'God is dead! God remains dead! And we have killed him!'Friedrich Nietzsche (1)
Perhaps one of the most famous quotes of all time, Nietzsche's view is pretty absolute. But did Nietzsche have a point? Since the Age of Enlightenment and the valuing of scientific reason over religion, it really does appear sometimes that God has been made redundant. The world lets him exist in church on a Sunday and uses his name as a way of expressing emotion. Occasionally, he is let 'out of his cage' as a so-called 'God of the gaps'.
We reluctantly concede it could be divine activity if something occurs that truly defies all scientific explanation, but only until the 'true' explanation reveals itself. 'Eureka!' we cry, submit our manuscripts for publication and scramble to solve the next mystery.
How as Christian medical professionals can we possibly hope to bear up against the weight of secular science? In a world where religion is seen as intellectual suicide, how can we hold simultaneously the identities of 'scientist' and 'Christian'? Nucleus is a journal! Why am I not in fact the editor of Religious Cloud Cuckoo Land?
I for one fervently believe my seemingly double life holds up; you will be pleased to know CMF thinks the same. Our allegiance first and foremost is to God, but that in no way means we must eschew science. On the contrary: science and technology can and should remain at the cornerstone of our medical practice. This issue of Nucleus aims to address this interplay head-on and show where we can embrace science, where we can balance it with our beliefs, and how to deal with conflicts as they arise.
The main articles pack a punch this term! We begin with the huge, exciting and terrifying topic of artificial intelligence in healthcare. John Wyatt explores a future where 'The machine will see you now'. Bernard Palmer tackles this edition's theme directly: 'Is science opposed to religion?' You will undoubtedly have noticed that climate change is a hot topic (2) these days; Amy McIntosh shows us what God has to say on the matter. Rachel Owusu-Ankomah shares about the ethics of translational medicine through a Christian lens.
Our regular features are top quality as usual. Our new Associate Head of Student Ministries, Ashley Stewart, answers the question 'What's so amazing about church?' Continuing our series on leadership, Caleb Owomoyela gives us a refreshing perspective on 'Performance'. Abi Randall answers your questions in 'Just ask!' I don the mantle of 'Mythbuster' and debunk the premise with which I began this piece: that you can't trust the Bible and be an academic at the same time. Morenike Dasilva offers us five extremely helpful 'Distinctives' about being a Christian medical student. We get to enjoy reports on Teresa Mergia's trip to Belgium, life at King's College London and the recent Sydenham 2 Conference. We have a bumper crop of book and film reviews to share too, so join us in discovering everything from Lewis to Lennox, from demons to machines.
We live as children of God in the age of evidence-based medicine. Go therefore and be scientists, be bold warriors for Christ! And you never know - maybe you will find one day that your dual citizenship has its perks. Have a wonderful and blessed term!
Zack Millar is Nucleus Student Editor and a medical student in Cambridge
