for unbelievers. It’s all too easy to find Christians doing or saying very un-Christ-like things, often in the name of God or his Word.
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Thoughts on Unity and Integrity
August 29, 2010
“Love is something more stern and splendid than mere kindness,” wrote C.S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain. He went on, “Kindness, merely as such, cares not whether its object becomes good or bad, provided only that it escapes suffering.” God, the very source of love, isn’t merely kind to us—he is zealous for the purity and integrity of his people.
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New FAQ on Chance and God’s Sovereignty
June 17, 2010
What happens when you ask a Reformed mathematician and a Wesleyan theologian to write a joint statement on the compatibility of chance and God’s sovereignty? The odds might seem low, but if you’re lucky like us, you’ll get a thoughtful response like our newly-posted answer to the Question: Does the presence of chance in natural processes conflict with belief in God’s sovereignty?
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Understanding Randomness
April 30, 2010
Christians often equate randomness with an atheistic worldview, but randomness is an essential feature of many God-ordained biological processes, from the union of egg and sperm during reproduction to the generation of antibodies by the immune system. In fact, based on its prevalence in the natural world, one might conclude that randomness is one of God’s favorite mechanisms for creating life!
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That’s Random! A Look at Viral Self-Assembly
April 8, 2010
Despite this usage, most of us know that randomness has something to do with probability, and that it often implies a lack of conscious intentionality. But what do mathematicians and scientists mean when they say something is random? Can a random process lead to an ordered, even predictable outcome? Is there evidence that God makes use of random processes to fulfill his creative purposes?
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The Church Must Not Ignore the Evidence
March 27, 2010
In this video conversation, Kathryn Applegate, biologist and BioLogos program director of website development, discusses the implications for the church if we ignore scientific developments.
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The Bog on the Mountaintop
March 25, 2010
In many ways, I think the Evangelical community’s approach to science is like a bog on a mountaintop. For the most part, Christian theology is solid and trustworthy. Our traditional interpretations of the Bible have been carefully worked out and refined by theologians over hundreds of years. But there are weak spots in our understanding, and how many believers relate to evolutionary science is one of them.
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Jennifer Wiseman on “Science as an Instrument of Worship”
February 7, 2010
In most evangelical churches today, God receives regular praise for his work in Creation. We ascribe the grandeur of the night sky or the majesty of mountains to God’s handiwork, and rightly so. But how often are recent scientific discoveries used to stir us up to worship, and to what extent do they inform our theology and stewardship?
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God’s Sovereignty and Nature’s Freedom
October 6, 2009
Genetic switches that act during development to produce a newborn baby seem, like Michael Behe's mouse trap, irreducibly complex. As Darrel Falk pointed out recently, however, irreducibly complex switches also drive the proliferation of bacteria and viruses which kill millions of people each year. Christians must wrestle with a difficult question: is God responsible for designing these killing machines?
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