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It is the early morning, not much past eight o’clock, and the Costa Rican sun is
beautiful against a sky of flavorful clouds and the fresh, wet grass. I am sitting quietly at
a small, rickety table in front of a small red house in the Roblealto Ministries
encampment, where children from abusive family situations come for help and for a
came with the youth group from the Lutheran Church of the Ascension.
Our devotion time is almost up, I think. I look aimlessly at an open bible, my
thoughts already scribbled into my small notebook dedicated solely to these early
“Do you mind if I sit?” My youth leader asks from behind me.
He slumps into the seat next to me and grins boyishly, and I think that he is still in
“John, didn’t you say that you wanted to be a scientist when you grow up?”
Still maintaining his boyish attitude, he asks “Do you think you’ll still go to
church?”
“Well that’s good then.” He says. He leans back and looks off to his side.
“I don’t know, man. I don’t know science that well, but it doesn’t always agree
antonyms—that the two belief systems contradicted each other even in their most
fundamental ideas. I thought that people either believed the big bang, believed in God, or
were atheists.
“Sure, but aren’t there always? I’m not saying that I believe science over religion,
but I believe what I see. I agree with the theory of evolution and I agree with the big-bang
theory. And you’re right, it’s hard to balance faith with science sometimes Jonathon, but
“The ultimate truth. And for us, Christians, we start out with an ultimate truth and
work out the details. For us scientists, we start with the details and build an ultimate
truth.”
“But still, John, if you call yourself a Christian, the bible should be more authority
“Yes, but what does that data table tell you about the bible? If they contradict each
other, does someone have to be wrong? Not to me. I don’t think we have to take the bible
“Neither do I.”