BioLogos is the new black

Some conversations I just cannot hold. Sports banter, for example, is impossible (was the World Cup the one with the ice skates?) My brother-in-law's stem cell research is way over my head. I can't discuss politics with the cat.

Nothing against sports, brothers-in-law, or cats, of course. Especially nothing against cats. I wish I could have these conversations, but I tragically lack the perspective, knowledge, talent, and good looks.

I also can't discuss evolution with people who resist it based on religious belief. My third-generation-atheist brain just isn't wired that way. I say, "Hey, check out this gorgeous fossil record!" And then they say, "Hey, check out this gorgeous religious text!" And then we blink at each other, stuck.

Enter BioLogos, a new non-profit that aims to bring evolution and other sciences to Christians. It was founded by the geneticist Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (read: Very Very Big Cheese), who famously went from atheism to theism. If anyone can hold this conversation, it's him.

BioLogos present Christians who don't accept evolution with religious

arguments for it. They also make a safe religious space for people who would otherwise be Christian but are turned off by the science-denying elements.

I have proof of its conversational prowess. The other day I had a phone call -- a lovely chat, even! -- with Chris Stump at BioLogos. We exchanged ideas. We found common ground. We chatted about our kids. It was magnificent.

This makes me very happy. Pharrell-Williams-style happy. Understanding how we evolved is one of the crowning achievements of humanity, in my humble opinion, right up there with smallpox eradication, space flight, and pasta. Somebody needs to sort out the enduring resistance to evolution, and since I personally stink at that, I'm delighted that BioLogos is on the case.

PS. If you haven't yet, please consider signing up to show your interest in the Giant Evolution Timeline. With enough names we can maybe flag down a publisher.