A Collection of Resources and Talks on the topic of Science and Faith

Based on a six part series of talks, focused on a diverse range of topics, held in the city of Birmingham in 2022.

Resources

Based on the original talks, we’ve created a series of free study materials related to each of the talks broken up into multiple parts to help guide and support discussion.

The study materials are designed for use by church study groups / small groups or for private study. Each study comprises a series of video clips followed by some questions for discussion. The studies are intended to last between 60-75 minutes. You may wish to use the whole suite of six studies for a course on science and its relationship with the Christian faith, or because of the diverse range of topics covered, select those subjects and/or speakers which interest you.

Resources Overview
Session 1
Prof John Lennox
Can Science Explain Everything?
Session 1
Prof John Lennox

This talk challenges the widely held view that science can explain everything, and that there is no place for faith in God. Read More

Session 1
Prof John Lennox
Session 2
Dr Ruth Valerio
Why Climate Change Matters
Session 2
Dr Ruth Valerio

This talk explains why climate change matters especially to Christians and explores what we must do to combat its impact. Read More

Session 2
Dr Ruth Valerio
Session 3
Dr Sharon Dirckx
Am I Just My Brain?
Session 3
Dr Sharon Dirckx

Explore with Sharon Dirckx a challenge to the popular view that says human beings are nothing more than their brains. Read More

Session 3
Dr Sharon Dirckx
Session 4
Rev Prof John Swinton
Spirituality And Mental Health
Session 4
Rev Prof John Swinton

Spirituality and science are not in opposition, rather they are two different ways of seeing the world and both are valid. Read More

Session 4
Rev Prof John Swinton
Session 5
Prof Glynn Harrison
Making Sense Of Our Identity In A 21st Century World
Session 5
Prof Glynn Harrison

This talk unravels the contemporary ‘self project’ to show how the Christian faith provides a more reliable basis for understanding human identity. Read More

Session 5
Prof Glynn Harrison
Session 6
Prof Keith Fox
Do Scientists Have The Right To Change Our Genes?
Session 6
Prof Keith Fox

Are we predetermined by our genes? This talk raises some of the moral and religious questions that arise from genetic engineering. Read More

Session 6
Prof Keith Fox

Speakers

Speakers
Prof John Lennox
University of Oxford
Prof John Lennox
University of Oxford

John Lennox is highly regarded, both as an academic and a Christian thinker.

University of Oxford
Dr Ruth Valerio
Tearfund
Dr Ruth Valerio
Tearfund

Ruth Valerio is an environmentalist, theologian, social activist, and author, and is the Global Advocacy and Influencing Director for Tearfund.

Tearfund
Dr Sharon Dirckx
OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics
Dr Sharon Dirckx
OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics

Dr. Sharon Dirckx is a speaker and author and adjunct lecturer at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. .

OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics
Rev Prof John Swinton
University of Aberdeen
Rev Prof John Swinton
University of Aberdeen

John Swinton is a registered mental health nurse and professor of divinity and religious studies at the University of Aberdeen.

University of Aberdeen
Prof Glynn Harrison
University of Bristol
Prof Glynn Harrison
University of Bristol

Glynn Harrison, is Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Bristol, where he was a practicing consultant psychiatrist and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry.

University of Bristol
Prof Keith Fox
University of Southampton
Prof Keith Fox
University of Southampton

Keith Fox is Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Southampton where he has previously been Head of the Centre for Biological Sciences.

University of Southampton

About These Talks:

Many people hold the view that science and the Christian faith have nothing to say to each other. In fact, some hold that science has ‘killed’ God, so making the Christian faith irrelevant to we who live in the 21st century.

These talks were given in Birmingham (UK) during 2022 as part of the Science and Faith in the Second City project which was administered by the charity ChaplaincyPlus and funded by a grant from the Scientists in Congregations project from the University of Durham (UK).