[Unedited] Tracy K. Smith with Krista Tippett

Parental Influence

Tracy K. Smith reflects on her father's influence, a NASA engineer who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope, and how he reconciled science with faith. He inspired her to view the universe's creation as a blend of scientific wonder and divine mystery, suggesting that God's time scale could differ vastly from human perception. This perspective allowed Tracy to embrace both the mysterious and the orderly aspects of the world, fostering a sense of wonder and faith in her own life 1.

He created this sort of, like, trapdoor so that this sense of dogma didn't need to apply, it didn't need to hinder me.

--- Tracy K. Smith

Her father's enthusiasm for the telescope's potential to reveal the universe's origins left a lasting impression, intertwining scientific discovery with theological exploration.

   

Theological Interpretation

Tracy K. Smith explores the idea of interpreting religious texts like Genesis through a poetic lens rather than a literal one. She discusses how this approach allows for a more imaginative and less dogmatic understanding of creation, aligning with her father's view of Genesis as a poetic narrative rather than a scientific account 1. This perspective encourages a rational storytelling strategy that embraces the inconceivable aspects of existence.

It's a rational approach to the strategy of storytelling that's applied. Like, okay, this is allowing us to imagine something that is fundamentally inconceivable.

--- Tracy K. Smith

Tracy also reflects on her journey of faith, acknowledging the challenges of discussing God in academic settings and the vulnerability it entails 2.