Physicist and priest
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6 episodes with John Polkinghorne
3 episodes with John Polkinghorne
2 episodes with John Polkinghorne
3 episodes with John Polkinghorne
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4 episodes with John Polkinghorne
2 episodes with John Polkinghorne
2 episodes with John Polkinghorne
2 episodes with John Polkinghorne
QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “…the more I examine the universe and the details of its architecture, the more evidence I find that the universe in some sense must have known we were coming.”~Freeman John Dyson (1923-2020), theoretical physicist and mathematician “If the experience of science teaches anything, it's that the world is very strange and surprising. The many revolutions in science have certainly shown that.” “[The] destinies of human beings and of the whole universe lie together in the world of God's new creation…. In Christian thinking, the seed event from which this new creation has already begun to grow is the resurrection of Christ. His tomb was empty because the matter of his corpse had been transmuted into the ‘matter' of the new creation, to become his risen and glorified body in which he appeared to the first witnesses.”~John Polkinghorne (1930-2021), theoretical physicist and theologian “For the sake of suffering humanity [Christ] came down from heaven to earth, clothed himself in that humanity in the Virgin's womb, and was born a man. Having then a body capable of suffering, he took the pain of fallen man upon himself; he triumphed over the diseases of soul and body that were its cause, and by his Spirit, which was incapable of dying, he dealt man's destroyer, death, a fatal blow.”~Melito of Sardis in his “Apology to Marcus Aurelius” (c. 169-170) “Faith is not just a question of abstract knowledge…. I can't believe that Jesus was the Son of God and was raised from the dead without it affecting my life. It isn't just a question of ticking the boxes: it is a question of how you orient your whole existence.”~John Polkinghorne (1930-2021), theoretical physicist and theologian “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”~Julian of Norwich (c.1343-after 1416), medieval mystic “Christians, at their best, are the fools who dare believe in God's power to call dead things to life.”~Esau MacCaulley, professor, author, opinion writer for the New York TimesSERMON PASSAGEGalatians 1:1-5 & 6:14-15 (ESV)Galatians 11 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me,To the churches of Galatia:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Galatians 614 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. Revelation 211 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”Isaiah 244 The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the highest people of the earth languish.5 The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.6 Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt…
After summarizing the Orthodox approach to scripture, Fr. Anthony begins a verse by verse examination of Genesis One. We made it up to "Image and Likeness!" Review. We have to read texts according to their purpose and scope. The purpose of the Bible is to describe the economy of our salvation (i.e. mankind's sin, Christ/Messiah as our savior). The Bible is inspired; God spoke through prophets and scribes who automatically presented His revelations in their own language, with their own symbols, and in a way that their immediate audiences would understand. Our worldview (our language, symbols, and stories) is very different from those of the prophets, scribes, and their immediate audience; mirror-imaging can lead to incorrect understandings of the Bible, God, and His plan for us. Useful Materials Bouteneff, Peter C.. Beginnings: Ancient Christian Readings of the Biblical Creation Narratives. Louth, A., & Conti, M. (Eds.). Genesis 1–11 (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture Series). Walton, J. H. (2009). The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate. Genesis One (read the first four days using Septuagint and Hebrew translations; pause to make points). 1. In [the] beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void [Tohu wa bohu]; and darkness was on the face of the deep. 2. And the Spirit of God [!] was hovering over the face of the waters [where did they come from?] 3. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light [!]. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day [?], and the darkness He called Night [?]. So the evening and the morning were the first day [liturgical time!]. 6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven [use of ancient cosmology does not need to be explained away or excused; the explanation is functional, not astronomical/geographical!] . So the evening and the morning were the second day. 9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.[imagery of the Nile – agricultural, miraculous, dependable] 11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind [we'll explore this “according to its kind later; order is important in the temple!], whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day. 14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night [why the ambigious language? De-divinization of creation!]. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. Some Observations Although there are similarities with the creation myths of surrounding nations, the contrasts are stark; the Hebrews are given a new way of understand God and the world. E.g. The Enuma Elish (Babylon, at least 7th century BC) has Marduk overcoming chaos (personified in Tiamat); he then creates the heaven and earth by splitting her. In the Genesis creation account, creation is demythologized (e.g. deep/chaos, sun, stars). These sorts of things show up later, but the creation account is kept pristine so as to make the distinction between Creator and creation clear. There is a pattern (7 days, 7 “it was good's”; things are “according to their kind”) that speaks not just to poetry, but to liturgical use. Speaking of liturgy, note that evening is the beginning of the day (as with Vespers). You can imagine this being chanted/sung the way we do Psalm 103 at Vespers (creation!). Creation is spoken into being. See also the Gospel of John 1 (“In the beginning was the Word…”) and Amos 8 (fear a famine of the Word). Also see C.S. Lewis The Magician's Nephew. We know that creation is ex nihilo (from nothing), but that is not necessarily being asserted here (although many say it is). This is not a description of a factory of creation (i.e. the “how” of creation), but a functional creation (purpose and meaning). Some Examples of the Functional Creation Day One: The creation of time. Day Two: Room for people to live. Weather. Day Three: Production of food. Some Commentary: St. Augustine, One the Literal Interpretation of Genesis 3:10. Scripture called heaven and earth that formless matter of the universe, which was changed into formed and beautiful natures by God's ineffable command.… This heaven and earth, which were confused and mixed up, were suited to receive forms from God their maker. Basil the Great; Hexaemeron 1.5. It appears, indeed, that even before this world an order of things existed of which our mind can form an idea but of which we can say nothing, because it is too lofty a subject for men who are but beginners and are still babes in knowledge. The birth of the world was preceded by a condition of things suitable for the exercise of supernatural powers, outstripping the limits of time, eternal and infinite. The Creator and Demiurge of the universe perfected his works in it, spiritual light for the happiness of all who love the Lord, intellectual and invisible natures, all the orderly arrangement of pure intelligences who are beyond the reach of our mind and of whom we cannot even discover the names. Rev. Dr. John Polkinghorne (excerpted from On Being) I mean, this is an extraordinary thing, Genesis 1 … things don't quite come in the right order. I mean, it's striking that it begins with energy for light, “Let there be light.” It's striking that life starts in the waters and moves onto the land. But of course … the sun and moon and stars only come on the fourth day. And of course, there wouldn't be any life without the stars, because that's where they make the raw material for life. So that isn't right. And we believe that one of the reasons, we believe in theology, one of the reasons why the sun, moon and stars come downstream, so to speak, is that the writer is wanting to say the sun and the moon aren't deities. They're not to be worshipped…. They are creatures just like everything else. And that shows us that what we're reading is a theologically oriented thing and not a scientifically oriented thing. I mean, you have to figure out, when you read something and you want to read it respectfully, you have to figure out what it is you're reading. Is it poetry or is it prose? If you read poetry and think it's prose, you will make the most astonishing mistakes. [And Genesis 1…] is much more like a poem than like prose. And that's, in a sense, the sadness of the “creationist” so-called position, that these people who are really wanting to be respectful to scripture are, I think, ironically, being disrespectful, because they're not using it in the right way. Walton, J. H. (pp. 49–50). The creation account in Genesis 1 can then be seen to begin with no functions rather than with no material. At this point, however, it is important to establish what we mean when we talk of functions… In the ancient world, function was not the result of material properties, but the result of purpose. The sun looks down on all and is associated with the god of justice. It functions as a marker for time and seasons. When the ancient texts talk about how something functions in an ordered system, the system under discussion is not a cosmic or ecological system. It is a system inhabited by beings…In the Old Testament God has no needs and focuses functionality around people. We will see increasing evidence of this understanding as we move through the remainder of Genesis 1. Consequently, functionality cannot exist without people in the picture. In Genesis people are not put in place until day six, but functionality is established with their needs and situation in mind. Major Points for Discussion Who is God (i.e. what does “Elohim” mean?). Elohim is a plural noun that can either describe beings from the/a spiritual realm (e.g. gods, angels, maybe even ghosts) or the One Uncreated God (it's obvious which one it is by grammatical context). What does “according to its kind” mean? It is not an attack on science. Here's a gem of a quote from St. Augustine's tract against Felix the Manichean (quoted here); In the Gospel we do not read that the Lord said: I send you the Holy Spirit so that He might teach you all about the course of the sun and the moon. The Lord wanted to make Christians, not astronomers. You learn at school all the useful things you need to know about nature. It is true that Christ said that the Holy Spirit will come to lead us into all truth, but He is not speaking there about the course of the sun and the moon. If you think that knowledge about these things belongs to the truth that Christ promised through the Holy Spirit, then I ask you: how many stars are there? I say that such things do not belong to Christian teaching…whereas you affirm that this teaching includes knowledge about how the world was made and what takes place in the world. The point being made is that 1) there is an order to creation that is logical (and created through the Logos!) and 2) the multitude of creation reflects God's glory and purpose. God led the Hebrews to make seeing things “according to their kind a virtuous instinct. What do we lose when we don't? Who is God talking to when He says “Let US make man…”? Different explanations. Could be the “Royal We” (not likely). Could be the Heavenly Hosts (i.e. the Divine Council). The main explanation (because we read in the light of Christ) is the Trinity. What is “The Image of God”? Lots of good answers (ask for some). At the very least, it means that we re-present God in creation (just as Christ does as the New Adam; “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” Colossians 1:15). What is the “Likeness of God”? Again, many good answers. The usual one is that it is His purity and holiness (theosis). This is something we have to grow into (more on that once we talk more about mankind). Enjoy the show!
