Dr. Francis Collins is a Scientist/Christian I have mentioned here before. Here's a fascinating account (courtesy WorldMagBlog) of his keynote address at the 55th annual National Prayer Breakfast which is attended by the President.

"But you're a scientist," Dr. Collins said people say to him so often. "Doesn't [all this talk of Jesus] make your head explode? Doesn't this create a huge conflict for you between faith and reason?" His answer, simply, is "no." True, only 40% of scientists believe there is a God, but he said he sees science as a means both of discovery as well as worship. The more he learns of how God has created and wired us, the more he feels he has "caught a glimpse of God's mind."

"There's an unwritten taboo among scientists about talking of one's spiritual leanings," Dr. Collins conceded, but he urged this not to be the case. It was a moving and personal talk from a hero of modern science, and one I hope is reported widely in the coming days in the media. Dr. Collins concluded by asking us to sing a song with him, as he played the guitar. That's not something you see every day at Washington political gatherings. The song was "Praise The Source of Faith and Learning," by Rev. Thomas Troeger. Here's the first stanza:

Praise the source of faith and learning

that has sparked and stoked the mind

With a passion for discerning

how the world has been designed.

Let the sense of wonder flowing

from the wonders we survey

Keep our faith forever growing

and renew our need to pray.