Professor John Lennox at Eden Court

(Please pray that those who attended this event holding a different point of view will have hearts open to what they heard.)

UPDATE

Click here for update including link to recording of the lecture.

Monday, 27 October, 2008 at 4.30pm

The third and final lecture of the UHI Public Lecture series on science and religion will be given by Dr. John Lennox. Dr. Lennox, author of “God’s Undertaker: has science buried God?” will present a response to Professor Richard Dawkins who spoke at the same venue in April 2008.

Following the Prof. Dawkins event there was considerable debate on the Christians Together web site which included contributions from and engagement with atheists. It remains to be seen whether those who avidly follow Dawkins will be keen to hear an alternative viewpoint.
As the book of Proverbs tells us:
"The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him."

Prov 18:17

You might want to take a friend to this meeting (for which there is no charge). And if you wish to refresh your memory on the arguments for creationism have a look at Answers in Genesis.

Meanwhile Dave Hunt of The Berean Call writes:

Textbook examples of evolution often evaporate when researchers actually study them (instead of just assuming they are true).

For example, the peacock's tail did not evolve to please hen birds; hens don't notice them much. The allegedly yummy Viceroy butterfly did not evolve to look like the bad-tasting Monarch (both insects taste bad). The eyespots on butterflies' wings did not evolve to scare birds by resembling the eyes of their predators. Birds avoid brightly patterned insects, period. They don't care whether the patterns resemble eyes. Similarly, the famous "peppered moth" of textbook fame has devolved into a peppered myth, featuring book-length charges and countercharges.

And remember that row of vertebrate embryos in your textbook years ago? It was dubbed in the journal Science one of the "most famous fakes" in biology-because the embryos don't really look very similar. And Darwin's majestic Tree of Life? It's now a tangleweed, or maybe several of them.

We seldom see evolution happening. Michael Behe's Edge of Evolution (2007) notes that for decades scientists have observed many thousands of generations of bacteria in the lab. And how did they evolve?

Well, they didn't. Worse, when evolution is occasionally observed (and widely trumpeted), it often heads the wrong way. For example, bacteria evolve antibiotic resistance by junking intricate machinery, not by creating it. Cave fish lose their eyes. But we don't need a theory for how intricate machinery gets wrecked. We need a theory for how it originates and how it develops quite suddenly. Evolution, as we understand it today, apparently isn't that theory.

We aren't going to improve science education by teaching Darwinian fairy tales.

This is a ticket-only event. Tickets are free and are available from:
The Eden Court Box Office Tel 01463 234 234).

Dr John Lennox is a graduate of Emmanuel College, Cambridge where took his doctorate in 1970. Then for 29 years he was Reader in Pure Mathematics at the University of Wales from where he has a DSc. Now he is a Research Fellow in Mathematics and the Philosophy of Science and Pastoral Advisor at Green College, Oxford. He also holds a degree in bioethics. John has lectured extensively in Europe, both Western and Eastern, including many visits to Russia as a guest of the Academy of Science.

John has a keen interest in the interface of Theology, Philosophy and Science, and lectures on these issues at Wycliffe Hall and at the University of Oxford. Among other works, he is author of Hat die Wissenschaft Gott begraben? (Has Science Buried God? 2002, Brockhaus), and Informetika (2003, Harmat). He is co-author, with David Gooding, of a number of books including Christianity: Opium or Truth?, The Bible and Moral Education and The Definition of Christianity, each of which has been published in a number of languages. As a Senior Fellow of the Trinity Forum he also acts regularly as Course Moderator for their conferences in Europe. He and his wife Sally live near Oxford and have three grown up children, Rachel, Jonathan and Benjamin, and two grandchildren.

Recording of the Lennox lecture

On the evening of the lecture, there was a problem at the outset with the microphone system in the auditorium. This was resolved after a few minutes delay; and Dr. Lennox's talk proceeded. Unfortunately the opening sentence is missing but what has been recorded has now (mid November) appeared on the UHI web site.

You can hear what has been made available by <clicking on this link>.

Comment:

It is a pity that the talk by Dr. Lennox does not appear to have benefitted from the same level of recording (audio only) and prominence as the earlier Richard Dawkins lecture (which can be found in full as a 4-part video on the UHI web site).

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Christians Together, 16/10/2008

Feedback:

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	D'Arcy (Guest)	16/10/2008 19:21
"John has a keen interest in the interface of Theology, Philosophy and Science," Theology and philosophy certainly have an interface. Science on the other hand, deals only with naturalistic evidence. Humankind has learnt more knowledge over the last 400 years or so by using the scientific method than all the religions of the world combined, have ever contributed, over the history and pre-history of humans.
	scottishgeologist (Guest)	16/10/2008 22:57
I notice that this web page contains a link to AiG. "And if you wish to refresh your memory on the arguments for creationism have a look at Answers in Genesis." AiG is unashamedly Young Earth Creationist. Is John Lennox a YEC? Does he endorse it? There is a review of Lennox's book "Gods Undertaker" by a Discovery Institute member here: http://www.discovery.org/a/4403 The review makes it clear that Lennox demolishes Darwinism. So presumably, he is not a theistic evolutionist. It is clear that he is big on ID and "irreducible complexity" Will he tell us how old he thinks the earth is?
	UHI Press Release (Guest)	20/10/2008 17:53
New atheism challenger to deliver UHI lecture: Professor John Lennox will argue the case for God Scientist and “unashamed” Christian Professor John Lennox will defend religion against the march of so-called new atheism when he delivers a free public lecture for UHI, the prospective University of the Highlands and Islands, at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, next Monday (27th October). John Lennox, who is professor of mathematics at the University of Oxford and a fellow in mathematics and philosophy of science at Oxford’s Green Templeton College, intends to counter the arguments of leading new atheist Professor Richard Dawkins who gave a UHI lecture in April. He is concerned that the new atheist movement of high-profile figures like Richard Dawkins dominates public thinking and believes this is partly due to the anti-intellectual stance taken by some Christians who feel threatened by the argument. “Public space is occupied by one viewpoint and it is not healthy for people to believe there is no credible alternative. My job is to put the other side in rational and friendly debate so that people can decide for themselves,” Professor Lennox said. He added: “The issues I will be discussing are – has science buried God; is all religion dangerous, and can we develop morality without God? I maintain that the new atheism is not supported by science, reason or morality, and the idea that human problems will be solved by the abandonment of all religion is simplistic in the extreme.” Professor Lennox, who is conducting a second live debate with Professor Dawkins in Oxford this week, said it was world view, and not science, which divided the two. His appearance in Inverness next week will close a three-part series of theology and science lectures organised by UHI. In June, the Rev Professor Andrew McGowan, principal of Highland Theological College UHI in Dingwall and Church of Scotland minister, talked about the importance of theology in a modern university at his inaugural lecture. Professor Lennox tours the world discussing the relationship between science and the existence of God. His most recent book, “God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?” (Oxford Lion-Hudson 2007) has been published in a number of languages. ============ Further info contact: Glenda Johnson UHI media and PR officer Tel. 01463 279222 Glenda.johnson@uhi.ac.uk
	Andrea Mac	20/10/2008 21:18
Can anyone tell me if this event is going to be recorded? There's no way of me being able to be there but I would buy a DVD if one was available.
	Editor	21/10/2008 09:56
It seems that the plan is to make an audio recording of the lecture and then (subject to Dr. Lennox's approval) make it available on the UHI web site. There are no plans to make a visual recording or to produced (DVD/CD) disks.

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