Doing “church” in my youth felt like being part of a team sport—an immersive, full-body experience shared in community. It was filled with energy and enthusiasm, radiating from the pulpit and echoed in the pews. We sang and prayed with vigor in a prayer movement composed of three parts: personal prayers done out loud together, a formal prayer vocally and sometimes loudly affirmed by the congregation, and an altar-time prayer involving sound, kinesics, and spatial movement. Preachers preached with vigor too, marked by passion, volume, and action. Even with a horn, at times, when Pastor Davidson picked up his trombone and blew.
No service was complete without testimonies, the part of our Pentecostal liturgy where people stood up and gave short speeches. A “praise report” or a thanksgiving report was the norm, detailing some healing or victory over a “trial.” Or just a general statement of thankfulness, grateful that their name was “written in glory.” Sometimes we had “pop up” testimony times, named after the action of corn kernels randomly popping up on the stove. In his book Pentecostal Spirituality, Steven Land calls these testimony services a time of theological reflection, developing in the hearers of these stories “virtues, expectancy, and attitudes…to sanctify and form them as a body of witnesses.”
Although I’m still in the same denomination, it’s been decades since we’ve “done” testimony service. We have new liturgies now, which are simplified, quieter, and less participatory. But should a testimony service ever again arise, I’d sure be tempted to “pop up” and express my thankfulness for science and the people of science who have devoted their lives to changing the world we live in. Now, that would be a head-turner, especially if you time-traveled back to my youth when parts of science were distrusted and considered a thing “of the world.”
I recently listened to a podcast that described how just one institution, Bell Labs, became the engine of change for our society today. In an electronic age marked by cell phones, televisions, computers, and the internet, it’s pretty amazing how these products owe some portion of their success to just one entity, Bell Labs. (Fun fact: my major professor, Bob Fagen, once worked at Bell Labs before becoming a world-renowned behavioral ecologist). Then, when you consider the many additional dimensions of science such as medicine, agriculture, and infrastructure systems, one can’t help but express wonder and gratitude for the life-enhancing legacy of science.
Consider the following worldwide statistics. Worldwide undernourishment has dropped by 33% in the past 20 years. The percentage of people living in extreme poverty has fallen from 33% to 10% in the past 25 years, while the mortality rate of children five and younger has been halved. That alone has saved an estimated 122 million lives. In the past 50 years, life expectancy rates have risen by 20 years, primarily due to infant and maternal mortality reductions. During that same period, literacy rates doubled, now exceeding 85% of the world’s population, and vaccinations have become normative, with rates also exceeding 85%. And through just the covid vaccine alone, an estimated 20 million lives have been saved in the past four years.
Can I hear a big Amen? We should celebrate these increases, testifying to the improved flourishing of people made in the image of God. The world of our grandparents has markedly changed for the better, at least from a health perspective. And a significant portion of this is due to science, by the joint effort of people and institutions working together through diverse actions and policies to make a difference in our world. [End of testimony]
Thanksgiving is perhaps my favorite holiday of the year. Before starting the meal, we’ve often paused to reflect on what we’re most thankful for. Most of the time, heartful stories about family and faith dominate our thankful thoughts. It’s hard to beat that, especially when they are sitting across the table from you!
This Thanksgiving season, I will add science to the shortlist of things for which I am thankful. The benefits of science in prolonging life and improving human experiences reflect God’s common grace, showcasing his care for creation and his desire for human flourishing. These advancements provide a foretaste of the kingdom’s full restoration, where suffering and death will ultimately cease, aligning with the hope inaugurated by Jesus’ resurrection. By contributing to healing and justice, science mirrors God’s redemptive work, enabling humanity to participate in his Kingdom’s purposes. Furthermore, it calls believers to steward creation wisely and share these benefits equitably, demonstrating the Kingdom ethic of compassion and justice.
Much more could be said and data given, but I’ll close with the following three graphs.
Can I hear one more Pentecostal Amen this Thanksgiving season?