Karl W. Giberson
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Karl Willard Giberson (born May 13, 1957) is a physicist, scholar, and author specializing in the
creation Creation may refer to: Religion *''Creatio ex nihilo'', the concept that matter was created by God out of nothing * Creation myth, a religious story of the origin of the world and how people first came to inhabit it * Creationism, the belief tha ...
evolution debate (see Creation–evolution controversy). He has held a teaching post since 1984, written several books, and been a member of various academic and scientific organizations. He formerly served as vice president of the BioLogos Foundation.


Education

Giberson holds two bachelor's degrees (in philosophy and in physics/math) from Eastern Nazarene College, and both a master's degree and a PhD in physics from Rice University.


Career

Giberson was a member of the faculty at his alma mater, Eastern Nazarene College, from 1984 to 2011. In that time, he taught courses on physics, astronomy, and science and religion, as well as directing the Honors Scholar Program. His strong support for evolution made him increasingly controversial and played a role in his departure in 2011. Giberson is also a fellow of the
American Scientific Affiliation The American Scientific Affiliation (ASA) is a Christian religious organization of scientists and people in science-related disciplines. The stated purpose is "to investigate any area relating Christian faith and science." The organization publi ...
(ASA). He co-directed the Venice Summer School on Science and Religion, and has lectured on science and religion at Oxford University, the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture in Sicily, and various colleges and universities in the United States. In 2006, he was invited to speak at the Vatican on "America's Ongoing Hostility to Darwinism" and at the
Harvard Club of New York The Harvard Club of New York City, commonly called The Harvard Club, is a private social club located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Its membership is limited to alumni, faculty, and boardmembers of Harvard University. Incorporated in 1 ...
in 2008. In early 2009, Giberson became the Executive Vice President of The BioLogos Foundation, founded by Francis Collins. He served briefly as president before leaving the foundation in 2011 to further pursue his passion for writing. In 2012, Giberson became a faculty member at
Stonehill College Stonehill College is a Private college, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1948 by the Congregation of Holy Cross and is located on ...
in Easton, Massachusetts, where he is a scholar-in-residence in science and religion. In 2013, Giberson was elected to the International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR).


Published works

Giberson is a contributing editor to ''Books & Culture'', where he has published many essays on science. He was the founding editor of '' Science & Theology News'', the leading publication in the field until it ceased publication in 2006, and editor-in-chief of ''
Science & Spirit ''Science & Spirit'' is a discontinued American bimonthly magazine that covered scientific stories with an eye toward their spiritual implications. History and profile It was launched by the John Templeton Foundation in 1989 as a newsletter, con ...
'' from 2003 to 2006 for the John Templeton Foundation. Giberson has published over two hundred articles, reviews, and essays, both technical and popular. In addition to blogging regularly at the
Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
, Giberson has written for '' The New York Times'', Salon.com, ''
Discover Discover may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Discover'' (album), a Cactus Jack album * ''Discover'' (magazine), an American science magazine Businesses and brands * DISCover, the ''Digital Interactive Systems Corporation'' * Di ...
'', ''Perspectives on Science & Faith'', CNN.com, ''
Quarterly Review of Biology ''The Quarterly Review of Biology'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering all aspects of biology. It was established in 1926 by Raymond Pearl. In the 1960s it was purchased by the Stony Brook Foundation when the editor H. Bentley Glass b ...
'', '' Weekly Standard'', ''Christian History'', ''
Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evange ...
'', ''Zygon'', '' USA Today'' and other publications. He has appeared on many radio shows including NPR's ''
Talk of the Nation ''Talk of the Nation'' (''TOTN'') is an American talk radio program based in Washington D.C., produced by National Public Radio (NPR) that was broadcast nationally from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. It focused on current events and controversial issu ...
''. His essay "Say it Ain't So: America's Ongoing Hostility to Religion" appears in the college reader ''What Matters in America''.