This season we are talking Bumper sticker Bible, starting with Reverend Dr. Robert Black and the topic "If you died, do you know where you would spend eternity?" A book that helps to open bigger questions about God and the natural world is “Quantum Physics and Theology: An Unexpected Kinship” by John Polkinghorne. Facebook.com/stmartinsgi Instagram.com/stmartinsgi
In this ID the Future, Stephen Meyer takes a deep dive into the case for not only intelligent design, but also for a designer of the cosmos who is immaterial, eternal, transcendent, and involved. Meyer draws on evidence for design at the origin of life, in the origin of plants and animals, and from the fine tuning of the laws and constants of chemistry and the initial conditions of the universe. He connects all this to the scientific evidence that the universe is not eternal but had a beginning—the Big Bang. What about the main materialistic alternative for explaining this suite of evidence—the idea that there is a multiverse with our universe just being one of the lucky universes with Read More › Source
Episode 104 Today we welcome the Rev Dr David Wilkinson all the way from Durham, England. Dr Wilkinson is an ordained Methodist minister with PhDs in Systematic Theology and Theoretical Astrophysics. In addition to working for St John's College, he is the project director of “Equipping Christian Leadership in an Age of Science” which seeks to do exactly what the name implies. We talk about their surprising research into Christian leaders' attitudes towards science, how to think about biblical miracles, how to have constructive dialogue, and what happens when you put bishops in a room full of humanoid robots. This is an engaging, heartfelt, and inspiring conversation, and we're excited to bring it to you. ECLAS - https://www.eclasproject.org/ Reid, Lydia and Wilkinson, David. (2021.) ‘Building Enthusiasm and Overcoming Fear: Engaging with Christian Leaders in an Age of Science', Zygon 56 (4). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14679744/2021/56/4 Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/ produced by Zack Jackson music by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis Check out Zack and Nichole's new podcast "Reimagining Faith with the Pastors Jackson" here... https://www.patreon.com/reimaginingfaith https://reimaginingfaith.podbean.com/ Transcript This transcript was automatically generated by www.otter.ai, and as such contains errors (especially when multiple people are talking). As the AI learns our voices, the transcripts will improve. We hope it is helpful even with the errors. Zack Jackson 00:00 Hey there, Zack here. Before we get to today's episode, which is so good, by the way, I wanted to let you know that my wife, Nicole, and I just launched a new podcast called reimagining faith with the pastor's Jackson. I haven't really shared a whole lot about this on the podcast yet. But we both just quit our church jobs, and are in the process of planting a new faith community called Open Table United Church of Christ. At this new faith community were committed to being theologically progressive, locally minded with Jesus at the center. We're starting from scratch. And we are rethinking every part about what it means to be a community of faith in this particular moment in history. We are really excited about the ways that the Spirit is moving among our little team. And we wanted a way to share that with you all as well. Hence, the reimagining faith podcast, we'll be posting new episodes every week, delving into our particular convictions, telling stories, interviewing difference makers and giving you an inside peek into the messy and ridiculous process of planting a church that is not quite a church, but it's also kind of a church, but not really, you know, it'll probably make a lot more sense after you hear a few episodes of it. So why don't you just go ahead and subscribe. Just search for reimagining faith with the pastor's Jackson wherever it is that you get your podcasts. And if you want to help us expand to this work, you can support us at patreon.com/reimagining faith. And now, on to the podcast. You are listening to the down the wormhole podcast exploring the strange and fascinating relationship between science and religion. Our guest today is the current principal of St. John's College Durham and a professor in the Department of theology and religion. He has PhDs in both theoretical astrophysics and systematic theology, having served as both a Methodist minister and an academic professor. He's also the project director of equipping Christian leadership in an age of science, which is a project whose goals are near and dear to my heart. And I'm sure many of yours as well. It is my privilege to introduce the Reverend David Wilkinson. Welcome to the podcast. Thank David Wilkinson 02:19 you, Zack, it's so lovely to be here. Lovely to talk to you. Zack Jackson 02:24 Yes, I'm so glad that we were able to coordinate across the ocean, get our time zones correct and, and that you're able to be with us today I am fascinated by just the breadth of the work that you have done and that you are doing with the organizations that you're associated with. And so, again, it's an honor to have you here with us. So I mentioned in that that introduction, equipping Christian leadership in an age of science, or EC L A s do you do pronounce the acronym when when you're in a company, David Wilkinson 03:01 about team pronounces it in class, and part of our team pronounces it at class. And we haven't come to agreement on what the correct pronunciation is. So I'm happy with the project. Zack Jackson 03:15 Did any of you consider switching the acronym the words around so it would spell something like Eclair or something that well, David Wilkinson 03:22 as you can see, remember and see from me, I'm very open to a close and as many as possible, probably too many for me. But, I mean, you know, sometimes theology and science is dominated by some of these acronyms. I think what we've been concerned about has been that sense of equipping Christian leadership. And about almost 10 years ago, my friend and colleague Tom McLeish, who's a theoretical physicist and a lay theologian, and I were speculating about what happened when senior Christian leaders, such as bishops, or leaders of other denominations, or leaders of parachurch organizations, those organizations that span different churches, were asked about science. And one of the things that we noticed was that senior church leaders often responded with fear, or negativity, or silence. And the problem with that is that then those who serve as Christian leaders under them, if they come from a scientific background, if your senior leader responds with fear or negativity or silence, then that doesn't really affirm what you're bringing to ministry, in terms of your interest or passion about science. And then that ripples down into congregations, where disciples who live out their lives with a vocation to be scientists, technologists are in Engineers, they're not affirmed in their vocation. And of course, that then ripples out to reinforce this very dominant model of relationship between science and religion, that conflict model of science and religion or independence, that the two have to be separated. And so we thought, Is there a project to be done where we can equip Christian leaders to engage with science with joy, with humility, with confidence with excitement? And that would have a ripple down effect throughout the church? Zack Jackson 05:36 Yes, I mentioned I resonate with this. This is the this is the project that I'm working on for my doctrine ministry program right now, creating resources for pastors to engage, to equip them to have these conversations because it is just so important. So in what ways have since you started this program? How have you been able to start equipping leaders, David Wilkinson 06:00 one of the things we first realized sack was the importance of personal relationships and conversations. And so we started with, with conferences, where we would invite a small group of senior leaders, intentionally inviting them to come here to Durham. And we would take them into science departments, where we introduce them to world class scientists. Now, sometimes, in this work, organizations will choose a scientist who happens to be a Christian. We didn't do that. We just went for world class scientists, whatever their religious backgrounds, and we threw the bishops into their labs. And we got these people to talk about their own science and their work. And it was just terrific from cosmology and simulating universes through to biology, genetics, we even had one wonderful incident where we took 30 bishops into one of our engineering labs here in Durham, where we have small robots, six of them, artificial intelligent robots, humanoid robots, and the bishops were kind of pressed against the wall. Worried about this, these little robots who are wandering round, and the robots went up to the bishops, and started to talk to them. And suddenly the bishops move towards the center of the room, as they started conversing with these robots. And I wish I'd had a video camera to show you. And in a sense, we start with with bishops who are a little worried about science. And slowly they move into the center. And part of that is talking to research students, and talking with professors, and actually seeing that these folk work in science, because they're passionate about finding out about the universe, or they're passionate about helping society and other people, that some of the the big, bad images of science are not quite true when you meet scientists themselves. And we brought into that conversation, then theologians into the conference, to help decode some of the issues of play within the interplay of science and theology. And so this bringing together of people to talk together, and what we found, was after the sessions, the bishops were thrilled to have encountered science. And the scientists were thrilled to encounter bishops, and other senior church leaders who took science seriously. And many of the scientists without any Christian commitment turned up at the bar later on in the conference, to talk more with the bishops. I think there's something really important about that kind of interaction of people, that learning not just about the science in the abstract, but science in terms of it being done by scientists. And then we thought to ourselves, Well, there's one or two other things that we really need to do about this. So we've had a research strand, where we've interviewed 1000, clergy and a number of bishops and senior church leaders about what they really think about science. That's been an important thing. And we might want to go on to some of those findings in a little bit. We've also followed the US in a program called Science for seminaries and working with church leaders are beginning of their ministries. And then we wanted to provide some model situations where people could see how a local congregation could use the scientists within their congregations to do something fruitful for the kingdom, either for the church or for the community. And we call that scientists in congregations. And that's a program that's been used in lots of different parts of the world. And then the final strand that we've done, which is peculiar to the UK, in the UK, the Church of England is the established church. It has a lot of political and media presence. There are bishops in the House of Lords, for example, scrutinizing legislation. And so we embedded a team member within the church of England's work in that area, to assist on some of the questions such as fracking, or AI, that are going through legislation to help Christian leaders give sensible voices within the public debate. So those are some of the things that we've been really excited by Zach. Zack Jackson 11:07 Oh, wow. Yeah, that that sounds very exciting. I would, I would venture to say that most congregations have at least one professional scientist within it, whether they, they're open about that or not. But I'm curious about the ways that your program has, has used scientists within congregations, how are you using those those gifts of people? David Wilkinson 11:32 I think, I think that's a really crucial question. And so let me give you some for instances of some of the projects that we've supported. So we've supported a project called Take your vicar into the lab, where a number of scientists in the congregation have said to their church leader, why don't you come into our workplace, and we'll tell you about what we do day by day. And again, we're talking about people with vocation, and a very different context to what happens in the church on a Sunday. One group of scientists have worked with a professional theatre group drama group, to write a play on artificial intelligence. And this play will, will tour the country, the 45 minute one act play, then there'll be a coffee break. And then into the venue will come a number of local scientists who work in the area of AI for a question answered on AI and religion and Christianity. Another group we've worked with, has produced some resources for something that we call messy science. Now, in the UK, there's a very strong program called Messy Church, which is a way of doing church, for families with young children. And that involves some crafts, and making things. And what we realized was that actually, there are a number of children who are much happier to blow things up in science experiments, to make craft activities. And so we've we've created a book called Messy science, which is scientific experiments that you can do and as part of Messy Church, or indeed, that you can do for an all the family or all age worship on a Sunday, which involves some of the fun of science. Why, for instance, you can take a beaker full of water, and just put a piece of paper at the bottom of it, turn it over, and the water doesn't fall out most of the time. And so these kinds of things is about using the gifts and the passion