• ‘A Playground To Explore’: Baylor chemistry prof on how faith and science meet

    Dr. Daniel Romo

    There aren’t many universities where you can conduct world-class scientific research while publicly proclaiming God’s role in the subject you’re studying — but Baylor is one of those special places.

    Earlier this spring, Christianity Today conducted an insightful interview with Dr. Daniel Romo, a Baylor chemistry professor, about the intersection between faith and science. Romo, a national leader in cancer drug discovery research and co-director of Baylor’s Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Lab, came to Baylor in 2015 after more than two decades at Texas A&M.

    His words — excerpted briefly below, and carried in full by CT here — give some good insight into how faith and science can complement, rather than contradict, one another:

    CT: What would you like to say to students who have an interest in science at a young age? And what would you like to share with parents or grandparents who fear that science and faith don’t mix?

    Romo: One of my heroes in science is Johannes Kepler, who was probably the first physical astronomer. He actually broke out in song because he discovered something really cool in science and astronomy. He wrote about it in a notebook, giving glory to God for that new finding. The idea that we “explore the world that God created” really resonates with me. And it’s basically what I do. We have a way, as scientists, to explore the world and try to understand what God created. He gave us a playground, if you will, to actually go and explore the world.

    CT: The theme verse for our Faith and Education Coalition is found in the Old Testament and New Testament. It’s to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.” As we think about that, loving the Lord with all of our minds in particular, what does that phrase mean to you?

    Romo: There are great writers in this area of thought. JP Moreland, the Christian philosopher and theologian, wrote a book entitled Love the Lord your God with All Your Mind. William Lane Craig, another philosopher and apologist, also writes about how Christians mesh these things. I also love how 1 Thessalonians talks about testing all things and holding on to what is good. To me, that’s the scientific method in a nutshell. I see being excited about science as a way to be excited about God. I try to convey this to my own children as well as my students.

    Sic ’em, Dr. Romo!