2019 lecture

the 2019 lecture

Thursday 17 October 2019 at 7.00 pm
Venue: Eden Lecture Theatre, Eden Building, Liverpool Hope University, Hope Park, Taggart Avenue, Liverpool L16 9JD
Tickets, which are free, should be booked here.

Are you interested in both science and religion? Endeavouring to challenge the perception of the difficulties of being a scientist while following your faith, this lecture opens up the discussion surrounding Christian theology, contemporary culture and science in particular.

You’ll hear the Revd Prof David Wilkinson, Professor and Principal of St John’s College, Durham. As well as teaching and research in the department of religion and theology Revd Prof David Wilkinson is principal of St John's College. Before becoming a theologian, he was a scientist then a Methodist minister in inner city Liverpool. With a research background in theoretical astrophysics, his current work involves the relationship of Christian theology to contemporary culture, from science to pop culture.

Please join us for drinks from 6.30 pm..

You'll also have the opportunity to buy a selection of books from Liverpool Cathedral Shop. They will have a selection of Rev Prof David Wilkinson’s books. There will also be a selection of other books and gifts.

The Revd Prof David Wilkinson is the Principal of St Johns College and Professor in the Department of Theology and Religion in Durham University.

Before working in Durham as a theologian, he was a scientist and then a Methodist minister in inner city Liverpool. David’s background is research in theoretical astrophysics, where his Durham PhD was in the study of star formation, the chemical evolution of galaxies and terrestrial mass extinctions such as the event which wiped out the dinosaurs. He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and has published a wide range of papers on these subjects.

After this research he trained for the Methodist ministry, studying theology at Fitzwilliam College and Wesley House, Cambridge. He then served in a variety of appointments, including a growing church in Liverpool and as Methodist chaplain at Liverpool University.

David arrived in Durham in 1999 and held a Fellowship in Christian Apologetics at St John's College, and taught systematic theology in the Department of Theology and Religion.

His current work involves the relationship of the Christian theology to contemporary culture, from science to pop culture. He has had a long interest in the dialogue of science and religion, especially as it impacts the physical sciences. God, Time and Stephen Hawking (Monarch, 2001), Christian Eschatology and the Physical Universe (T&T Clark 2010) and Science, Religion and the Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence (OUP, 2014) are examples of that work. This work forms some of the undergraduate and postgraduate teaching that David does in the department where he teaches modules in science and theology. His second Durham PhD is in Systematic Theology and explored Christian eschatology.