and the interests of scientists. And I think you're right, like I think virtually every congregation has scientists or teachers of science or technology or engineering within it. But what we're not good at doing is affirming those gifts. So some of the churches I go to, if a young person says the Lord has called me to seminary or Bible college, the congregation will say hallelujah, they will bring that young person to the front. They will so we're going to pray and lay hands on you. And here's a big envelope with money in it to support your expenses. But if a young person in that same congregation says, I'm going to go and study chemistry, I wonder whether that congregation also brings the young person to the front, lay hands on them and gives them a big envelope to help them with their expenses. And I think that's about out, saying science as a gift from God. And to be a scientist is as much a vocation as it is to be a pastor, or to be a missionary. Zack Jackson 15:11 Wow. That is a that is profound. It's I don't think that any churches out there would affirm a child's choosing to become a scientist the way they would be so proud of our little, our little boy who's grown up to be a pastor, and we'd love to help you out in any way we can. But a scientist is essentially seeking out God in just empirical ways through the creation as opposed to David Wilkinson 15:40 theology, Kepler, the great astronomer, once said that science is thinking God's thoughts after him. And what a wonderful way of looking at the universe and that guy became a Christian at the age of 17, just before going up to university to study physics. And early in my Christian life, I kind of realized that if if I say that Jesus is the Lord, then he is Lord of all, not just what I do on a Sunday, but what I do in terms of my interest in mathematics and astrophysics. And so what does it mean to be disciple within that area, as well as what I do in terms of lifestyle with money and relationships, and all the rest of it. And I think that's an area that the church hasn't been good at, in an area that we can work out and help Christian leaders to see science as gift. And the responsibility that that brings. Zack Jackson 16:42 Yes, I wish that more churches had that kind of had that kind of understanding, you know, that that kind of heart and belief. But according to the research that you all have done. That was there was a paper that was published in zeigen, Journal of religion and science, recently, looking at the disconnect between religious leaders interest in science and their willingness to talk about it publicly. There were some very interesting findings in there, would you care to tell us a little bit about David Wilkinson 17:17 Yes, absolutely. And some things that surprised us. We wanted to serve a clergy first of all, and we surveyed about 1000 of them from all different churches and backgrounds. And one of the most surprising things was how often they find themselves talking about science, or engaging with people about science in their ministry. Now, we didn't expect that to be the case. Although looking back on my own ministry, I was a pastor for a decade, in full time, work leading a church. I remember, it was in Liverpool, just off Penny Lane for those who remember the Beatles. And we used to run a luncheon club, where, on a Wednesday lunchtime, we would gather together some elderly folk and provide them with a fairly basic but nutritious and wholesome lunch. And I remember going to a lady who was very elderly, and left school at the age of 14. And I would normally wander around and say hello to people. And I sat down at her table. And she looked at me and said, Now then David, she said, What's this Stephen Hawking and quantum gravity all about? And what does this mean for God? Now, I think sometimes we underestimate the kinds of questions that people have. And so we found that clergy were often addressing questions about the environment, questions about genetics, questions about what does it mean to be human? These big questions, and yet, often, they felt a little bit of a lack of confidence in engaging with these questions. And I think that partly comes from this conflict model, which is so embedded within Western tradition, which you found in the New Atheists. So for Richard Dawkins and others, you now find in many stand up comedians, who also represent the conflict model. But I think sometimes it's also about those subtle messages from the church that has said, Beware of science. And they've often coupled science with images of the Tower of Babel with trying to replace God or atheism. So I think we found that I think we also found and this is, this is something which really fascinated me. And that is the Sometimes the how why distinction becomes a avoidance mechanism for deeper theological questions. What I mean by that, is that when we talk about science and theology, and I often do this myself, we can talk about science about the how, and theology about the why, when it comes to the origin of the universe, for example, my area of, of work and science and, you know, quantum gravity, and is the how of God doing it. Questions of purpose and meaning or value is why, and that's a useful first order distinction. But we found that many senior church leaders were using it as a way to avoid some of the deeper questions. So if you use the how wide distinction, you can perhaps avoid the question, well, how does God really work in the universe? How does God work in healing in miracles in prayer? How is God involved in the laws of physics or not? Now, those can be quite scary questions to folk. But they're important questions for many people. And then I think we I think the third thing that we found was sometimes this fear of certain ways that science has been used, protect, particularly when it comes to theories of evolution. So although there was an openness to assessing scientific theories, there was a sense of those who have used the post Darwinian controversies to argue against Christianity, and to use some scientific theories and evolution and sociobiology. Sometimes I used to argue that once you have a scientific understanding of something, it's nothing but that. So religion could be seen and the way that it's developed, and its socio biological, biological origin. But then that quick move to say, and that's all it is. That's the mistake. So those are some of the things that came out of the research. Zack Jackson 22:23 So I hear the the one idea that science provides the nuts and bolts the understanding of how things work, and religion then gives it the meaning, right, I've heard the illustration that you can learn all you can about the molecular makeup of a chocolate cake, and you can know all about its compounds, but no part of the science can tell you that it's a birthday cake, I'm sorry, that that that then has to come from the meaning. And then I also hear you mentioning, sort of at the end there about the God of the gaps that God develops as a way of explaining the things that we don't understand and has a way of helping us to sleep at night. Giving us a sense of control over the crops, as it were or the movement of the stars and the future and helping us to be less afraid. And as science then explains all of those things, then God gets smaller and smaller and smaller. And that model is just created in such a way that it eliminates itself. It does. And both of those two ways of understanding God are so prevalent, and they both are so limiting. What how do you how do you navigate this world? How do you hold both your faith and your understanding of science in intention in tandem? David Wilkinson 23:47 Yeah. And the sack you've put your finger on it? I think and it's a question that goes back to an old book written by Jeb Phillips, many years ago, which was a book with the title your God is too small. You see, the problem with with God of the Gaps is, as you rightly said, God is too small. And the God that I see in Jesus is not a God who hides in small gaps of scientific ignorance. This is the Lord of all, who is the one who sustains every physical process within the universe. So for me, God is the Creator and Sustainer of the laws of physics. That's the first thing to say. I think secondly, God is big enough that he can sometimes do unusual things, beyond his normal ways of working. And therefore, both as a scientist and a theologian, I'm open to miracle. I'm open to God doing unusual things because I think God is big enough to to go beyond his normal ways of working and special prayer. Within SOS special events, I think the third thing that really helps me to navigate some of this sack is going back to Jesus time and time again. I remember, as a young research student, I've been on a conference in the middle of the summer in the University of Brighton, and Sussex and England. And we were the only people in the university, a group of 40, astrophysics PhD students. And there was only one pub. And so every evening we'd all end up in the same pub. And I remember sitting down with a with a colleague, very, very bright astrophysicist, who within half an hour, had proved to me that God didn't exist. I mean, he just argued against with all the classic arguments against the existence of God. And I remember wandering back to, to the small bedroom I had, and and thinking, Well, you know, I've only been a Christian two or three years. This guy's convinced me that the intellectual argumentation means that God doesn't exist, what am I going to do? And it was that point that by, by my bed on the bedside table was a Bible. I just opened the Bible, and I read again, the Gospels, and I become a Christian, because I'd seen in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, God Himself walk in the pages of history. And there are many questions that I don't have the answers to, there are many intellectual conundrums about the problem of evil, or about how does God actually work in the world, which I don't have easy, simplistic philosophical answers to. But what I see in Jesus is a God who becomes a human being and lives amongst us, in the space time history, a God who participates in the consequences of suffering and evil, he bears them as well as I do. A God who gives me hope, in terms of bodily resurrection, going beyond our normal accepted patterns of what's possible in the world. And a God who actually has a historical record in Palestine, that you and I can sit down and discuss, we might not come to similar conclusions about it. But the data is there for us to discuss it. And so my understanding of science and theology is never simply what we might call the old, big arguments for the existence of God, the design argument, or the First Cause Argument, if I'm authentically Christian, then I have to bring into the conversation. God who reveals Himself in Jesus. And that's been an important part of, of my journey in trying to navigate some of these difficult questions. Zack Jackson 28:14 As a pastor for the past eight and a half years, I not only get questions, nearly weekly, from, especially from the conference, and these teenagers who are thinking through these things in school, but also the adults I, I feel questions from my colleagues almost constantly, who likewise have people asking these questions, and they do not feel equipped to answer them. And so they, they give them you know, shrug shoulders, and I'm sorry, this is just what I believe I'll try to find resources for you. And one of the things that comes up quite often is miracles, when it seemingly when God breaks the rules, yeah. Because even if somebody who values God and values science, they will often just find naturalistic explanations for things. I mean, famously, Thomas Jefferson cut out all of the references of, of miracles in his Bible, and it was much smaller at that point. You know, for example, that if we believe that Jesus in the wedding in Cana and the book of John turned water into wine, using natural processes, I mean, just the fusion of atoms would have created so much energy, it would have leveled all of the Middle East, you know, in a nuclear explosion, and clearly that did not happen. So, either there was a sort of social miracle in which Jesus inspired people to run out to the liquor store, or there is something else happening something super natural. You've done a little bit of work into into miracles and what happens in prayer and things like that. Do you have any insights that you could offer to As clergy out there, David Wilkinson 30:01 well, I have some insights, whether they're useful or not is another question. Zack Jackson 30:07 Oh, the story of my life, I'll put that on my tombstone. David Wilkinson 30:11 I think the first thing to say is that I want to take the gospel writers seriously. And I think sometimes Western scholarship has been rather patronizing to the writers of the Gospel by saying that they simply have rewritten the stories of social miracles, in terms of supernatural miracles, you know, and so, even more extreme would be those who've written that Jesus walking on the waters was actually because he was on a sand bank at the time. Well, I mean, you know, fishermen would know where the sand banks would be, and things of that sort, I think, the Gospel writers are being authentic in terms of what they believed, and I want to take that seriously. And then secondly, there is a granularity about some of the gospel reports, which suggests to me that they aren't simply made up to express theological truth about Jesus. So for instance, you mentioned the wedding at Cana, one of the one of the extraordinary things about that miracle is that Jesus turned between 120 gallons, 280 gallons of water into wine. Now, that that's, that's not the kind of usual detail that you would expect, in terms of if you'd simply wanted a miracle of water into wine, there's something really quite extraordinary about that unexpected about it. And I think there are a number of the miracle stories which just have that ring of truth about them. Now, that's the biblical scholarship at one level, which