One of the most important topics at the intersection of science and religion is the nature of human consciousness. Scientific knowledge acquired in the coming decades will likely create divisive reactions similar to the fundamentalist reactions to Galileo and Darwin. Nancey Murphy at Fuller Theological Seminary has written a couple of books that were helpful in introducing the topic. Recently I found a series of web audio discussions with Dr. Murphy along with David Chalmers and John Searle on ScienceAndTheSearch.org. It is worth the time to listen or read the transcripts. I don't agree 100% with Murphy's conclusions because she doesn't go far enough for me. However, I applaud her rejection of classical dualism and her ability to interact with the data and open up the discussion.

Like many Christians, I spent most of my life with the understanding that consciousness was an unnatural (supernatural) thing. I thought the notion of a soul that could somehow be disembodied or could survive after death was the only way to explain consciousness. It is not that I was previously irrational or illogical. It was simply that I had never thought about it much. I just accepted the beliefs of my religious ancestors and assumed that consciousness was a question for religious authority rather than the realm of science. It seems almost silly now. This is clearly a question that falls under the realm of physical science. I suspect most Christians have never put much thought into this topic.

Our religious ideas are expressed through the ever expanding limits of our current scientific knowledge. There is no way to get past that fact. This means religious understanding must always be developing in step (or slightly lagging behind) our best science. Those who think religious views should be universally bound to an ancient understanding of our ancestors are setting themselves up for the never ending cycle of war with the next scientific discovery. If we thought Galileo or Darwin rocked the boat, then we are about to face a monsoon of epic proportion as the 21st century brings a dramatic leap forward in our understanding of the human brain.

Also, see my review of Murphy's book ""Bodies and Souls, or Spirited Bodies".