David R. Vinson, MD, did his undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley, graduating with highest honors (summa cum laude) and Phi Beta Kappa, and went on to study medicine at UC Davis. He is residency-trained and board-certified both in family medicine and emergency medicine and practices in the Sacramento region. He also contributes his clinical skills one week every summer to the infirmary at Hume Lake Christian Camp in the beautiful Sierras.  

 

In addition to patient care, David engages in clinical research, exploring diverse aspects of emergency medicine. His work has been published broadly in the medical literature and even caught the attention of Newsweek and Cosmopolitan. "When Cosmo ran a little story on our bladder infection study," he quipped, "my mom finally understood what I'd been doing these many years. And if our work was getting that kind of publicity, she figured it must be important!" To introduce pre-meds to the world of clinical research, David started a research internship for undergraduates several years ago. A brief medical biosketch as well as information on his varied projects can be found here.  

In the world of theology David has long been a student of the Scriptures of the Christian tradition, finding their meaning enriched when understood in their ancient historical, sociopolitical, and narratival contexts. That meaning then comes to life when followers of Jesus find their own stories entwined with God's story, which unfolds around the themes of God's reconciling mission, God's collaborating community, and a cross that births a new creation. David is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and also sits on the Advisory Council of the Center for Advanced Theological Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.

 

Some of his academic friends have put him to work as a "test reader" of their pre-publication manuscripts, which have included biblical commentaries (e.g., N.T. Wright's commentary on Romans), dissertations (e.g., on Galatians 3, and on Pauline Christology), and monographs on such topics as historical exegesis, the gospel of Thomas, and the historicity of the words of Jesus. Active and recent projects address Temple Christology, narrative continuity in the New Testament (with Daniel Kirk), the divine warfare motif in Ephesians, the first Adam (with Peter Enns), the interface of textual and narrative criticism (with Peter Rodgers), and the human nature of Scripture (with Kent Sparks). About this role, he explains, "They figure if even I can understand what they're trying to get across, then they must be communicating in an accessible way."  

David thinks of himself as a perpetual student. His curiosity drives him to read broadly across the disciplines, joking that he helps keep amazon.com in business. He puts some of these discoveries to use by helping others along in their own process of exploration. While in medical school he taught theology to undergraduate students on campus. As Chief Resident (twice) he had a role in educating his junior colleagues. He and his wife participate in a local Christian church, where for 8 years he has delighted in teaching a weekly small group "book club," which recently finished a two-year series "Exploring Jesus' Bible." He has lectured now and again to science students at the local junior college. A few years back he took on the road a "Da Vinci Code lecture," which investigated issues surrounding the historical Jesus and the early church. His most recent presentation is entitled "The Bible’s Epic Story: Making Sense of Scripture and Our Place in It." For the past couple years David has been giving presentations on the interface of creation and evolution to local churches, seminary classrooms, small groups, and homes. He also been invited to contribute essays on this topic to BioLogos and the National Center for Science Education. 

If David isn't working or reading, you'll find him sitting at Starbuck's or Peet's, sipping a skinny vanilla latte and drinking in a conversation with a friend. If you'd like to discuss something of interest on this website, track him down. He'd love to hear what you're learning.  

This website was created to serve as a clearinghouse of resources for Christians who are interested in exploring a constructive dialogue between faith and science, particularly theology and evolution. David explains its origin: "As a curious student of both theology and science, I had been studying the nexus of these disciplines for some time (see My Journey), and was asked by friends to facilitate their own investigation by pointing them toward excellent educational materials. In response to those requests, I crafted this website to introduce the major approaches to this topic and provide links to the best books, DVDs, websites, and lectures. The site has served my friends as a helpful starting point for many a fruitful venture. I trust it will be of value to you, as well."