I think is important for us to do. I think then, as a scientist, I want to come with a number of convictions. The first is that 20th century physics tells us that the universe is far more subtle, and subtle than we ever imagined it to be. We live with the legacy of Isaac Newton's clockwork universe, where the universe is picture herbal, and predictable. And so the transformation of God has rules which he can't break, is based on that clockwork universe. But in the 20th century, as you well know, quantum theory, and then chaotic or complex systems, like the weather, we discovered that actually, the universe is not as picture trouble or as predictable as that clockwork universe was. Now, I don't want to push that too far to say, well, this is where God works in quantum systems. But I do want to take seriously as John Polkinghorne used to say, these things remind us of the danger of the tyranny of model of common sense. Our everyday experience and common sense isn't a good guide to the way the universe actually is, or indeed how God might work in the universe. And then I think coming back to that sense of the God who created the laws, has agency to work in through and beyond the laws is a very important theological question. And that maintaining of some limited agency, for God to work means that, that I'm open to God work in unusual ways. Now, all of that is not to say that I don't think there's an interesting question, as a scientist about where the energy comes from. I want to ask that question. And as a scientist, I want to say, when people claim evidence for healing, or evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, what is that evidence? And let's have an honest and serious conversation about it. I think that's important. But I don't think that all of those things need to be talked about in the round. I don't think that one of these things rules out the possibility of miracles. And so I know that's a very long answer to a very succinct question. But I think sometimes we get ourselves fascinated with wanting to give one line answers to actually very difficult questions. And one of the real problems of miracle for me, is actually not besides The real problem of miracle for me is, if God can work by miracle, why can't he do it more often? And in more serious ways, you know, so the Christian who says, I drove to the supermarket, and it was raining, and there was no parking spaces. But I prayed to the Lord, and suddenly a parking space was there for me. Now, apparently, I want to say to that Christian sister or brother, well, wonderful. But, Lord, why provide a parking space when actually, you know for that particular sister or brother, they could have done with a little extra walk, compared to what's happening with COVID? Or what's happening in Ukraine? And that's the problem of evil. And sec, I don't have any real answer to that. That's one of the big questions that I have. For when I see the Lord face to face. But I'm not prepared to reject the biblical evidence or the scientific openness. Because I can't fully understand the problem of evil, but I want to take it seriously. Zack Jackson 36:16 That is a fantastic point. I think our anyone out there who's a religious leader has probably heard that second argument far more, you know, you hear stories of healing, and then I prayed for my mother to be healed and she wasn't healed. And then, then you have, you know, is the problem, my fate? Did I not pray properly? Did does, am I not favored by God? David Wilkinson 36:41 And that's profound, profound, isn't it and that, and what that means, and that's where, for me, the what I sometimes call the messiness of the Bible, is really important. Because, you know, we have instances within the Bible itself, when Paul, for example, prays three times, about this thorn in the flesh that he has, and he's not healed. When, when we have this unusual incident of when Jesus is called by Mary and Martha, that his friend Lazarus is sick. And Jesus didn't immediately go and heal Lazarus. There's indications in Mark's gospel of times when the whole town or village were brought for healing. And Mark says, many of them were healed, not all of them. Now, that for me actually embeds this problem, not just in our experience, but there is a mystery going on within scripture itself. And, and the thing with Scripture is, it doesn't always give us the answer. I mean, I would love it. If Paul had provided not yet another letter, but a chapter entitled frequently asked questions. been brilliant. The apostle Paul had had a chapter on frequently answered questions, asked questions. And, and one of them would be the problem of evil. But of course, Scripture works often in narratives, in telling of testimony of story. And it's not the place where we get easy answers and philosophical theology. But it's important that our philosophical theology takes those stories seriously. Zack Jackson 38:42 I can't imagine Paul trying to succinctly answer any question. Yes, let's say this is the man who spoke for so long that a boy fell asleep and fell out a window. Which, by the way, you know, he was able to raise this child back from the dead, but couldn't cure his own problem. preacher once told me that Lazarus still died. Yes. And that that sticks with me anytime I think about miracles. So aside from that, aside from the miracles, what do you think it's important that religious leaders should understand and, and in terms of science, and how can they possibly keep up with all of the new research not being scientists themselves? David Wilkinson 39:34 I think both of those questions are really important. So let me take the second one. First, I'll come back to the first one. I don't think this is about equipping Christian leaders in terms of knowledge of science. I think this is about changing attitudes. So that as new science comes about, new discoveries are made new questions arise. Most religious leaders can encounter it, not with fear. But with a sense of, first of all, that this doesn't undermine faith. And second, that they already have resources within their own congregations that can help them. And we've talked already about the role and the vocation of those who are lay Christians and scientists. This is a terrific resource that God has given to every church leader from, you know, teenagers who are fascinated with the questions of science through to those who are at cutting edge research level. And so part of I think the change in attitudes, is that the church leader begins to see that ministry in this area is not just about them. But it's about the body of Christ together, relating to some of these questions. But in order to access that the initial response to science has to be changed away from fear into a humble listening to what's going on. Now, I think, to come back to the to the first question, I think, then there are some big questions for the next decade. And I think one of the biggest questions, which you and I have talked about before, is the question of what it means to be human. You know, I think we've gone through some of the interest and some of the big questions about origins, Big Bang, evolution, those types of questions, Christians still have different views on them. And we'll still keep continuing talking about them. But the central question of what it means to be human, I think is going to be highlighted in lots of different ways. For example, will artificial intelligence become conscious at some stage? If we discover extraterrestrial intelligence? What does that mean for human beings? The mind brain relationship, as we know more about what the relationship between mind and brain is all about? What does that mean, to be human? And, you know, even the Human Genome Project, that if I share 67% of my genes with cauliflower, which you can probably tell by looking at me, then, where's the distinction and being human? Now, I think, in lots of different ways in medical science through to what the James Webb Telescope is going to produce. That question of what it means to be human, is a central question for culture, for society, and for theology. Now, I think the great thing about the Christian faith for me, is that actually the question what it means to be human is a central theological question. It's been explored by generations of theologians down the ages. And one of the fascinating things for me is that it's not defined in the Christian tradition, by what I'm made of. It's defined by who I'm related to. So for me, the question of what it means to be human is a gift from God, a gift of intimate relationship, a gift of responsibility, a gift of creativity. So that to be human is not undermined by better understandings of what I'm physically made of, or that there may be other forms of consciousness out there. But that actually, what defines me as unique as a human being, is that God loves me. And God wants to be in relationship with me. And that may not be exclusive. In her there may be other intelligent beings elsewhere in the universe, who knows. But I don't think that's a threat to that central understanding of what it means to be human, or the kind of the shorthand that we use as theologians been made in the image of God. Zack Jackson 44:34 That's beautiful. I, I'm so fascinated by the relationality of the cosmos, that we identify ourselves as a human by our relationship to each other, but we see it down to the fundamental level that 91% of the mass of the nucleus of an atom comes not from the proton and the neutron but from the forces that are generated by their interaction, and everything down to the fundamental Fields up until the galaxy clusters only exist in relation to one another. And if I mean, obviously, I'm, I'm imposing some of the meaning that from being a relational primate primates into the, into the cosmos, but you almost can't help but see the, the, the brushstrokes of a relational creator, in the fact that everything only exists in relation to each other. I David Wilkinson 45:34 think that's right. Second, I mean, let me let me confess to you and to the listeners, that when I was trained first, as a, as a physicist, I thought that physics was the only true science, that chemistry, chemistry was for people who couldn't do physics, biology was for people who couldn't do chemistry. And I won't tell you what I thought of sociology. Now, now, of course, I have repented of such things. Zack Jackson 46:03 For example, other mathematicians out there, for exactly David Wilkinson 46:07 the reason that you've said that when atoms get together in relationship to four molecules, then a new series and levels of reality occurs, which is called chemistry. When those molecules get together and form living beings, a new level of biology emerges. And when human beings get together, a new level, which can only be studied by sociology emerges. And that's that emergent relationality, which you've talked about. And that reminds me as a physicist, that the universe cannot be simply reduced to its constituent parts, you have got to understand its constituent parts, but you can only understand them fully, when you understand the relationality between them, which is exactly the point that you beautifully made. Zack Jackson 47:05 Well, thank you, thank you for the relational work that you're doing. And for that, being at the heart of your mission, understanding that it's not enough to just simply give information to clergy and to scientists, but to build relationships of understanding and mutuality. And that's, that is certainly how we interact. So for all the work that you're doing, through the foundation, through your your writings, and through, you know, the work you do at the college, thank you for for your life's work you're doing, you're doing really important work. And as we kind of ended our time together. Is there anything else that you would like our listeners to know, to take away from this conversation? I've David Wilkinson 47:50 I've enjoyed the conversation immensely. Of course, I think it's important to say one of the fascinating things for me, as always, anything that one is able to achieve as an individual is only as strong as the team that you work with. And one of the great things about the work that we've been doing here in the UK is a combination of collaborations and partnerships between different universities and the Church of England. And the quality of the colleagues that that I work with, who involve scientists, theologians, sociologists, historians. And that's a very important part of understanding science. Science doesn't exist in a pure scientific vacuum. It comes with history that comes with philosophy. Indeed, it's framed for me by theology. And so as we work together, across different disciplines, so our understanding of these things becomes much, much richer. And the problem of divorcing the church from science is partly the way that our culture has divorced arts and humanities, from science. And I think particularly in the UK, that's been the case. And so part of this is a bigger cultural issue, which is valuing all types of human knowledge and how we interact together and learn more as community together. But thank you, Zack, I've really enjoyed this. It's a delight. What a wonderful podcast you doing. And thanks for for the time this afternoon. Zack Jackson 49:35 Absolutely, and if any of our listeners out there are interested in learning more, they can go to E c l a s project.org. There's will be a link in the description if you'd like to learn more about what the equipping Christian leadership in an age of science is doing. There's plenty of videos from your previous conference, there's articles, there are links of places to get involved and to learn more and to help help equip you to do this very important work out in the world. You can also listen to any one of the 100 or so episodes of the podcast previously. We've where we've talked about a lot of these issues more in depth. So, again, thank you, David, for being here. And I wish all the best in all of your future endeavors. David Wilkinson 50:20 Thank you very much.
