CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dr. Timothy Johnson, longtime medical
editor for ABC News and an ordained minister of the Evangelical
Covenant Church, is the featured guest on the Feb. 18 edition of
"Grace Matters," the radio ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America.
In the program the Rev. Peter W. Marty, Grace Matters host
and senior pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Davenport, Iowa,
interviews Johnson about Johnson's recent book, "Finding God in
the Questions: A Personal Journey." Johnson discusses his
personal faith journey, how he views science and religion
together, and why he wrote the book.
Johnson said he became interested in medicine while he
attended North Park Theological Seminary, Chicago, and was
engaged in clinical pastoral education. He entered medical
school at age 29.
"I am absolutely intrigued and captured by both the worlds
of the spirit and science," he told Marty. "I love them both
dearly. I suppose in a way, my whole life has been a minor
exercise in trying to reconcile those two worlds." Johnson said
he believes spirituality and science are complimentary and not
mutually exclusive.
What led to the book, Johnson explained, were conversations
he had in recent years with colleagues in medicine and in media.
"They knew I was an ordained minister, they knew I was a
'believer,' and I guess at their age and my age, these matters
started to become more important, and we started carrying on
conversations about them," he said.
Johnson discusses his struggle with doubt when he entered
the seminary, and he talks about how he addresses matters such as
intelligent design and evolution in a faith context. He also
encourages all people to be open to exploration in both spiritual
matters and science.
"Grace Matters" currently airs on 175 radio stations in the
United States and in several other countries. Listeners may order
transcripts, access podcasts or hear the program online at
http://gracematters.org on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
