Welcome to this year’s initial series of workshops exploring the interaction between Christian Faith and Science.
While these initial workshops are primarily intended for those actively working or researching in Science, engineering or medicine, they may also be of interest to those with a more general interest and will be followed later in the year by a more informal series of cafe evenings to be hosted at different venues around the city.
Church Scientific is not intended to provide a definitive answer or approach. Rather these workshops are intended to be safe spaces to discuss your thoughts and ideas with peers from across a range of different scientific disciplines and from different church backgrounds and life experiences, nonetheless united by our faith.
If you have any questions or would like to find out more please get in touch either using the contact form on the bottom of the website or via our Facebook page.
Workshop 1: Christian Faith, World View and Philosophy of Science.
When: Monday 29th January, 7pm – 9pm.
Where: Blenheim Baptist Church.
Some questions
- How does Scientific Work fit within a Christian Faith?
- Why do we need a Christian Philosophy of Science?
- What Connections are there between God’s Word and Scientific abstractions?
- How might this apply to your own field of work/Research?
Come along to find out more and to contribute your own thoughts and ideas to the discussion.
Sign up on our event page HERE
Workshop 2: Ontology: Introduction to Aspectual Relations.
When: Monday 12th February, 7pm – 9pm.
Where: Blenheim Baptist Church.
Some questions
- What do all sciences have in common?
- How does this help us understand scientific methodology?
- How does an understanding of methodology help us characterize scientists’ behaviours?
- Can a scientist ever be truly objective? Or can we do successful science as subjective religious persons?
Come along to find out more and to contribute your own thoughts and ideas to the discussion.
Sign up on our event page HERE
Workshop 3: Theorizing and its Limits.
When: Monday 26th February, 7pm – 9pm.
Where: Blenheim Baptist Church.
Some questions
- How can appreciating a diverse range of causal accounts benefit your science?
- What role does theory play in scientific work?
- What is reductionism and what problems might it cause for your science?
- Is there a religious context for every theory, for every scientist?
- Should reductionism be regarded as a kind of idolatry?
Come along to find out more and to contribute your own thoughts and ideas to the discussion.
Sign up on our event page HERE
Workshop 4: Scientific Knowledge and Method.
When: Monday 12th March, 7pm – 9pm.
Where: Blenheim Baptist Church.
Some questions
- What is scientific knowledge?
- Is objective proof achievable (or desirable)?
- How do we use/interpret data to generate evidence?
- Can null hypothesis testing produce objective probabilities about the real world?
Come along to find out more and to contribute your own thoughts and ideas to the discussion.
Sign up on our event page HERE
Workshop 5: Norms and Ethics.
When: Monday 26th March, 7pm – 9pm.
Where: Blenheim Baptist Church.
Some questions
- Can scientific work ever be value free?
- How do scientific disciplines acquire norms?
- What are the implicit and explicit ethical issues in your own work and research? / How do you recognize them?
Come along to find out more and to contribute your own thoughts and ideas to the discussion.
Sign up on our event page HERE
Workshop 6: Communication
When: Monday 9th April, 7pm – 9pm.
Where: Blenheim Baptist Church.
Some questions
- Why should we be humble when speaking and writing about our work?
- What is the best way to explain complex scientific theories to a lay audience?
- How can we enter into productive dialogue with those who disagree with us?
- If we use any Christian philosophical insights in an academic project, how might we present it in public/to our peers?
Come along to find out more and to contribute your own thoughts and ideas to the discussion.
Sign up on our event page HERE
[Photo by George Hiles on Unsplash.com]
