'The popular image of science as providing reliable, useful and objective knowledge, whilst theology only offers speculative and subjective opinion is remarkably widespread and persistent. This remains so despite a large and growing body of academic literature which presents a much more nuanced view. One important understanding is that both science and theology can be seen as saying (albeit in different ways) true things about the way things really are - i.e. a critical realist stance. This lecture will explore popular myths about science and theology, the academic literature, and offer ways of enabling this more informed approach to be more widely heard both in the church and the wider world.'
Dr. Richard Cheetham is the Bishop of Kingston, overseeing the Church of England’s work in the Kingston Episcopal Area. He is the chair of the Southwark Diocesan Board of Education, covering 12 London Boroughs, while being responsible for 91 primary and 14 secondary Church of England schools. He serves as the Anglican president of the Christian Muslim Forum and previously chaired the panel for Continuing Ministerial Development. He read Physics and Philosophy at Corpus Christi College Oxford, and then went on to earn a post-graduate Certification in Education. He was awarded a PhD by King’s College London for research on the understanding of religious belief which underlies the practice of collective worship in schools, and currently is an honorary research fellow at King’s College London. Bishop Cheetham was also an avid hockey player in his youth and still plays while holding the position of President of the Old Kingstonian Hockey Club. He is married to his wife Felicity and they have a son and daughter.
Lecture and Discussion
7:00 pm Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Dinner Board Room, Graduate Theological Union, 2400 Ridge Road, Berkeley
Free Admission – For further information, call CTNS at (510) 848-8152 www.ctns.org