This week, we offer a sermon Bill gave back in 2008 on one of the most wrestled-with questions Christians living in our modern world face: What is the relationship between the discoveries of science and my faith? Drawing on a wide range of sources and stories, Bill asks us to consider how science and faith might both be sharpened and strengthened when intentionally held together. He also addresses a few of the most prevalent questions many Christians face in this arena and offers some real encouragement to anyone wrestling with doubts of any kind.Read a Transcript of Bill's SermonThis is offered as part of Coracle's "Doubt, Deconstruction & Redemption" SeriesSupport the show (https://inthecoracle.org/support/)
Dr. Oord highlights John Polkinghorne as he discusses God's providence and God's foreknowledge. He references "The Polkinghorne Reader." See https://www.amazon.com/Polkinghorne-Reader-Science-Search-Meaning/dp/1599473151/
John Polkinghorne believed that science and religion provided a binocular vision of the truth. He left a prestigious post in Physics and Cambridge University to become an Anglican priest
John Mackay is a man you want to hear about the truth and the evidence for God's Word about Creation and the Creator Christ who made it. He is unashamedly Christian and a keen promoter of the Biblical account being accurate and authoritative from the very beginning of the creation account in Genesis to the last page of revelation. He speaks and debates the evidence and implications regarding this issue internationally in schools, universities and churches. He is an international speaker. He has been lecturing on the subject of origins and doing field research worldwide for the last 30 years. A science teacher for many years, he was instrumental in establishing Creation Research in Australia and is currently the International Director of Creation Research. His many years in teaching have enabled him to communicate well to all ages. John leads fossil field trips and dinosaur digs around the planet. He has lectured and done research in the USA, UK, Europe, Canada, The Caribbean, New Zealand, Australia and Asia on the evidence for Creation and Noah's Flood. Such experience has given him a practical breadth of knowledge of the overwhelming evidence against evolution. Most of John's research has been captured on film. He has been the keynote speaker at events such as the 2014 and 2017 UK AiG Mega conference along with Ken Ham Mega in Birmingham, Canada's Muscoka Baptist Conventions, Australia's Warwikck Ester Conventions. He has been in debates against evolutionists such as Dr. John Polkinghorne, John Turner and Richard Dawkins. Diane Eager has a background in medicine, and was a lecturer in biomedical sciences at University of Canberra. She now works for Creation Research, writing and doing background research for our publications and DVDs, as well as giving presentations. She is particularly interested in design in living things and how living things interact with one another, as well as developing a Biblical understanding of biology. Originally Streamed live by Standing For Truth (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEJjuJEkxO9MAiy1RYWRk0w) - Mar 5, 2021
First Broadcast in Oct 2010. Famed Cambridge physicist-priest John Polkinghorne engages in conversation with US astrophysicist and Christian apologist Hugh Ross of Reasons To Believe. They took listener questions on whether Hawking was right or wrong to dismiss God as a cause of the universe in his new book 'The Grand Design'. John Polkinghorne passed away in March 2021. More Resources: • For exclusive resources and to support us: USA: http://www.premierinsight.org/unbelievableshow Rest of the World: https://resources.premier.org.uk/supportunbelievable • For our regular Newsletter: https://www.premier.org.uk/Unbelievablenewsletter • For more faith debates: http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable • Facebook https://www.facebook.com/UnbelievableJB • Twitter https://twitter.com/unbelievablejb • Insta https://www.instagram.com/justin.brierley
First Broadcast in Oct 2010. Famed Cambridge physicist-priest John Polkinghorne engages in conversation with US astrophysicist and Christian apologist Hugh Ross of Reasons To Believe. They took listener questions on whether Hawking was right or wrong to dismiss God as a cause of the universe in his new book 'The Grand Design'. John Polkinghorne passed away in March 2021. More Resources: • For exclusive resources and to support us: USA: http://www.premierinsight.org/unbelievableshow Rest of the World: https://resources.premier.org.uk/supportunbelievable • For our regular Newsletter: https://www.premier.org.uk/Unbelievablenewsletter • For more faith debates: http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable • Facebook https://www.facebook.com/UnbelievableJB • Twitter https://twitter.com/unbelievablejb • Insta https://www.instagram.com/justin.brierley
Are Genesis 1 and 2 literal? What's up with the differing timelines in those chapters? Where are the dinosaurs in the Bible? How do you know what ancient Hebrew words really meant? In this episode, Tim and Jon tackle your questions from the Ancient Cosmology series. Thanks to our audience for all your incredible questions!View full show notes from this episode →Timestamps How Can You Know the Correct Meaning of Ancient Words? (5:52 - 12:06)Can You Understand the Bible Without Other Resources? (12:06 - 21:04)What Is the Purpose of Creation in Genesis 1-2? (21:04 - 28:45)Are Genesis 1 and 2 Literal? (28:45 - 42:14)Where Are Dinosaurs in the Bible? (42:14 - 49:24)How Did Other Biblical Authors Interpret Genesis 1 and 2? (49:24 - 55:30)Referenced ResourcesInterested in more? Check out Tim's library here.John H. Walton, The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins DebateJohn H. Walton, The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2-3 and the Human Origins DebateRobin A. Parry, The Biblical Cosmos: A Pilgrim's Guide to the Weird and Wonderful World of the BibleAlister McGrath (multiple works on the intersection of Christian and scientific cosmology)John Polkinghorne (multiple works on the intersection of Christian and scientific cosmology)Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTSShow produced by Dan Gummel, Zach McKinley, and Cooper Peltz. Show notes by Lindsey Ponder. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.
