This week’s episode of Unbelievable contains an interesting conversation between Dr. John Lennox and Dr. Peter Atkins, moderated by author and Unbelievable host Justin Brierley. In this episode, Lennox and Atkins discuss the question “Can science explain everything?” from shockingly different perspectives. While Atkins says that even Christians who have won a Nobel Prize in science need to “grow up,” John Lennox sees his faith as the motor behind both his scientific curiosity and the curiosity that drove the rise of all modern science.
There is so much to learn from conversations like this one. We can see potential ways to interact with those who disagree with us. We can gain insight on deeply important questions. This video in particular, though, does an especially good job of showing people of faith that we have a seat at the table in these academic discussions.
It seems to be a popular idea in culture that science is slowly but surely making belief in God unreasonable. Many would argue that science has already explained enough of the universe naturalistically to show that belief in God simply isn’t necessary. Lennox, however, winsomely presents the view that science and faith are not incompatible, and that science cannot account for all levels of explanation on its own.
Dr. Lennox is just about as academically credentialed as a person can be. His extensive research, schooling, and appointments make him one of the most qualified people in the world to talk about these questions, and his Christian faith shines through him in an admirable way.
This is not to suggest that our view is automatically correct because a smart guy believes it. It simply shows that when we are confronted with the idea that science has made faith obsolete, we can show that there are in fact high-powered, Christian thinkers at the table even in the most technical fields of study.
Dr. Lennox says:
“For me, Christianity was in a sense one of the inspirations to do science. So, I’m very different from Peter [Atkins] in that respect. I join him, though, in celebrating the wonder of science.”