The following videos are a great discussion about many of the issues that Christian apologists are concerned with by three Oxford professors deeply involved in mathematics, microbiology, theology and philosophy. All of these disciplines raise questions in our time that concern the Christian worldview, and are very hotly contested by scientists of other wordviews, particularly atheists. They are all Christians who articulate their views very well, and the interviewer himself is a distinguished educator who asks all the right questions.
Often there seems to be an unspoken resistance within the evangelical community to be prepared to speak to our culture in terms of science and philosophy. The inaction of the Western church at a grass roots level in this regard has come at a heavy price. Today churchgoers are treated with quiet contempt and derision by the average person of the street, feeling that science, rationality and postmodernity have finally put paid to absolutes- and the idea of one religion being true for all, is to them both arrogant and preposterous.
Not only are we paying the price of a timid and entrenched Church hardly willing to peep out of our collective foxholes, but also the price of our silence has emboldened the academia of the scientific world in their claims to having a monopoly on truth. In the strident quest for domination of knowledge they are not merely taking up the slack, but they wish to extend the borders of their influence into all domains.
Contrary to popular conception on both sides, science is not antithetical to faith, nor is faith anti-science, people who practice good science also tend to be good thinkers in general- but this is not universal. Where the lines ought to be drawn is when scientists claim that only science can give true knowldedge of reality.
Often there seems to be an unspoken resistance within the evangelical community to be prepared to speak to our culture in terms of science and philosophy. The inaction of the Western church at a grass roots level in this regard has come at a heavy price. Today churchgoers are treated with quiet contempt and derision by the average person of the street, feeling that science, rationality and postmodernity have finally put paid to absolutes- and the idea of one religion being true for all, is to them both arrogant and preposterous.
Not only are we paying the price of a timid and entrenched Church hardly willing to peep out of our collective foxholes, but also the price of our silence has emboldened the academia of the scientific world in their claims to having a monopoly on truth. In the strident quest for domination of knowledge they are not merely taking up the slack, but they wish to extend the borders of their influence into all domains.
Contrary to popular conception on both sides, science is not antithetical to faith, nor is faith anti-science, people who practice good science also tend to be good thinkers in general- but this is not universal. Where the lines ought to be drawn is when scientists claim that only science can give true knowldedge of reality.
Paul Feyerabend (1924 – 1994) was an Austrian-born philosopher of science best known for his work as a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley, where he worked for three decades (1958–1989). He lived at various times in England, the United States, New Zealand, Italy, Germany, and finally Switzerland
Feyerabend described science as being essentially anarchistic, obsessed with its own mythology, and as making claims to truth well beyond its actual capacity. He was especially indignant about the condescending attitudes of many scientists towards alternative traditions.(Wikipedia)
In his remonstration against what he sees as the exorbitant claims of scientists committed to philosophical naturalism (Reason in the Balance: The Case Against Naturalism in Science, Law & Education, 1995) Phillip E Johnson quotes Paul Feyerbend :
"Scientists are not content with running their own playpens in accordance with what they regard as the rules of the scientific method, they want to universalize those rules, they want them to become part of society at large, and they use every means at their disposal -- argument, propaganda, pressure tactics, intimidation, lobbying -- to achieve their aims."Johnson again:
"Samuel Johnson gave the best answer to this absurd imperialism: 'A cow is a very good animal in the field; but we turn her out of a garden.' "For further comment on scientific pretenstions see the review on David Berlinski's book here.
This is the first part of a two part documentary filmed over several episodes.
I highly reccomend them.
I highly reccomend them.
And here is the second part of the series. I am thrilled to provide another source for watching these staunch and erudite defenders of the faith- be empowered!
