By Hayley Beckett on 29th February 2024
Nature And Science Meet Faith In Stunning New Films
In our visual age, people are captivated by stunning images of our world and cosmos seen in nature and science programmes streamed to our TVs and phones. They are entranced by the wonder they see, yet often left with a sense of mystery and asking is there more to know?
The “God Saw That It Was Good” films takes people deeper in the wonder and mystery of the world. Weaving stunning visual imagery with a narrative entwining science and faith; enabling viewers to encounter the wonder, playfulness, and connections in creation that science reveals, and through which, perhaps, God may be encountered.
The Revd Dr Dave Gregory, writer and presenter of the films, is a Baptist Minister and former meteorologist and climate scientist at the Met Office and European Weather Centre. Now focusing on engaging churches with science and environmental issues, he comments “Science gives us a deeper, higher, wider, and fuller vision of the world. Yet often today, people are disconnected in their everyday lives from the natural world around them and from a sense of the divine within it. These films aim to re-connect people, helping them to discover and appreciate both aspects in a fresh way.”
The four short films focus on environmental issues around themes of coasts, sky, trees, and life. Exploring scientific and faith perspectives at a popular level, they aim to foster a new appreciation of the world in which we live, and to inspire people to take steps to care for creation at a time when climate change is re-shaping the lives of people and the creatures with whom we share the Earth.
Dave Gregory added, “Appreciating the world through the gift of science, and discovering in it a window through which God might be found, we hope the films will evoke a sense of gratitude over our wonderful world and inspire people to share with God, and one another, to care for it.”
“God Saw That It Was Good” is a collaboration between BUEN – the Baptist Union Environment Network – and The Fuelcast. They have been made possible by a grant from Scientists in Congregations, part of the Equipping Christian Leadership in An Age of Science project (ECLAS), which aims to build bridges and encourage conversation between science and faith in the church and society.
Commenting on the films, the Revd Prof David Wilkinson, director of ECLAS, said “these films engage heart and mind in a transformative way both for individuals and groups. They provoke wonder and a call to action in an accessible and joyous journey.”
The films are free to view on the “God Saw That It Was Good” website – www.gstiwg.co.uk . They are for those who want to explore faith, together with those curious about the science of our amazing and changing world. Suitable for individual viewing, as well as in small and larger gathering, there is a downloadable resource guide to enable people to reflect further on the film’s themes.
For more information or interviews about the films please contact Revd Dr Dave Gregory, Baptist Missioner for Science and Faith – BUEnvNet@outlook.com
For information on Scientists in Congregations or ECLAS please contact Alex Jordan a.e.jordan@durham.ac.uk. A new funding round is open for applications until 30th April 2024. For more details please see https://www.eclasproject.org/congregations/
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