On this ID the Future, Pat Flynn continues his conversation with bestselling author and philosopher of science Stephen C. Meyer, director of Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture. The focus is Meyer's new book, Return of the God Hypothesis, and here in the second and final part of their conversation, Flynn and Meyer discuss the beginning of the universe, the multiverse hypothesis, worldview bias, Bayesian probability calculus, methodological materialism, and specific scientific predictions that intelligent design thinking has motivated. This interview is presented here with permission of philosopher and YouTuber Pat Flynn. Source
Por Marco Antonio Peres A ciência segue por mais de um caminho para chegar ao mesmo lugar. Recentemente foi iniciada uma nova discussão, agora com as três forças, que têm suas bases de sustentação bem divergentes: Darwinismo, Criacionismo e Design Inteligente. Darwinismo: é o conjunto de teorias sobre a origem e a evolução dos seres vivos, sintetizada na década de 1940, seus principais pontos são a idéia da seleção natural e produção aleatória genética. Criacionismo: movimento que defende que a narrativa da criação do livro bíblico do Gênese reflete exatamente os eventos que levaram ao surgimento da Terra e do Universo rejeita a escala de tempo cosmológica e explica a extinção pelo dilúvio. Design Inteligente: afirma ser uma corrente científica que não segue determinação religiosa. Argumenta que grande parte das estruturas é complexa demais para terem surgido como explicam os Darwinista, pois este deixa grandes “buracos” na teoria evolutiva, principalmente no Período Cambriano – 545 a 495 milhões de anos – vê a necessidade de um “designer”, um projetista inteligente. Novamente uma corrente que não identifica esse ser. O físico inglês Stephen Hawking, ocupante da cadeira que foi de Isaac Newton na ultraprestigiosa Universidade de Cambridge é um dos principais teóricos dos “buracos negros”. Hawking realizou o tratado de cosmologia e astrofísica, denso o suficiente para fritar o cérebro do público leigo. Publicado em 1988, Uma Breve História do Tempo, tornou-se o mais inesperado best seller da história e até filme virou — não sem antes deixar no ar, bem no parágrafo final, uma sedutora insinuação de casamento entre ciência e religião: “Se chegarmos a uma teoria completa, com o tempo, esta deveria ser compreensível para todos e não só para um pequeno grupo de cientistas. Então, todo mundo poderia tomar parte na discussão sobre por que nós e o Universo existimos... Nesse momento conheceríamos a mente de Deus”. Fé: (do latim fides) Adesão total do homem a um ideal que o excede. Dentre muitos cientistas, um, talvez, o mais ativo é o também inglês John Polkinghorne, que foi colega de Hawking no departamento de Física de Cambridge, que após de 25 anos de carreira acadêmica brilhante largou tudo para se ordenar pastor anglicano e escrever seus livros de “cristianismo quântico”. Alguma transformação radical deve ter ocorrido para que a crença em Deus, assunto que havia se tornado tabu em laboratórios e universidades ressurgisse com tanta força. Cem anos atrás, a ciência se projetava como a própria imagem do progresso e da civilização: decifrar todos os mistérios da natureza era só uma questão de tempo. Era como se estivéssemos em um trem, atravessando planícies ensolaradas, com uma visão cada vez mais ampla de tudo que nos cercava. Nós mesmos havíamos nos tornado os senhores do universo. Ninguém necessitava mais de fantasias como “providência divina”. Conceitos desse tipo, de entidades sobrenaturais em geral, passaram a ser considerados uma infantilidade neurótica (Freud), ou um meio das classes dominantes subjugarem os pobres e oprimidos (Nietzche e Marx). De repente, sumiram de vista as planícies, a luz do sol e os próprios trilhos do trem. Um terremoto, depois outro, havia nos atirado dentro de um túnel escuro, onde as velhas certezas voltavam a se converter em mistérios. Esses dois cataclismas eram justamente a física quântica e a matemática do caos. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/malhete-podcast/message
John Charlton Polkinghorne was an English theoretical physicist, theologian, and Anglican priest. A prominent voice explaining the relationship between science and religion, he was Professor of Mathematical Physics at the University of Cambridge from 1968 to 1979, when he resigned his chair to study for the priesthood, becoming an ordained Anglican priest in 1982.
Kto bol John Polkinghorne? Aký bol jeho prínos, niektoré pohľady v oblasti vedy a náboženstva, a jeho posolstvo? ----more---- Prečítajte si túto dávku aj ako článok na SME. Použitá a odporúčaná literatúra: McGrath, ‘John Polkinghorne (1930-2021): The pre-eminent voice on science and religion’, 2021. Polkinghorne, O vede a náboženstve (YouTube) Polkinghorne, Priateľstvo vedy a náboženstva, 2010 (YouTube) Polkinghorne, Science and Religion in Quest of Truth, 2011. Watts, Knight (eds.), God and the Scientist: Exploring the Work of John Polkinghorne, 2012. Súvisiace dávky: PD#137 Vedci a viera, https://bitly.com/davka137 *** Dobré veci potrebujú svoj čas. Staň sa patrónom Tvojho obľúbeného podcastu cez Patreon ❤️ (https://bit.ly/PatreonPD) alebo nás podpor jednorazovo či trvalým príkazom (https://bit.ly/CHCEMpodporit). Ďakujeme!
Today let us give thanks for those who ask questions. For those whose curiosity is unbounded by decorum; who follow hunches to reveal wonders; who dare to bridge the gap between their doubts and a truth they are keen to uncover. A talk dedicated to the late John Polkinghorne, 'one of the most influential figures in the field of science and religion' who recently died, to the young woman whose question to the Archbishop of York in a station coffee queue inspired Stephen Cottrell's book 'Dear England', and informed by Caravaggio's 'The Incredulity of Saint Thomas'. A talk for The Second Sunday of Easter, 11 April 2021. Find the text to this and all my talks at bit.ly/johndavies-talks.
Justin and Ruth present 3 interviews in this week's show. Alister McGrath, Prof of science and religion at Oxford University talks about the life and legacy of physicist-priest John Polkinghorne who has passed away aged 90. Justin also presents a sneak peek of his forthcoming CS Lewis podcast. Shelby Abbott talks about deconstruction and doubt in his latest book 'Doubtless: Because faith is hard’ and Canadian pastor Mark Clark presents his new book 'The Problem of Jesus'. For Alister’s tribute to John Polkinghorne https://www.premierchristianity.com/Blog/John-Polkinghorne-1930-2021-The-pre-eminent-voice-on-science-and-religion For our new C.S. Lewis podcast with Alister https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Weekday/The-CS-Lewis-podcast For Shelby Abbott https://shelbyabbott.com/ For Mark Clark http://www.pastormarkclark.com/books/ For Unbelievable? The Conference 2021 http://www.unbelievable.live For exclusive resources and to support us: USA http://www.premierinsight.org/unbelievableshow Rest of the World: https://resources.premier.org.uk/supportunbelievable For our regular Newsletter https://www.premier.org.uk/Unbelievablenewsletter For more faith debates: http://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable Facebook https://www.facebook.com/UnbelievableJB Twitter https://twitter.com/unbelievablejb Insta https://www.instagram.com/justin.brierley
This week we look at abortion in Northern Ireland, Conversion Therapy, China, the Netherlands, Niger, Brazil, Luis Palau, John Polkinghorne, Murray Walker, Sarah Everard, Cardi Tee, Willie Phillip, its a mad world, arrested for misgendering his daughter, Californian paganism, Masao Yoshia, Hitler's mother, and City Alight's New Song - It is Finished on the Cross. All links on the blog....
"John Polkinghorne said his being a physicist-priest might strike some like being a vegetarian-butcher. But in his writings, speaking, teaching, and ministry, he showed one could affirm the best of both science and theology. John died on March 9, 2021. I was privileged to work with him on several projects, including a book we called The Polkinghorne Reader. It included what he thought was the best excerpts from his various books. Tripp and I talked about his influential work as an open theist in the science-and-religion dialogue. Enjoy as we explore his ground-breaking ideas!" - Thomas Jay Oord Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“John Polkinghorne said his being a physicist-priest might strike some like being a vegetarian-butcher. But in his writings, speaking, teaching, and ministry, he showed one could affirm the best of both science and theology. John died on March 9, 2021. I was privileged to work with him on several projects, including a book we called… Read more about On John Polkinghorne: Creation, Prayer, Miracles, and Time
COSMOS - Perhaps we cannot know the reason for the universe, if there is any. But is it even possible for the universe to have a reason? If yes, how would natural regularities and rules compare with some kind of goal or God? Featuring Alexander Vilenkin, John Polkinghorne, Michael Shermer, Stephen Wolfram, and Stuart Kauffman.
COSMOS - How can so many numbers of nature, the constants and relationships of physics, be so spot-on perfect for humans to exist? Beware: there is more than one answer lurking here. Featuring John Leslie, Steven Weinberg, David Gross, John Polkinghorne, Robin Collins, and Paul Davies.
What is quantum mechanics? What can quantum computers do that classical computers can’t? Has Google achieved quantum supremacy? Robert J. Marks discusses the weird world of quantum mechanics with Dr. Enrique Blair. Show Notes 00:54 | Introducing Dr. Enrique Blair, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Baylor University 03:08 | The history of quantum mechanics 13:16 | Quantum… Source
What is quantum mechanics? What can quantum computers do that classical computers can’t? Has Google achieved quantum supremacy? Robert J. Marks discusses the weird world of quantum mechanics with Dr. Enrique Blair. Show Notes 00:54 | Introducing Dr. Enrique Blair, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Baylor University 03:08 | The history of quantum mechanics 13:16 | Quantum… Source
MEANING - If God exists, and if God ordains history and generates miracles, how does He do it? Fiddle with each and every atom? Command all of them en masse? What possibly could be God's technique? Featuring Robert Russell, John Polkinghorne, Paul Davies, Alvin Plantinga and Ernan McMullin.
Do aliens exist, and if they do are they also at risk of self-annihilation due to destroying their planets? In this episode I look at this question as a "theological thought experiment" through the work of theologian and physicist John Polkinghorne.
On this ID the Future, Stephen Meyer and Oxford University mathematician and thinker John Lennox begin a three-part conversation about Lennox’s upcoming documentary, Against the Tide: Finding God in an Age of Science. As Lennox explains, he grew up as the child of a uniquely non-sectarian Christian family in Northern Ireland, with parents who encouraged him to question broadly, read widely, and respect every person as a creature made in the image of God. He tells of his encounters with C. S. Lewis at Cambridge University, relates a humorous story in which atheist Peter Atkins gave him the title of one of his books, and describes his front-row seat as he watched the scientific atheism of the 1960s transform into Read More › Source
MEANING - God and Time are two huge mysteries; relating them probes the nature of God, and perhaps even the existence of a Creator. If God is in Time and experiences its passage, then how could God have created Time? Also Leibniz's famous question: "Why didn't God create the world sooner?" Featuring Brian Leftow, John Polkinghorne, Ernan McMullin, William Craig, Varadaraja Raman, and Robert Russell.
