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Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D. was an atheist when in graduate school during the 1970s. Collins believed all truth originated within the boundaries of mathematics, physics and chemistry. While he was in medical school, however, a patient's life and death questions challenged him: "What do you believe, doctor?"
Collins, a thinking man, was forced to acknowledge that the science he so strongly embraced failed to answer some of the "whys." "Why am I here?" "What is the meaning and purpose of life?" "Why does mathematics work, anyway?" "Why are the physical constants of the universe so finely tuned to allow the possibility of complex life forms?" "Why do humans have a moral sense?"
As Collins searched for reasonable answers to those questions, again and again he was forced to think about the God he did not want to acknowledge. In the writings of C. S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton, Collins discovered that a strong intellectual case could be made for the existence of God and for God's creative activity. At age 27, finally convinced by the evidence, Collins took a "leap of faith" and embraced Christianity. Collins has described himself as a "serious Christian" ever since.
Two key facts concerning Dr. Francis Collins deserve our attention.
First, let's understand that Collins is not some fringe scientist with unusual religious views. In 1993, Collins was named the director of the National Center for Human Genome Research. In that role, Collins supervised the Human Genome Project, mapping the DNA within the cells of a human body. In July 2009, President Barack Obama named Collins as Director of the National Institutes of Health, a selection President Trump seconded when he chose Collins to continue to serve in that role in the Trump Administration. Upon taking office, President Biden asked Collins to continue to serve as the Director of the National Institutes of Health and on February 17, 2022, President Biden named Collins the Acting Science Advisor to the President.
Collins scientific credentials are impeccable. No one questions Collins' leadership in the scientific realm, but Collins doesn't think he's an outlier when it comes to faith, either. He points out that it is not unusual for scientists to believe in God. Collins notes that fully 40% of working scientists claim to be believers and find no real conflict between their faith in God and their scientific work. In fact, in a book released in 2006, Collins calls science "the language of God."
Which leads us to the second fact that deserves our notice: There is always a "leap of faith" involved in becoming a follower of Christ. Francis Collins believes that scientific data points toward the idea of God, but also understands that faith, at some point, goes beyond what can be learned through scientific investigation. The writer of Hebrews explains that "faith is...assurance about what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1, NIV).
Science can examine the building blocks of language, but cannot explain why language developed. Science can explore the processes and failures that lead to disease and death, but cannot communicate the purpose of life. Science tries to explain how the universe developed, but has no explanation for why it came to be.
Over the course of history, some of the greatest scientific minds have believed in the existence and power of God. Sir Issac Newton said, "This most beautiful system of the sun, planets and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being." Louis Pasteur said, "The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator. Science brings men nearer to God." Albert Einstein wrote, "I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know God's thoughts, the rest are details."
One needn't turn off their brain in order to believe in Christ. Philosophy and science can coexist with faith and religion. In fact, Einstein said, "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."
So, if you're skeptical about faith and Christianity, here's your challenge: Go, do your homework! Read and think and investigate with an open mind. While you're at it, try praying. Ask God, if He exists, to lead you to the truth. I'm confident that when you find the truth, you'll find Him.