Lecture To Explore Science and Religion

One of the world’s leading experts on science and religion will speak at Westmont, Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 3:30 p.m. in Hieronymus Lounge. Denis Alexander is head of the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, supervising research in molecular genetics, and director of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion at St. Edmund’s College at Cambridge University.

Jeff Schloss, Westmont biology professor, says the topic of science and religion has been getting a tremendous amount of media attention.

“For several decades, we’ve had the abortion issue,” says Schloss. “Now, we have stem cells, personality-tailoring drugs, intelligent design, genetic engineering, and questions of environmental stewardship. Evangelicals have even weighed in on the global warming debate. Most recently we’ve had a bunch of scientific theories of religion.

“These are huge issues with a lot of disagreements. We need voices of reason and graciousness.”

Alexander is editor of the journal Science & Christian Belief and author of the critically acclaimed book, “Rebuilding the Matrix: Science and Faith in the 21st Century.”

“He wants to move beyond the battle between extremes on these issues,” says Schloss. “He’s a moderating voice. He will be honoring the contribution that both science and religion makes.

“He’s going to give people tools for coming to their own answers rather than giving them the answer.”

Alexander was an open scholar at Oxford before earning his doctorate in neurochemistry at the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London. He spent 15 years in academic positions in the Middle East before returning to the United Kingdom to work at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. Alexander currently runs a research group in cancer and immunology at the Babraham Institute and is Director of Faraday Institute for Science and Religion at St. Edmund's College, Cambridge University.

The event is sponsored by the Pascal Society and is free and open to the public.