Vi presenterar en ny serie i podden - "mellansnack" - där vi lägger upp material som är mindre redigerat, oftast inte inspelat i studio, och kortare än våra vanliga avsnitt. Detta avsnitt är en intervju med Andrew Pinsent som är fysiker och präst och forskningsdirektor vid Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion. Denna intervju gjordes i samband med att Pinsent var huvudföreläsare vid en konferens som anordnades av nätverket Kristen i akademin. I intervjun pratar vi om varför Pinsent sadlade om från fysiker till teolog, vad man egentligen gör vid Ian Ramsey Centre och hur man ska förstå relationen mellan naturvetenskap och teologi. Länkar Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion The Science and Religion Debate - An Introduction Artikel av John Polkinghorne, en annan fysiker och teolog, om vetenskap och religion-dialogen. Special Divine Insight: Escaping the Snow Queen's Palace Artikel av Pinsent där han reflekterar över skillnaden mellan kunskap om objekt och kunskap som fås genom Jag-Du-relationer och hur detta kan relatera till frågan om hur Gud kommunicerar med oss. Videoföreläsningen med Andrew Pinsent "The true, the good and the beautiful" as sources of knowledge Andrew Pinsent höll denna föreläsning på konferensen 2-3 oktober på Sigtunastiftelsen som anordnades av "Kristen i akademin".
What are the implications of artificial intelligence on theology? Will AI replace God? Robert J. Marks and Dr. John Lennox discuss artificial intelligence, theology, and Dr. Lennox’s book 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity. Show Notes 00:25 | Introducing Dr. John Lennox, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University 00:57 | The theological implications of artificial intelligence 03:26 Read More › Source
What are the implications of artificial intelligence on theology? Will AI replace God? Robert J. Marks and Dr. John Lennox discuss artificial intelligence, theology, and Dr. Lennox’s book 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity. Show Notes 00:25 | Introducing Dr. John Lennox, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University 00:57 | The theological implications of artificial intelligence 03:26… Source
Host Eric Metaxas welcomes British theoretical physicist Sir John Polkinghorne to this 2003 Socrates in the City event in New York City. Sir Polkinghorne presents on themes from his book BELIEF IN GOD IN AN AGE OF SCIENCE, discussing the collegiality between science and theology and detailing what he refers to as some of the […]
British theoretical physicist Sir John Polkinghorne examines how scientific discoveries of the 20th century, particularly quantum theory and chaos theory, disrupted the “clockwork universe” view of the world that prevailed for about 200 years after Newton. Polkinghorne explores how a world that does not behave in a reliable way, that is described not deterministically but […]
Classically, but also in response to Greta Thunberg’s address to the United Nations, a number of right-wing critics have weaponized the term ‘secular #eschatology,’ accusing climate activists of an illegitimate alarmism that mimics the Christian idea of the rapture. So, in what ways might the climate crisis be considered secular eschatology? And more broadly, what other theological questions should we be asking ourselves when it comes to climate change? Dr. Evan Kuehn is a theologian and academic librarian at North Park University, conducting research around modern religious thought. His forthcoming book is called Troeltsch’s Eschatological Absolute. On this bonus episode of Reversing Climate Change, Evan joins Ross to discuss his recently published article, "Is the Climate Crisis a Secular Eschatology?", introducing us to eschatology as an account of how our world ends and explaining how climate change qualifies as a secular eschatology. Evan offers his take on how Naomi Klein, et al's work ties socioeconomic structure to the eschatological question and describes some of the anxieties we have around the eschaton in connection with climate change. Listen in for Evan’s insight on the theological questions to consider in relationship to the climate crisis, including issues of human belonging and exclusion and our moral obligation to our neighbor. Key Takeaways [1:20] How eschatology is defined Account of how world ends Complete story of history [3:11] How climate change could be a secular eschatology Disappearance of islands, their cultures End of way of life in post-industrial West [5:46] Naomi Klein’s work around climate change Chance to reshape society (Progressive left) Ties socioeconomic structure to eschatological question [7:39] The ambiguity around immanentizing the eschaton Eschaton transcends how do things today If created by human hands, still qualify as eschaton? [9:13] The anxieties around climate change + the eschaton Confuse ultimate with immediate (idolatry of nature) New world may mean moving beyond Christian faith [10:31] How premillennialism differs from postmillennialism Premillennialism = God brings cataclysmic end Postmillennialism = humans pave way to millennium [13:04] The linear vs. cyclical perception of time Social structures condition us to linear Both help us make sense of reality [18:51] Further study on faith traditions + climate change Environmental ethicist David Orr Willa Swenson-Lengyel’s work (hope and moral action) Scientist + theologian John Polkinghorne Creation care [23:21] Evan’s insight on theological ideas to explore further Human moral motivation in response to climate change Nature of humanity in relation to other species Social ramifications (belonging vs. exclusion) Connect with Ross Nori Nori on Facebook Nori on Twitter Nori on Medium Nori on YouTube Nori on GitHub Nori Newsletter Email hello@nori.com Nori White Paper Subscribe on iTunes Carbon Removal Newsroom Resources Dr. Evan Kuehn Evan’s Article on Climate Change & Secular Eschatology Atla Religion Database Left Behind Book Series The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey The Illuminatus Trilogy This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein William F. Buckley David W. Orr Dangerous Years: Climate Change, the Long Emergency, and the Way Forward by David W. Orr Willa Swenson-Lengyel The God of Hope and the End of the World by John Polkinghorne John Polkinghorne Creation Care
What is quantum mechanics? Well, weird. Very weird. The great quantum mechanics pioneer Niels Bohr said: “If quantum mechanics hasn’t profoundly shocked you, you haven’t understood it yet.” How did the study of quantum mechanics come to be? Robert J. Marks discusses quantum mechanics with Dr. Enrique Blair. Show Notes 00:41 | Introducing Dr. Enrique Blair, a professor of electrical Read More › Source
What is quantum mechanics? Well, weird. Very weird. The great quantum mechanics pioneer Niels Bohr said: “If quantum mechanics hasn’t profoundly shocked you, you haven’t understood it yet.” How did the study of quantum mechanics come to be? Robert J. Marks discusses quantum mechanics with Dr. Enrique Blair. Show Notes 00:41 | Introducing Dr. Enrique Blair, a professor of electrical… Source
God and The Big Bang - how does scientific fact fit with belief in God? That's the question we're asking on PRAISE today- in conversation with three scientists who work for 'God and the Big Bang' - a project developed for young people aged 10 and 18, to support the teaching of Evolution, and to give them the opportunity to discover, discuss and debate the compatibility of science and faith. 'God and the Big Bang' gives them the tools they need to form their own opinions, and engage in well-reasoned, thought-provoking discussions about the place of science in God's world. Three key members of the 'God and the Big Bang' project - Dr Matt Pritchard, Sarah Moring and Suzanne Kalka (Project Co ordinator) discuss their schools' work, their own faith - and so much more - PLUS from the PRAISE archive, there's an interview recorded over 20 years ago with Rev'd Dr John Polkinghorne - considered to be one of the finest theologian/scientists of our time, and the recipient of the £1million Templeton Prize for 'an exceptional contribution to affirming life's spiritual dimension' And his subject ? The compatibility of science and faith!
Quantum physics is a funny thing. With counterintuitive ideas such as superposition and entanglement, it doesn't seem to resemble reality as we know it, yet quantum physics is an incredibly successful theory of how the physical world operates. We attended the conference "Quantum Physics and the Nature of Reality" at the University of Oxford in September 2010. We spoke to Andrew Briggs, John Polkinghorne, Nicolas Gisin, David Wallace, Roger Penrose and Andrea Morello about how we can resolve the mysteries of quantum physics with our experience of reality. And we found out why quantum physics is just like riding a bike...
Quantum physics is a funny thing. With counterintuitive ideas such as superposition and entanglement, it doesn't seem to resemble reality as we know it, yet quantum physics is an incredibly successful theory of how the physical world operates. We attended the conference "Quantum Physics and the Nature of Reality" at the University of Oxford in September 2010. We spoke to Andrew Briggs, John Polkinghorne, Nicolas Gisin, David Wallace, Roger Penrose and Andrea Morello about how we can resolve the mysteries of quantum physics with our experience of reality. And we found out why quantum physics is just like riding a bike...
