Flooding, burning fossil fuels, maternal death in childbirth, malaria and artificial intelligence were among the topics discussed by members of the Anglican Communion Science Commission in July. Their webinar discussion was part of the Lambeth Calls Science and Faith series, organised by the Anglican Communion Office and hosted by Bishop Jo Bailey-Wells, Deputy Secretary General of the Anglican Communion and Archbishop Julio Murray, Bishop of Panama.

The panellists included Professor Kwamena Sagoe, a virologist at the University of Ghana who is also an Anglican priest in the Church of Ghana; the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, the Bishop of Oxford in the Church of England; Oxford University Professor, Andrew Briggs; the Rt Revd Dr Emily Onyango, Assistant Bishop of Bondo in the Anglican Church of Kenya, and Dr Heather Payne, Child Health Senior Medical Officer in the Welsh Government. The webinars opened with an introduction and welcome from Bishop Anthony Poggo, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion.

Professor Kwamena talked about the different ways that churches can learn from scientists. He said, “The Church should adapt new technologies and discoveries in the changing contexts. Bearing in mind, all things are lawful, but not all things are helpful.”

Oxford University Professor, Andrew Briggs, said, “I find that the more I learn about the quantum phenomena in the laboratory, the more amazing I find it that we can know our creator God through Jesus. If you know the Creator of the work you are studying, that enriches the relationship.”

He continued to explain how science can contribute to practical aspects of the work of the Church and gave an example of how research in the development of the adolescent brain shows “What parents find exasperating in their teenagers is necessary in the development into an adult brain. Think how helpful that can be to anybody involved in youth work.”

Bishop Emily spoke about how churches in Kenya are using science to explain the impact of extreme weather, flooding and drought which has led to the displacement of people and destruction of property. She said, “People thought this is God’s will and some would say it is because we have moved away from indigenous knowledge. The Church has used science to explain the cause of climate change that is the burning of fossil fuels and the increase of greenhouse emissions leading to global warming.”

Bishop Steven spoke about how churches in the Anglican Communion are responding creatively to the challenge of Artificial Intelligence. He shared a picture of Pope Francis who recently addressed the G.7 Summit and stressed that AI can be a useful tool but can also be used for harm. He explained that Pope Francis’ address builds on years of work of the Roman Catholic Church and others including the Anglican Communion. In 2022, Pope Francis signed the Rome Declaration on AI appealing for strong ethics to undergird this new technology. In April this year, the Archbishop of Canterbury was a co-signature of the Rome Declaration on behalf of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion.

Dr Heather Payne talked about how churches are working with scientists to address major issues such as maternal deaths and access to malaria medication. She referenced how a quarter of a million women in Africa and Asia are dying in childbirth from preventable deaths. She said, “Science helps us identify the common causes. Infection, bleeding, high blood pressure. There are simple effective treatments for these. This science can only be translated into care if there are trained health professionals and midwives often supplied by church-based training schools, fantastic organisations like Mothers’ Union who provide support towards universal access to health care.”

Finally, the panellists responded to a variety of questions from people across the world watching.

Watch the webinar and get access to resources about Science and Faith here.