Science and Religion Study Group

Monday, September 20, 2010, 7:15 PM in the Davies Room

As with some of our meetings last year, the Science & Religion Study Group will be viewing a DVD.  Dr. Bob Russell of the CTNS in Berkeley presents "Science & Theology in Creative Interaction."  He explores a variety of topics on the frontier of the creative interaction between science and Christian theology with particular focus on Big Bang cosmology and neo-Darwinian evolution.  You may recall Dr. Russell surveys from his presentations in February of 2008. 

In the first (overview) lecture, Dr. Russell surveys five key issues in theology and science.  Starting with Einstein's Big Bang cosmology, he asks whether an absolute beginning of the universe at "t=0" and the cosmic fine-tuning of the laws and constants of nature support belief in God.  Other topics are theistic evolution, the challenge of suffering in the evolution of life, and the future of the universe.

Russell then explores the subtle roles played by philosophy and theology in the construction of scientific cosmology ranging from the Newtonian universe to Einstein's Big Bang and its competitor in the 1950's - 1960's: Hoyle's steady state cosmology.  A variety of theological interpretations of the significance of Big Bang cosmology for Christian faith are discussed.

Dr. Russell is the Ian G. Barbour Professor of Theology and Science at the CTNS in Berkeley.