Listen again to the story of Sir John Polkinghorne. He was an eminent physicist who helped discover the quark particle. … Continue reading →
Listen again to the story of Sir John Polkinghorne. He was an eminent physicist who helped discover the quark particle. … Continue reading →
We return to listener questions on whether Hawking was right or wrong to dismiss God as a cause of the universe in his new book "The Grand Design". John Polkinghorne is a theoretical physicist and Anglican Priest in Cambridge. Hugh Ross is a Christian physicist and founder of "Reasons to Believe". They tackle questions on whether the multiverse is really an alternative to God in explaining our fine-tuned universe. What physicists really mean when they say the universe came into being "out of nothing", and whether the massive size of the universe makes our existence insignificant. For Hugh Ross see http://www.reasons.org/resources For John Polkinghorne see http://www.polkinghorne.net/ For more debates and discussions visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the podcast http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or via Itunes Join the discussion at the "Unbelievable?" group of the Premier Community http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable
We return to listener questions on whether Hawking was right or wrong to dismiss God as a cause of the universe in his new book "The Grand Design". John Polkinghorne is a theoretical physicist and Anglican Priest in Cambridge. Hugh Ross is a Christian physicist and founder of "Reasons to Believe". They tackle questions on whether the multiverse is really an alternative to God in explaining our fine-tuned universe. What physicists really mean when they say the universe came into being "out of nothing", and whether the massive size of the universe makes our existence insignificant. For Hugh Ross see http://www.reasons.org/resources For John Polkinghorne see http://www.polkinghorne.net/ For more debates and discussions visit http://www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the podcast http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or via Itunes Join the discussion at the "Unbelievable?" group of the Premier Community http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable
The most recent scientific evidence shows that the universe had to be incredibly "fine tuned" in its fundamental constants to allow life. Is this the ultimate proof of a designer God? Nicholas Beale believes so. He is the co-author of "Questions of truth" (WJK) with Christian physicist John Polkinghorne. Atheist Julian Baggini argues against Nicholas' conclusion. To order "Questions of Truth" go to www.premier.org.uk/shopping For Nicholas Beale see: www.questionsoftruth.org For Julian Baggini see: http://julianbaggini.blogspot.com/ For more Christian/Non-Christian debate visit www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable where you can also get the podcast Join the discussion at the Premier Community
John Polkinghorne has spent more years than we've been alive inhabiting the world of science and faith. He's a theoretical physicist, theologian and Anglican priest. He's been Knighted by the Queen and has received the coveted Templeton Prize for his exceptional contribution to affirming life's spiritual dimension. So who better to ask a few questions about life, the universe and everything?! If you want more from Nomad, check out our website, and follow us on Facebook and twitter If you're looking for other people to share this journey with, then register on our Listener Map, and see if any other nomads are in your area. Nomad can only keep going because a small group of faithful listeners help us pay the bills. If you want to join them, you can make regular donations at Patreon or a one-off or regular donation through PayPal, the links to which you can find on our support page. As a thank you, you'll have access to Nomad Book Club, our online community The Beloved Listener Lounge, and Nomad Devotionals, where we're attempting to reconstruct worship through a creative mix of songs, music, readings, prayers and guest reflections.
Weekly JourneywithJesus.net postings, read by Daniel B. Clendenin. Essay: *Altruism: The World of Nature Points to the Way of Grace* for Sunday, 29 April 2012; book review: *Science and Religion in Quest of Truth* by John Polkinghorne (2011); film review: *A Better Life* (2010); poem review: *The Daffodils* by William Wordsworth.
Samples in this podcast are drawn from 10 of the hour-long episodes in the audioseries "Evolutionary Creation: Conversations at the Leading Edge of Faith." Hosted by Michael Dowd, these conversations feature ten of the most inspiring evangelical (or theologically conservative) thought leaders and esteemed scientists — all of whom embrace the scientific evidence of a cosmos and Earth billions of years old, in which life forms evolved via natural processes. The speakers are: Denis Lamoureux, Ian Barbour, Kenneth Miller, Bill Phillips, Karl Giberson, John Haught, Owen Gingerich, Ted Davis, John Polkinghorne, and Charles Townes. The entire series can be accessed at EvolutionaryCreation.com.
Hundreds of scholars gathered at Pepperdine University June 16-18 for the 31st annual Christian Scholars' Conference. In between lectures, excursions, panel discussions, and more, plenary speakers and internationally recognized thinkers Reverend John Polkinghorne and Ted Peters sat down with Craig Detweiler, director of the Pepperdine Center for Entertainment, Media and Culture, to discuss the perceived gap between science and theology.
Hundreds of scholars gathered at Pepperdine University June 16-18 for the 31st annual Christian Scholars' Conference. In between lectures, excursions, panel discussions, and more, plenary speakers and internationally recognized thinkers Reverend John Polkinghorne and Ted Peters sat down with Craig Detweiler, director of the Pepperdine Center for Entertainment, Media and Culture, to discuss the perceived gap between science and theology.
This unedited interview with John Polkinghorne was recorded in 2005 and is included in our show, “Quarks and Creation.” Science and religion are often pitted against one another; but how do they complement, rather than contradict, one another? Physicist and theologian John Polkinghorne applies the deepest insights of modern physics to think about how the world fundamentally works, and how the universe might make space for prayer. See more at onbeing.org/program/quarks-and-creation/148
Science and religion are often pitted against one another; but how do they complement, rather than contradict, one another? We learn how one man applies the deepest insights of modern physics to think about how the world fundamentally works, and how the universe might make space for prayer.
John Polkinghorne, an Anglican priest who became famous as a young physicist for confirming the existence of quarks and gluons, joins journalist Dean Nelson for a discussion on science and religion in this event sponsored by Point Loma Nazarene University. [Humanities] [Show ID: 19861]
John Polkinghorne, an Anglican priest who became famous as a young physicist for confirming the existence of quarks and gluons, joins journalist Dean Nelson for a discussion on science and religion in this event sponsored by Point Loma Nazarene University. [Humanities] [Show ID: 19861]
John Polkinghorne, an Anglican priest who became famous as a young physicist for confirming the existence of quarks and gluons, joins journalist Dean Nelson for a discussion on science and religion in this event sponsored by Point Loma Nazarene University. [Humanities] [Show ID: 19861]
2001/04/27. Argues for friendship and dialogue - not conflict - between science and religion, discussing the intelligibility of a fine-tuned universe as pointing toward God. John Polkinghorne, Particle Physicist and Theologian.
2001/04/27. Argues for friendship and dialogue - not conflict - between science and religion, discussing the intelligibility of a fine-tuned universe as pointing toward God. John Polkinghorne, Particle Physicist and Theologian.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history of thought about space, and examines whether cyberspace has introduced a new concept of space in our world or if its roots are in Einsteinian physics. It would have seemed extraordinary to Dante or Newton, from their different perspectives, that at the end of the 20th century there would be learned scholars who would find no place for religion in the great schemes of thought and belief. In the 20th century our notions of physical space have been revolutionised. Einstein said that space was not a separate entity; we've probed and explored the outer reaches of our physical space with space flight, powerful telescopes and theoretical physics. But in the last 20 years, with the birth of the Internet, a virtual form of space has been introduced to us - cyberspace - where people can meet and communicate ideas; you sit at home, punch the keys and you can rove all over the world - the keyboard becomes a magic carpet. But does cyberspace introduce a new concept of space in our world? Or does it really have its roots in Einsteinian physics and even in Medieval theologyAccording to the science writer Margaret Wertheim, cyberspace - life on the surfing internet - gives us not only virtual reality, but a soul. Dr John Polkinghorne, the distinguished physicist and ordained priest in the C of E, is not happy with this news, but he does believe that religion is not destroyed by the new technology, and that latest theories in physics reinforce it. With The Reverend Dr John Polkinghorne, Fellow of Queen's College, Cambridge and Canon Theologian of Liverpool; Margaret Wertheim, science writer and author of The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace: A History of Space from Dante to the Internet.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history of thought about space, and examines whether cyberspace has introduced a new concept of space in our world or if its roots are in Einsteinian physics. It would have seemed extraordinary to Dante or Newton, from their different perspectives, that at the end of the 20th century there would be learned scholars who would find no place for religion in the great schemes of thought and belief. In the 20th century our notions of physical space have been revolutionised. Einstein said that space was not a separate entity; we’ve probed and explored the outer reaches of our physical space with space flight, powerful telescopes and theoretical physics. But in the last 20 years, with the birth of the Internet, a virtual form of space has been introduced to us - cyberspace - where people can meet and communicate ideas; you sit at home, punch the keys and you can rove all over the world - the keyboard becomes a magic carpet. But does cyberspace introduce a new concept of space in our world? Or does it really have its roots in Einsteinian physics and even in Medieval theologyAccording to the science writer Margaret Wertheim, cyberspace - life on the surfing internet - gives us not only virtual reality, but a soul. Dr John Polkinghorne, the distinguished physicist and ordained priest in the C of E, is not happy with this news, but he does believe that religion is not destroyed by the new technology, and that latest theories in physics reinforce it. With The Reverend Dr John Polkinghorne, Fellow of Queen’s College, Cambridge and Canon Theologian of Liverpool; Margaret Wertheim, science writer and author of The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace: A History of Space from Dante to the Internet.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history of thought about space, and examines whether cyberspace has introduced a new concept of space in our world or if its roots are in Einsteinian physics. It would have seemed extraordinary to Dante or Newton, from their different perspectives, that at the end of the 20th century there would be learned scholars who would find no place for religion in the great schemes of thought and belief. In the 20th century our notions of physical space have been revolutionised. Einstein said that space was not a separate entity; we’ve probed and explored the outer reaches of our physical space with space flight, powerful telescopes and theoretical physics. But in the last 20 years, with the birth of the Internet, a virtual form of space has been introduced to us - cyberspace - where people can meet and communicate ideas; you sit at home, punch the keys and you can rove all over the world - the keyboard becomes a magic carpet. But does cyberspace introduce a new concept of space in our world? Or does it really have its roots in Einsteinian physics and even in Medieval theologyAccording to the science writer Margaret Wertheim, cyberspace - life on the surfing internet - gives us not only virtual reality, but a soul. Dr John Polkinghorne, the distinguished physicist and ordained priest in the C of E, is not happy with this news, but he does believe that religion is not destroyed by the new technology, and that latest theories in physics reinforce it. With The Reverend Dr John Polkinghorne, Fellow of Queen’s College, Cambridge and Canon Theologian of Liverpool; Margaret Wertheim, science writer and author of The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace: A History of Space from Dante to the Internet.
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