Title: ELCA's 'Grace Matters' Features ABC News' Dr. Timothy Johnson Feb. 18 ELCA NEWS SERVICE
February 12, 2007
ELCA's 'Grace Matters' Features ABC News' Dr. Timothy Johnson Feb. 18 07-021-JB
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