Thinking about Christ and the Cosmos
Published on 17/10/17
On 27 September, RS and Philosophy students in Year 11 and 6th Form engaged in a lecture on 'Christ and the Cosmos' given by Professor Keith Ward, Professorial Research Fellow at Heythrop College, London and former Regius Professor of Divinity, University of Oxford.
At the Stephen Perse Foundation, we embrace opportunities to hear from leading academics, in order to discover new perspectives and ways of thinking. Professor Ward's talk, presented by our RS and Philosophy department is just one example of this approach.
Lara (Year 11) explains why she found the lecture fascinating: “Professor Ward outlined his views on the nature of God and the universe; explaining arguments I had previously been unaware of. I found his explanation of objective truths and God’s transcendence especially interesting. Drawing on the work of Augustine, Professor Ward outlined his belief that God created the universe and with this time and space. Thus, to ask the question ‘what was God doing before He created the universe?’ is nonsensical, in his opinion. Professor Ward moved from this to discuss the nature of God and the Trinity.”
The lecture ended with an opportunity to ask questions and students took to this opportunity with much gusto. The discussion that ensued was wide ranging, including challenging God’s transcendence with the example of Jesus, the strengths of Cartesian doubt, and a consideration of the apparent evidence for God’s existence.
The lecture was engaging and encouraged everyone to think critically about the arguments presented. Every audience member came away with much to discuss.”
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