Fearfully and Wonderfully Made? Adam, Eve, and Evolution: 2019 Scientist in Residence

Were Adam and Eve humanity's first parents? Genetics show that our beginning comes from a population much larger than one couple. Can belief in evolution and Christianity mix?

These are some of the key questions Dr. Dennis R. Venema [addressed] as Scientist in Residence at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) on February 4-6, 2019.

"Evolution can be a scary word for some of us within the evangelical community," says Venema. "I hope that this series of lectures helps students become better informed about the science behind evolution, and better equipped to meaningfully integrate their faith with what modern biology is telling us."

Dr. Venema (PhD, University of British Columbia) is Professor of Biology at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC. He co-wrote Adam and the Genome: Reading Scripture after Genetic Science with theologian Scot McKnight in 2017 and speaks frequently on evolution and Christian faith.

For his work as a teacher, Venema received the College Biology Teaching Award from the National Association of Biology Teachers in 2008. He was also a Fellow of Biology for the BioLogos Foundation from 2011 to 2018.

"I'm thrilled to be invited to be the Scientist in Residence at CMU for 2019. I think it's a wonderful opportunity for students, and I am honoured to join a prestigious group of prior participants," he says. "I hope that these conversations can help students along the path to embracing both God's word and God's world as a source of reliable revelation to us."