Dr Peter J Bussey

(University of Glasgow)

Monday 20th July, 7.30 – 8.45 pm

Trinity Meeting Place, Holy Trinity Church

Essex Street, Norwich, NR2 2BJ

When believing scientists try to explain the basis for their religious faith, they frequently find themselves outside their normal comfort zone of observable “facts” and testable “hypotheses”. This dilemma – at the boundary between science and religion - is explored by Dr Peter Bussey, an experimental physicist with a Christian faith who has recently been involved in the search for the Higgs Boson particle.

In a lecture/discussion to be held on 20^th July, Dr Bussey will argue that scientists must distinguish between mystery and ignorance. Ignorance simply represents a gap in scientific knowledge that could, in principle, be plugged by further discovery. Mystery, on the other hand, goes beyond the boundaries of science and rationality. How should Christians and scientists respond to feelings of mystery, awe and wonder? We must also allow for the possibility of anomalies where something new or rare, such as miracles, might happen. Boundaries and anomalies suggest the existence of a reality beyond the grasp of science. Can this broader framework provide a satisfactory basis for a Christian faith?

The open meeting will take place on Monday 20^th July, 7.30pm – 8.45 pm at The Meeting Place, Holy Trinity Church, Essex Street NR2 2BJ. It is organised by “Science and Faith in Norfolk” (SFN) a group of scientists and theologians aiming to explore the relationship between Science and Faith from a Christian perspective.

All are welcome, no booking is required. There is a (voluntary) retiring collection to cover costs.