Online Zoom talk and discussion.
Contact Nick Brewin for Zoom link on sfnnorfolk1@gmail.com
Professor Bob White FRS
Director of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, Cambridge.
Monday 22nd June 7.30 – 8.45 pm
Plagues and pandemics have afflicted human societies throughout the ages. Professor White will describe how the complementary perspectives of science and faith have often provided comfort and relief in periods of extreme distress and social disruption. Using historical examples, he will show how Christian theology and practice has motivated those involved with caring for the sick and dying. It has also been the driving force for many researchers in medicine and science when trying to find solutions to the global challenges of disease and suffering.
Pandemics are frightening. They can spread unseen through a human population with devastating consequences. In the modern, interconnected world, viruses such as Covid-19 can travel around the globe at the speed of an airliner. Yet, throughout most of history, people have lived much closer to death than we do, and they have always been much more aware of the fragility of life. Today, in the high-income countries at least, human hubris imagines that we can control our world, that we are in charge. Consequently, a pandemic, such as Covid-19, is a shock to our way of thinking and to our individualistic lifestyles. It exposes the inequalities and injustices our world is built on. There is much we can learn from this, and some specifically Christian perspectives that may be helpful.
Bob White is Professor of Geophysics at Cambridge University and Director of The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion. He is a distinguished scientist with a background in the study of earthquakes and volcanoes. His research has brought him into direct contact with the human catastrophes that sometimes arise from such events. He is passionate about demonstrating that science and Christian faith are two ways of looking at the same world, and that together they give a richer and deeper view than either on their own. Professor White is the author of many books exploring the interface between science and religious thought, for example: Robert S. White (2014) “Who is to Blame? Nature, Disasters and Acts of God” (Oxford: Lion Hudson).
To obtain the link for the ZOOM meeting, please contact Nick Brewin at sfnorfolk1@gmail.com.
The number of participants will be limited so we recommend you register your interest as soon as possible.
Science and Faith in Norfolk (SFN) is a Norwich-based group which aims to explore the broad interface between science and religious belief. For further information, Contact Professor Nick Brewin (07901 884114); sfnorfolk1@gmail.com . Visit the SFN Homepage or follow SFN on Facebook.