Thank you for considering participating in a study to better understand the intersection of STEM professional practice and Christian worship. This page provides information related to the study and answers most questions you may have. In the event that you have additional questions, please email the study’s principal investigator (PI) Dr. C.A. Hixson at [email protected]
The proposed project seeks to better understand STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) professional practice as a possible form of Christian worship. It seeks to offer insights into the question: How can we support pastors and members of our congregations as they reconcile daily STEM practices as a means of Christian worship? This work seeks to advance prior research and thought in the fields of work as worship, the theology of work, the theology of worship, and the theology of technology.
This program is made possible through a Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Grand Rapids, Michigan, with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.
To accomplish this, PI Dr. C.A. Hixson and the research team will gather, analyze, and disseminate participants’ insights regarding how Christian STEM practice and biblically redemptive technological development do or may serve as forms of worship. Methods for gathering data include interviews, focus groups, and large-group observations. Interviews will last between 30 and 60 minutes. If you are interviewing during the Missional AI Summit, interviews will be limited to 30 minutes maximum. Focus groups and large-group observations will vary in their length and specific data collection procedure (e.g., focus groups will be similar to interviews, and large-group events will use open-ended surveys, researcher note-taking and observation data of the events). During all data collection activities, participants will be asked to reflect on their thinking and behavior using structured and semi-structured questioning or prompts. The results will be anonymized and analyzed in order to produce training materials for Christian STEM professionals and pastors, as well as to produce relevant publications in books and journals.
Benefits:
The primary benefit of this work is that it will serve the local and global church by helping to clarify the connections between STEM and the Christian faith. This work seeks to bring awareness to the God-glorifying activities of Christian STEM professionals. STEM professionals can, at times, feel a disconnection between their professional work and their Christian lives. This work’s findings will support STEM professionals and pastors as they consider this disconnection. It is the intention of this research that psychological satisfaction will be a direct result for the STEM professional.
Risks:
Participation in this research is low risk. While unlikely, the primary risk associated with this work is being found to be a Christian in the workplace and any unforeseen consequences that may arise from that. However, the research procedures include measures to maintain all participants’ anonymity. For example, all identifying information will be removed from the data prior to analysis, and a key will be assigned to the data. The key linking participants’ identities to their data will be stored separately from the data and on a password-protected computer.
Your participation in this research is completely voluntary and you have the right to withdraw at any point during the study.
By digitally signing using the form linked below and completing the study, you acknowledge: