Sy Garte
10 min read ⭑
“My main goal is to stimulate ideas and conversations, to help resolve a few of the ongoing tensions within the church regarding scientific issues, and to present a hopeful look at how future scientific work in biology is likely to advance the cause of Christ in a world struggling with faith.”
Sy Garte is a scientist with a Ph.D. in biochemistry who has been a professor at three major universities and a division director at the National Institutes of Health. He is currently editor-in-chief of the quarterly magazine called God and Nature and a visiting professor at Rutgers University. Dr. Garte has published over 200 scientific papers and three academic books as well as The Works of His Hands, Science and Faith in Harmony, and Beyond Evolution. He is a fellow of the American Scientific Affiliation and is vice president of the Washington, D.C., ASA chapter.
In this interview, Dr. Garte shares about his journey to faith, from growing up in a household of atheists to coming to faith as a 60-year-old scientist. He opens up about the obstacles of his upbringing and how he finally opened his heart, mind, and soul to Jesus. He reveals his experiences with anger and forgiveness, shares what to do when God seems silent, and discusses his hopes of stimulating conversations to help resolve tension between the church and the scientific world.
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
Food is always about more than food; it's also about home and people and love. So, how does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind your web bio?
My mother was a terrible cook. This is not just my opinion — it was common knowledge. In fact, when I went away to a summer camp, I could not understand why all the other campers were complaining about the food. For me, it was the best stuff I had ever tasted.
I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where good food was everywhere. We lived a few blocks from one of those markets filled with Italian, German and Jewish specialties. You could get the best pizza in the world (including Italy, see below), cannolis to die for, sauerbraten, sausages, kosher pickles and knishes that were out of this world.
When I grew up and left Brooklyn, I drove a taxi in Manhattan, went to college, got married, and had kids. You know — life. I also got a Ph.D. in biochemistry and became a professor. But none of that had anything to do with food, which I kind of ignored, until, through a series of life changing events, I found myself living in Milan, Italy.
When it comes to food, Italy is everything you have heard about and more. The first time I tasted real mozzarella burrata, I thought I might faint. I will not reel off the amazing dishes I consumed; I will just say that my favorite meal (always eaten at a café or, in Italian, a “bar”) was breakfast. I had cappuccino and a chocolate croissant every day for about 10 years. And every day, as I ate and drank this simple repast, I thanked my good fortune (and later, my God) for bringing me to this land of dietary heaven.
Yuri Antonenko; Unsplash
QUESTION #2: REVEAL
What “nonspiritual” activity have you found to be quite spiritual, after all? What quirky proclivity, out-of-the-way interest, or unexpected pursuit refreshes your soul?
I am a professional — a highly trained and moderately successful research scientist. Which means, of course, that I am an entirely rational, non-emotional and non-spiritual human being. Right? Not at all. My wife will tell you I am often entirely irrational, and I am about as emotional as a teenage girl meeting her favorite rock star. Spirituality is a subject I will cover later.
I used the rock star image on purpose because the thing that has always reduced me to tears of joy is music. My mother (the non-cook) was a piano teacher, and my father (a chemist) played the mandolin. I tried learning the piano to no avail, but I did learn to play the flute and guitar and was admitted to the prestigious High School of Music and Art in New York City (where I met future stars like Michael Kamen, Laura Nyro, and Janis Ian). I loved music, but, alas, I was always a mediocre musician, at least on the scale of many of my classmates. Fortunately, I also liked science, so music became my hobby.
Now, I still occasionally play my guitar and have been known to fiddle around with an alto sax and even an electric keyboard. But mostly I listen. When I first heard the hymn “Amazing Grace,” I broke down, and I still do every time it's sung in church. I love the melody, and the words still rock me to my soul. “I was blind and now I see.” I’m even tearing up just typing that. So much for the passionless scientist.
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness; every human, too. We're just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re all broken and in this thing together. So, what’s your kryptonite and how do you confront its power?
For a good part of my childhood, I was plagued by fear. I overcame that fear with anger. I lived in a fairly tough area of Brooklyn; gangs were everywhere. When my friends on the block decided to form a gang, I declined to join in. The result was not good. I spent a couple of years getting beaten up, harassed and tormented going home from school. One day I got so angry at all this bullying that I took my brand new heavy attaché case and began swinging it at the circle of my attackers, knocking two of them down. The others ran. That felt really good.
The bad news was that I started using my previously untapped potential for anger too much and where not appropriate. I used to say that the last fight I ever had was the only fight I ever won. After that, all I had to do was yell, and people would flee.
Anger might be useful sometimes, but I now know that it isn’t much better than fear. Finally, many decades later, but before I had come to Christ, I told a Christian friend about my violent history. She said, “You have to forgive them.” I shook my head and said that was impossible. But she persisted, and at some point (thank you Holy Spirit), I broke down and said, “I forgive them.” It was a major step on my pathway to Christ, and it changed my life.
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your current obsession? And why should it be ours?
I was raised in a family of atheists and communists, going back three generations. I knew that God was a fantasy and that Christianity in particular was not only false, but evil. But as I started learning the amazing details first of physics and then of biology, I began wondering about all of the missing answers as to how our natural world could have come about. I had dropped communism long before and began calling myself an agnostic. I just didn’t know. But I did know that something was missing, both in my understanding of reality and in my life. I soon began to see that what was missing was any sense of spirituality, and I began a new search for a truth that science is not meant to provide.
This opened the door in my soul for the Holy Spirit to enter, and I was given the blessings of a series of dreams, visions and other experiences (all described in my first book, “The Works of His Hands,” Kregel 2019). Finally, I confessed my belief in Christ and was baptized in my 60s.
Shortly after that I retired and have devoted all my energies since then to writing about the harmony between science and Christian faith. I have always loved writing and the amazing blessing of being able to have three books published on this theme is the great joy of my life (outside of family). My latest book, “Beyond Evolution” (Tyndale 2025), is a deep dive into how the very latest biological science is doing for the entire world what the Holy Spirit did for me: showing the truth of God’s divine creation beyond question.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Whether we’re Cashiers or CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need God's love flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?
It took me a long time to follow Christ with my whole heart, mind and soul. My upbringing was a huge obstacle, and I kept telling myself, “It cannot be true; it’s just too good to be true.” I attended church services on occasion, and I was moved by the hymns and the sermons. I read the Gospels and other parts of the Bible, and there I was — right on the edge of belief. For years.
And then (like Paul) I was traveling between cities, alone in my car, listening to the radio and hearing a preacher preach. I turned off the radio, pulled the car over, and closed my eyes. I began to preach a sermon to myself, imagining an outside gathering of people — Christian people. The words came from outside of me, and what I preached was nothing I would have thought of myself. I told the assembled crowd that I knew Jesus loved them because I knew that he loved me, and if he could love even me, who could he not love.
I opened my eyes and wept — no, bawled — for a long time. Then I looked up and said out loud, “I believe.” I felt a tidal wave of joy, relief and thanksgiving wash over me. Thank you, Jesus, for your mercy, your forgiveness, your love and your amazing grace. The wretch that I am was lost and blind, and you found me and had me see.
And now that I am saved, I will continue to write as long as I can and sing the praises of his holy name.
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied habits that open our hearts to the presence of God. So, let us in. Which spiritual practice is working best for you in this season?
I do lots of online and live interviews, and sometimes, when there is a question session, someone on the edge of faith will ask why God is silent to them. Why did God speak to me, but not to them? I usually answer with some version of this: When I need God to tell me what to do, how to act, or just let me know he is still there, I pray, and then, most importantly, I listen. Praying is easy. You just say, “Lord, stand by me please,” or “Lord help me out — I am lost here.” You don’t need details — God knows. The key part is the listening. Sometimes he answers right away. Recently, I was getting upset about something, and I prayed and then had the thought, Check your email. I did and there it was — the answer I needed.
Sometimes it takes longer, and sometimes the answer is not in words, but in the smile of a loved one or in an unexpected gift. The secret is to recognize these answers as coming from God. Remember Scripture: God is not in the hurricane or the fire, but in the small, still voice that is so easy to miss. Pray earnestly, and then stay quiet, no scrolling, no TV, no conversations, no texting. After a while, go about your business. The answer will come. It always has. And when it does, you can do what I do. I say another prayer, which is one I say several times a day, “Thank you, Lord.”
