Hi everyone,
When reflecting on the heyday of new atheism, a number of names may come to mind. Christopher Hitchens. Richard Dawkins. Sam Harris. Yet for me, a figure who looms equally as large is John Lennox, a Northern Irish mathematician at Oxford — and a Christian — who, in his opposition to it, was just as important a part of that movement as the other writers I mentioned.
I have for a long time wanted to bring John onto the show, and have previously met him on a number of occasions, but his health had for some time been suffering, rendering him unable to film. So, I was delighted to finally hear that he was well enough to record an episode, which we did at the beautiful Goodman Library of the Oxford Union.
John has been known as a fierce debater, but this was no debate. I wanted to give him space to detail the views and wisdom he has landed on after his many decades of work and reflection. I hope that you will find it of interest regardless of your present worldview.
Timestamps:
0:00 – Are Science and Religion in Conflict?
16:39 – Does Evolution Challenge Religion?
26:55 – DNA, Language, and the Logos
37:34 – God of the Gaps?
47:11 – Does Evolution Undermine the Specialness of Humans?
57:43 – Does Belief Come From Argument?
01:06:56 – Why is Intellectualism Tied with Atheism?
01:13:30 – The New Atheist Critique of Religion
01:22:29 – Why Discussion is Better Than Debate
