Themes
Each event and forum discussion is intended to follow a particular theme. The first
is Cosmology and Theology as below. Others under consideration are also given.
Click on a heading to reveal a brief exposition on the science/christian
faith issues. Click elsewhere to hide.
Cosmology and Theology
How did the Universe
begin and how has it
evolved? Does a scientific
explanation mean that we
can do without God? Why
are the laws of nature so
special (so”fine tuned”) as
to produce a universe with
intelligent creatures in it?
Can God interfere with His
laws of nature?
Bioethics and Genetics
What are the ethical challenges facing our
generation involving embryo research,
stem cell research, cloning, genetic
engineering, gene therapy,
pharmacogenomics, cybernetics and
nanotechnology? To what extent does the
use of human embryos for research
violates basic ethical norms for research
done on human beings, and how there are
ethical alternatives to using human
embryos in research? What does it mean
to be human, what it is to be a person?
What is human worth and dignity in light
of these new technologies? What is a
Christian response to these advances in
medicine and biology?
Environmental sustainability and climate change
Is the way we live, in particular the way we use
materials and generate and use energy, no longer
environmentally or socially sustainable? What
does the Bible have to say regarding man’s
responsibility for God’s given earth? What is the
Christian response to these trends both
imperative and distinctive? What can be done at
the personal, community, national and international
levels to make sustainable living a reality?
Science & Faith
Are science and faith two
incompatible approaches to
understanding the world
and our role and purpose in
it? Where is the conflict
and where are grounds for
mutual enrichment? Where
and how can we find
wisdom as well as
knowledge? Can there be a
‘Theology of Science’?
Neuroscience and consciousness
What is the relationship between mind,
brain and soul? Is Faith a delusion?
Advances in neuroscience raise ethical,
social and legal issues in relation to the
human person and the brain. What are the
pros and cons of applying neuroimaging,
psychopharmacology and neurotechnology
to mentally ill and healthy persons? What
are the social and cultural consequences of
technologies that enable humans to
manipulate their own minds? What impact
will neuroscience have on our self-
understanding and our concept of humans in
general? Are we facing an age of a
‘technology of consciousnesses?
Creation and evolution
Where and how did life originate? Is
it the outcome of an accident in the
evolution of the earth, or is there
evidence of design? How do we or can
we interpret the biblical account of
creation? Is this account compatible
with the findings of science or is it
just symbolism? How can we reconcile
the evolutionary process with God’s
plan of salvation.
Emergence and chaotic systems
Many people have a very outdated picture of what science
tells us about the world. They think of it as a clockwork
world. In reality the world is extremely complex and
chaotic, governed by non-linear dynamics, where chaotic
systems emerge to produce orderly and novel, unpredictable
outcomes. Does God use chance to allow new forms of life
and organisation to emerge? Does nature use chaos
constructively to provide biological systems with access to
new forms of novelty? What role does man’s free will play?
Is it God’s purpose to use a combination of laws and chance
to make possible an ordered universe capable of developing
within itself new modes of existence? What signs are there
of God’s divine action in the world?
