Dr Ruth Bancewicz

Scientist and communicator

Dr Ruth Bancewicz is Church Engagement Director at the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, where her remit is to equip and encourage UK churches to include engagement with science as part of their regular ministry and mission.

Ruth studied Genetics at Aberdeen and Edinburgh Universities. Her first professional foray into the world of science and faith was a part-time post as the Development Officer for Christians in Science, at the same time as working as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Edinburgh University. She moved to Cambridge to join the Faraday Institute when it was founded in 2006, to develop resources for churches – the first of which were the Test of FAITH materials.

Ruth was appointed as the Faraday Church Engagement Director in 2018. She is an active member of City Church Cambridge, and is currently studying Theology, Ministry and Mission at Ridley Hall.

Ruth has given over 350 lectures as part of her work at the Faraday Institute, including at Spring Harvest, Greenbelt, Soul Survivor, New Wine and Word Alive.

Publications

Wonders of the Living World: Curiosity, awe and the meaning of life (Lion Hudson, 2021)

‘A Symphony of Science and Scripture’ in The Infographic Bible, Karen Sawrey (William Collins, 2018)

‘The Scientist-Believer: Following Christ as we uncover the wonders of the living world’ in Christ and the Created Order: Perspectives from Theology, Philosophy and Science, Volume 2, Andrew B. Torrance & Thomas H. McCall (eds.), (Zondervan Academic, 2018)

God in the Lab: How science enhances faith (Monarch, 2015)

Test of FAITH: Spiritual Journeys with Scientists (Paternoster, 2009)

Lecture titles

God in the lab?
Creativity and imagination are essential to the practice of science. Our experiments often contain or reveal details we find beautiful, and scientists at times speak of wonder and awe in their work. How do these experiences affect the scientific community, and do their responses vary depending on what they believe about God? Using data from a recent survey and some very beautiful images, Ruth will discuss these ideas in a way that draws both scientists and non-scientists into the conversation.
What has science got to do with Christianity?
What is science, and does Christian theology have anything to do with its success? Could there even be a theology of science? Which eminent scientists embraced Christianity – both in the past and present day? Questions such as these allow us to leave behind some of the myths and misunderstandings about the relationship between science and religion, making space for new conversations about the big questions that concern us all.
Wonders of the Living World: Curiosity, awe and the meaning of life
Most scientists feel a sense of awe from time to time in their work. This is just one of the places where science can raise questions of meaning and purpose that it cannot answer by itself. For many Christians in the sciences, these mountain-top moments are not proof of God’s existence, but what they see in the world resonates with their beliefs, and turns their attention to the character of God.