Monday 10 March 2024, 10.30am
Columba’s by the Castle, or else on Zoom
TOPIC: fact-checking and reliable sources of information
CONTACT: Colin Brockie or David de Pomerai if you wish to attend in person or on Zoom
All posts by Robin
Science is not as straightforward as some people think it is
Hosted by Stig Graham
Dates: 18 March 2025
Time: 7 PM London
The theme of the evening lacks a good title as yet (please send it to me if you think of one) but the premise is that science is not as straightforward as some people think it is, This stems from the number of conversations I have had over the years with people who insist they are atheists, and don’t do religion, because they believe in science, they trust data and facts. How I respond professionally as scientist, chaplain and priest is one thing, but inside my head is another thought stream altogether.
One embedded assumption seems to be that science flexes and changes with new data and new understandings whereas, clearly to them, religion does not. To me neither is a given.
Hopefully, it will be fun to explore how we change our minds or resist doing so either scientifically or theologically, or any other context that seems relevant.
Max Planck suggested that science advances one funeral a time, and “a new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.”
Humboldt didn’t help with his observation that, “There are three stages of scientific discovery: first people deny it is true; then they deny it is important; finally, they credit the wrong person.”
Zoom details TBD, contact Stig Graham for information.
Tele-Compline UK Province
1st Thursday of the Month 20:15 UK Time
(login details can be found at the bottom of the digital prayer card)
Tele-Compline North America
3rd Thursday of the Month 20:00 East Coast (US) Time
(login details can be found at the bottom of the digital prayer card)
Monday 18 November 2024, 10.30am
Columba’s by the Castle, or else on Zoom
TOPIC: an opportunity for us to explore the issues around science and religion from a different faith perspective
GUEST SPEAKER: Shoaib Malik, Science and Religion Masters programme at New College
CONTACT: Colin Brockie or David de Pomerai if you wish to attend in person or on Zoom
God and the Machine: God, Tech, and the Care of Creation
Hosted by Lee Barford
Dates: 23 November & 7 December 2024
Time: 6 PM London | 1 PM EST | 10 AM PST
Humanity is called to be stewards of the Earth, not rulers. Over the past 200 years,
technology has enhanced human flourishing but at great environmental cost.
This two-part event explores the interplay of theology, environmental science, and
technology to address how humanity can reduce its environmental impact while
continuing to thrive. Our panelists will discuss key questions such as
– Can technology help reduce our environmental footprint?
– What can we expect from the already irreversible impacts of our past choices?
– How does our Christian duty to care for the Earth fit into our faith and practice?
– What more can we do?
Registration: http://www.sswsj.org/god-and-the-machine-2024.html
Digital meeting with Ivan Bespalov in Kiev
Hosted by Stig Graham
Wednesday 30th October at 7 pm
Joining instructions available from Colin Brockie or Stig Graham.
Southern Chapter October 2024
1 October 2024
Speaker: The Reverend John Kerr
St Stephen’s Rochester Row
Coffee at 11am
Talk 11.30am
Eucharist 12.30pm, presiding, Revd. Graham Buckle
Lunch 1.30pm
Close 2.30pm
Optional pub
The Genesis Distortion: agnosticism and creation
SYNOPSIS: We engage in the so-called “culture wars” on an entirely mistaken premise; that there is one Biblical creation account “The Biblical Creation story”, and it is found in the first couple of chapters in Genesis. On that false assumption, a vast inverted pyramid of doctrine is balanced. There are at least seven vastly different Biblical creation accounts in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament, as some still call it). In today’s brief presentation and discussion, we shall examine perhaps three of them, and see how our teaching has been skewed by the Genesis distortion.
Annual Gathering 2024
18th June to 20th June 2024
Launde Abbey, Launde Road, Launde, Leicestershire, LE7 9XB
Speaker: Nicholas Spencer. Nick is Senior Fellow at Theos
Nick Spencer is the author of a number of books and reports, including ‘Magisteria: the entangled histories of science and religion’ (Oneworld, 2023), The Political Samaritan: how power hijacked a parable (Bloomsbury, 2017), The Evolution of the West (SPCK, 2016) and Atheists: The Origin of the Species (Bloomsbury, 2014). He is host of the podcast Reading Our Times. Outside of Theos, Nick is Visiting Research Fellow at the Faiths and Civil Society Unit, Goldsmiths, University of London and a Fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion. He tweets @theosnick
Annual Gathering 2023
13th June to 15th June
Hinsley Hall, Leeds LS6 2BX
Speaker: Revd. Mark Bratton
He will be inviting us to reflect on the fascinating and complex interplay of ethics and theology with the rapidly advancing scientific and medical innovations of the modern day, and the challenges they bring.
Mark did his PhD at Warwick University explored judicial understandings of autonomy in ethically-contentious medical law cases. Following a short career as a barrister, which included a stint as a project research assistant at the Law Commission
Society of Ordained Scientists 