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Looking backward, considering the full sweep of your unique faith journey and all you encountered along the way, what top three resources stand out to you? What changed reality and changed your heart?
As you might imagine, my faith journey as a middle-aged scientist finding Jesus was not smooth or easy. One of the first problems I had to face after confessing “I believe” was “what do I do now?” I wondered if there were any other scientists who believed in God; I didn’t know any. Then I found a book by Francis Collins called “The Language of God,” which I read avidly. It remains one of the best books about science and Christianity.
I find the works of Lee Strobel to be beautifully written and full of solid evidence for the truth of every aspect of Christian belief. Start with “The Case for Christ” (and see the excellent film made from the book).
Other authors who discuss the evidence that God is real from various points of view include J. Warner Wallace, John Lennox, Steve Meyer, Hugh Ross, James Stump and William Lane Craig. There are some great videos and podcasts featuring these writers as well. As for YouTube channels, there are too many to count, but my favorites (I have been and will be a guest on all of them) include “Capturing Christianity” with Cameron Bertuzzi and “Inspiring Philosophy” with Michael Jones, Sean McDowell and James Tour. I would also strongly recommend the channels of apologists David Wood, Jon Mcrae (“Whaddo You Meme”), and Rebekah Davis (“Bread of Life”). There are also a host of other smaller channels on Christian apologetics, many of which include science issues.
Certain things can be godsends, helping us survive, even thrive, in our fast-paced world. Does technology ever help you this way? Has an app ever boosted your spiritual growth? If so, how?
As you might have deduced by now, I am of the age bracket for whom the word app is still a bit mysterious. I obviously use tech, but rarely my phone. So I think it best if I politely refrain from answering this question.
QUESTION #8: dream
God’s continually stirring new things in each of us. So, give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
As a writer whose most recent book (“Beyond Evolution”) is about to be (or has just been) released, I am heavily invested in getting the word out about this book to as many people as possible who might be interested, informed and uplifted by its content. I also know that if it does well, I might be asked by the publisher to do another one. I do have some thoughts in that direction, but so far nothing even close to solid. I still feel strongly attached to this current book, and all my energies are going toward discussing it with interviewers (hence my participation here, which I think is a wonderful idea, by the way) and with growing my email list to get the word out as much as possible.
My main goal is to stimulate ideas and conversations, to help resolve a few of the ongoing tensions within the church regarding scientific issues, and to present a hopeful look at how future scientific work in biology is likely to advance the cause of Christ in a world struggling with faith. Writers, even successful ones, rarely get super rich, and that is not my goal. What I live for is the occasional email saying, “Dr. Garte, your book has strengthened my faith at a time when I really needed it.” I have gotten enough of such feedback to be at least somewhat hopeful that despite my sins, I may hear these words when the time comes: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (But please, Lord, not for a while yet).
Dr. Garte mentions he is occasionally asked what to do when God appears silent. He reminds us that when we ask God questions, we have to cultivate a place of quietness so we can truly hear. He says, “God is not in the hurricane or the fire, but in the small still voice that is so easy to miss. Pray earnestly, and then stay quiet, no scrolling, no TV, no conversations, no texting. After a while, go about your business. The answer will come.” Take some time today to practice intentionally listening for his voice. Find a quiet space with no phone or other distractions and open your heart to him, asking for direction about something that’s particularly on your heart. Sit in this space for a while, listening for his still small voice (1 Kings 19:12). If, after a while, you feel like you haven’t heard from him, do as Dr. Garte says and “go about your business.” The answer will come, maybe in a way you wouldn’t expect.
Sy Garte, PhD in biochemistry has been a professor at three major universities, a division director at the NIH and is currently editor-in-chief of the quarterly magazine “God and Nature.” He is currently visiting professor at Rutgers University. Dr. Garte has published over 200 scientific papers, and 3 academic books as well as The Works of His Hands, Science and Faith in Harmony and Beyond Evolution. He is a fellow of the American Scientific Affiliation and is vice president of the Washington DC ASA chapter. His Substack (Sy’s Substack) serves as combination blog and newsletter.
