Questions about the relationship between faith and science are ones that are not easily answered. And in today’s society, the two ideas are often at odds. However, one man’s faith and work seem to refute that approach.

On Friday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m., Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, will speak at Point Loma Nazarene University in Brown Chapel. As leader of the Human Genome Project, which successfully sequenced human DNA, Dr. Collins offers a unique perspective on the relationship between science and faith.

“Seldom in the past 150 years has a single biologist brought greater exposure to the fact that not only does science not contradict faith, it actually enhances it,” said PLNU’s Dr. Darrell Falk, professor of biology.

Collins is speaking in conjunction with his visit to San Diego for the West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference, which PLNU is hosting on Saturday, April 12.

Collins became a Christian in 1978 after reading C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity. He is the author of The Language of God: A Believer Looks at the Human Genome. In November 2007, Collins was awarded the President’s National Medal of Freedom. One of the nation’s most renowned scientists, Collins has been featured in various national publications and on several national television programs, including CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, The Charlie Rose Show, and Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report.

According to a 2006 Time Magazine article, “In 2000, Bill Clinton honored Collins and his private-sector competitor Craig Venter in the White House, crediting their complementary genome work with uncovering ‘the language in which God created life.’ That statement reflected Collins’ input.”

Point Loma would like to invite you to attend Dr. Collins’ lecture on April 11. There will be a designated time for Collins to be interviewed by the media. If you are interested in coverage, please contact Dr. Darrel Falk for more information, (619) 849-2272 or dfalk@pointloma.edu.