From the moment early microscopes unveiled a hidden world of exquisite complexity in the 16th century, and the first telescopes revealed the vast splendour of the heavens in the 17th, scientific discovery has continually expanded our sense of wonder. Each new window into the natural world has brought not only advances in knowledge but also profound theological and philosophical questions.
Today, the sciences continue to push the boundaries of the observable—from the subatomic realm to the furthest edges of the cosmos. These explorations invite renewed reflection on creation, purpose, and the place of humanity within an ever‑deepening picture of reality. They also open fresh opportunities for constructive dialogue between scientific inquiry and religious thought.
This conference will explore how contemporary understandings of both the minute and the immense prompt theological engagement, shape religious imagination, and offer new possibilities for integrating scientific insight with faith traditions. Bringing together scholars from diverse disciplines, we will examine how science and religion can meaningfully converse in light of discoveries that challenge, enrich, and inspire.
Confirmed Keynote Speakers:
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Prof John Barton, Emeritus University of Oxford: The innumerable in the religious thought of the Hebrew Bible: In Genesis God promises to Abraham descendants more numerous ‘than the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore’. Hebrew culture seems to have expressed the ideas for which we use terms such as ‘infinite’ and ‘infinitesimal’ by drawing an analogy with objects too many to count or too fine-grained to form a unity. This was not distinctive as a way of describing observed reality, but it came to be applied creatively to an understanding of the divine that coheres with later Jewish and Christian monotheism, by insisting that God is incomparable and outside everything measurable. In time this yielded important paradoxes, such as that divine ‘weakness’ is a form of strength, which feeds into the ‘kenotic’ (self-emptying)’ idea of God, who ‘emptied himself’ according to St Paul (Philippians 2) in order to become human, ‘lower than the lowest that can be imagined’. In some strains of Jewish thought it promoted the doctrine of divine contraction (tsimtsum), which says that God had to ‘breathe in’ to make enough space for the created world. Less is more, as we might put it today! Thus reflecting on an everyday idiom led thinkers in early Judaism and Christianity to see ‘innumerability’ as a key to sophisticated theological ideas. Theology often advances through the imaginative use of metaphor and analogy, even by paying attention to what may seem, as here, to be quite casual turns of phrase. (Participants in this session may find it helpful to bring a small Bible.)
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Dr. Jennifer Wiseman, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center: From Light to Planets: A Universe Poised for Life: Modern telescopes are unveiling the universe with unprecedented sensitivity, utilizing many wavelengths of light, sensitive detectors, and innovative techniques to probe far back in cosmic space and time. The astounding findings show a universe with primitive galaxies early-on, followed by active galaxy growth, generations of stars, and eventually countless star systems with planets and the elements needed for life. I will present some of the latest astronomical findings of the distant and local universe, and then discuss how the recent burst of exoplanet discoveries is fueling a resurgence of ancient questions that reach beyond the realm of science alone, such as: Are we alone in the universe? Is there a Purpose for the universe? Is life on Earth significant? How would life beyond Earth relate to God? And how is the self-perception of humanity impacted by searching for life elsewhere in the universe?
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Prof. Mark Harris, University of Oxford: Why was God determined to create quantum mechanics?: Quantum indeterminacy has been a gift for theologians. Classical Newtonian physics was widely supposed to create insuperable problems for belief in divine action and human free will owing to its rigid determinism. But the development of quantum mechanics in the twentieth century saved the day: quantum indeterminacy, in particular, appears to throw the future wide open to divine influence again (not to mention human self-determination). But what exactly is quantum indeterminacy, and is it really such a lifeline for theism? I will raise some of the problems which are often overlooked in theological accounts, but will go on to flag up my wider interest, which is to ask what quantum indeterminacy tells us about God the creator, if it is taken seriously.
Approximate running times BST:
15th May: 12noon - 5:30pm
16th May: 9:30am - 2pm
In addition to keynote papers the conference will host a selection of short papers. All are welcome to attend including scholars, researchers, practitioners, and students working at the intersection of science, theology, and philosophy of religion.
The conference will engage with topics such as:
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The Very Small: Subatomic Physics, Quantum Phenomena, and Theological Reflection
How do contemporary understandings of quantum reality, particle physics, or emergent complexity influence theological anthropology, divine action, or metaphysical models? -
The Very Large: Cosmology, Astrophysics, and Questions of Creation
What religious questions arise from current models of cosmic origins, multiverse theories, dark matter and energy, or the expanding universe? -
Aesthetics, Wonder, and the Scientific Imagination
How might the beauty, intricacy, and apparent fine‑tuning of the natural world inspire new forms of theological wonder, spirituality, or liturgical expression? -
Interdisciplinary Opportunities for Dialogue Between Science and Faith
In what ways can emerging scientific fields—such as astrobiology, AI, systems biology, or neuroscience—open fresh pathways for constructive engagement with religious traditions?