Books

*''Worlds Apart: The Unholy War between Religion and Science'', ( Church of the Nazarene and Beacon Hill Press, 1993) has, despite controversy, been used at various Nazarene and other evangelical colleges to counter Christian Fundamentalist approaches to "origins". *''Species of Origins: America’s Search for a Creation Story'' (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2002), coauthored with Don Yerxa, garnered recognition as one of the most balanced treatments of the creation–evolution controversy in print. America's leading scholar of
creationism Creationism is the religious belief that nature, and aspects such as the universe, Earth, life, and humans, originated with supernatural acts of divine creation. Gunn 2004, p. 9, "The ''Concise Oxford Dictionary'' says that creationism is 't ...
, Ronald Numbers, described it as "accessible, accurate, and even-handed." It is used as a textbook and has been translated into
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
for an inclusion in a contemporary philosophy series. *''The Oracles of Science: Celebrity Scientists Versus God and Religion'' ( Oxford University Press, 2006), co-authored with Spanish philosopher
Mariano Artigas Mariano Artigas (1938–2006) was a Spanish physicist, philosopher, and theologian. He wrote ''The Mind of the Universe: Understanding Science and Religion'' and fifteen other books on science and religion. He was a member of the European Ass ...
, examines the purported "abuse of science" in the service of secularism by six scientists of this generation:
Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is research on ext ...
,
Stephen Jay Gould Stephen Jay Gould (; September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002) was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was one of the most influential and widely read authors of popular science of his generation. Gould sp ...
, E.O. Wilson,
Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biologist and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford and was Professor for Public Understanding of Science in the University of Oxford from 1995 to 2008. An ath ...
, Steven Weinberg, and Stephen Hawking. The book has been translated into Italian, Spanish and Polish. *''Saving Darwin: How to be a Christian and Believe in Evolution'' (HarperOne, 2008), was recognized by the Washington Post Book World as "One of the best books of 2008." *''The Language of Science and Faith: Straight Answers to Genuine Questions'' ( InterVarsity Press, 2011), coauthored with Francis Collins, aims to show Christians why they need not reject science nor God. *''Quantum Leap: How John Polkinghorne Found God in Science and Religion'' (Lion UK, 2011), coauthored with Dean Nelson, examines the science-and-religion relationship through the lens of the life of physicist and Anglican priest
John Polkinghorne John Charlton Polkinghorne (16 October 1930 – 9 March 2021) was an English theoretical physicist, theologian, and Anglican priest. A prominent and leading voice explaining the relationship between science and religion, he was professor of ma ...
. *''The Anointed: Evangelical Truth in a Secular Age'' (Harvard University Press, 2011) coauthored with
Randall J. Stephens Randall J. Stephens (born 1973) is an editor and historian of American religion. Career Stephens is a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo. From 2004 to 2012 he was an Assistant and Associate Professor of Histor ...
, explores how intellectual authority is applied and misapplied in
Evangelicalism Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exper ...
. The authors wrote an op-ed for The New York Times summarizing some of the issues that the book raises. *''The Wonder of the Universe: Hints of God in Our Fine-Tuned World'' (IVP Books, 2012), is an exploration of the religious resonances of our modern understanding of cosmology. *''Seven Glorious Days: A Scientist Retells the Genesis Creation Story'' (Paraclete Press, 2012), explores what the Biblical creation story would look like if it were written within the framework of modern science. *''Saving the Original Sinner: How Christians Have Used the Bible's First Man to Oppress, Inspire, and Make Sense of the World'' (
Beacon Press Beacon Press is an American left-wing non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is known for publishing authors such as James B ...
, 2015),Karl Giberson, ''Saving the Original Sinner: How Christians Have Used the Bible's First Man to Oppress, Inspire, and Make Sense of the World'', Beacon Press, 2015 explains how the idea of the Biblical
Adam Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...
has evolved throughout the ages and explores the influence that the fall of Adam has had on Western ideas. Giberson contends that the attempts of Evangelical Christians to preserve a literal interpretation of the Biblical creation story have contributed to them becoming intellectually isolated in a variety of fields.


References


External links


KarlGiberson.comVideo (with mp3 available) of discussion about religion and God with Giberson
and Robert Wright on Bloggingheads.tv {{DEFAULTSORT:Giberson, Karl Living people American male writers Eastern Nazarene College alumni Eastern Nazarene College faculty Rice University alumni Canadian evangelicals 1957 births Theistic evolutionists