Philosophical & Theological Instruction

This winter I taught a five week course through the Ottawa School of Theology & Spirituality titled A Christian Response to Scientific Materialism.

The course, taught over five weeks in January and February, set out to explore one of the defining intellectual tensions of our age, namely the widespread assumption that science and faith stand in opposition. We examined the philosophical roots of scientific materialism, the relationship between science and theology, and the doctrine of Creation in relation to evolutionary theory, while also outlining further topics planned for later sessions, including classical and contemporary arguments for God’s existence as they intersect with modern physics, biology, and the problem of consciousness.

Across the five weeks, we worked through topics such as:

• The historical rise of scientific materialism and philosophical naturalism

• The distinct methods of science and theology and the many ways in which they relate in a manner that underscores their compatibility

• Creation, evolution, and theistic models of origins

Owing to the depth of discussion and the pace required by the material, we did not have sufficient time to complete the remaining portions of Week Three, which focused on Creation and evolution, or to reach the lectures planned for Weeks Four and Five examining cosmological and fine tuning arguments in contemporary physics, as well as the origin of life and human consciousness. This naturally opens the door for a second course that would complete the remaining portions.

Going forward, I intend to make a range of philosophy and theology courses available for churches, schools, reading groups, and adult education programs, both online and in person.

Future courses and lecture topics may include:

• A Christian Response to Scientific Materialism Part II

• Why Teilhard de Chardin Matters

• The Origin and Nature of Consciousness

• Why Teilhard de Chardin Matters

• Faith and reason in modern culture

• Arguments for God’s existence

• Christianity and modern science

• Philosophy, theology, and culture

Later this year, I plan to launch a YouTube lecture series that will extend many of these discussions to a wider audience. I would be grateful for any donations through YouTube to support the production and free public availability of these lectures.

If you participated in one of my recent courses and would be willing to share a brief comment or reflection, I would be grateful to hear from you.

And if you or your institution would be interested in hosting a future course, lecture series, or workshop, please feel free to get in touch.