As part of its efforts to encourage and support members of the clergy who acknowledge the scientific importance of evolution, the Clergy Letter Project is seeking scientists who are excited about the possibility of explaining the beauty and power of science to clergy members and their parishioners. Over 400 scientists throughout the country and abroad have already agreed to act as advisers to local clergy and speak publicly to church audiences about their areas of expertise; a list is available on the Clergy Letter Project's website. To add your name, e-mail the project's founder and coordinator, Michael Zimmerman, mz@theclergyletterproject.org.
Among the Clergy Letter Project's accomplishments to date is its "Open Letter Concerning Religion and Science," which states in part that "We believe that the theory of evolution is a foundational scientific truth, one that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny and upon which much of human knowledge and achievement rests. To reject this truth or to treat it as 'one theory among others' is to deliberately embrace scientific ignorance and transmit such ignorance to our children." Over 10,000 members of the Christian clergy have signed the letter; plans are underway to expand the scope of the project to include other faiths.
The Clergy Letter Project also coordinates Evolution Sunday, in which religious leaders are encouraged to discuss the compatibility of faith and science in their sermons, Sunday schools, and discussion groups, on or about Darwin's birthday, February 12. Explaining the event to Science and Spirit magazine, Zimmerman explained that creationists "pervert science education, but they also demean religious values and institutions ... What you want is your local religious leaders to say ... this is bad religion." For the first Evolution Sunday, in 2006, 467 congregations participated; for the second, in 2007, 618 congregations participated -- over a 30% increase.