# John Lennox on the question, “Can science explain everything.”



## SemperFiDawg (Feb 1, 2019)

For those who are interested in the answer I present this along with the short intro.

Professor John Lennox Speaks to Sold-Out Crowd in the Heart of Oxford

Last Monday night at Oxford Town Hall, Professor John Lennox, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and Adjunct Lecturer at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, took to the stage in front of a sold-out crowd. As well as taking apologetics into the heart of the city, Lennox was questioned by Rob Gifford, a senior journalist at The Economist magazine, about his latest book, Can Science Explain Everything?

Hear from attendees of the event.
“Made in the image of God”

Professor Lennox reached beyond his book to draw on the deeply personal. He used domestic bliss to tease out the role of evidence and rational argument in faith and science: “I believe my wife of 50 years loves me. I have strong evidence for it. I couldn’t prove it mathematically, but I would bet my life on it.”

He then took us back to the foundation for his faith and his need, which he made ours, to rationally and logically investigate that faith. “My parents instilled in my mind the sheer importance of understanding that all people, whatever they believe, whatever their religion is, are of equal infinite value because they are made in the image of God.”

Hawking’s Profound Category Mistake

That grace was evident as Professor Lennox dismantled Stephen Hawking’s conception of God: “He was an absolutely brilliant physicist, light years ahead of me in brain power. However, Hawking’s belief that I believed in a god of the gaps was a profound category mistake.

Professor Lennox described “a god of the gaps” as one who disappears “bit by bit as science advances, like the grin on the proverbial Cheshire cat…The God of the Bible is not a god of the gaps. He is the God of the whole show.”

Entering into Dialogue

For Christian and Alessandra, evidence-based faith is extremely important. Alessandra, a biochemistry graduate, originally “got into science because I thought I would prove that God exists.” For Christian, a biomedical science graduate, “I believe what I believe. I think it’s feasible and I wouldn’t believe it otherwise.”

David, a trainee minister from Birmingham, had no scientific background but came for deeper understanding: “Historically, we always see science and religion as opposites. It’s wonderful to hear how they can enter into dialogue with each other.”

Dialogue is fundamental to Professor Lennox’s apologetics. “Why am I a Christian? You might argue that it’s a genetic disease of the Irish. You can take that view if you like but in order to check that view–and I’ve spent my whole life checking it because I don’t want to be fooled–in week one at Cambridge, I deliberately went out of my way to befriend someone who did not share my worldview.”

Hamed, a Muslim, had travelled all the way from East London to enter into dialogue with Christ: “I run a madrassa and in one of our conferences John Lennox was brought up. A lot of the questions I had have now been answered, listening to John has given me confidence that science does not have all the answers.”

Peace with God

Professor Lennox’s arguments struck a deep chord with Chris, an atheist, who said “John was saying that morality comes from somewhere, I do agree with him on that point. Our basic morality is born from religion I would say.”

Professor Lennox would no doubt sense in Chris a young man beginning to think thoughts that could lead him to Christ. Although Professor Lennox may caution against Chris’ use of religion: “I rarely use the word ‘religion’ because it seems to smack of ceremony, ritual, and all the rest of it. The entrance into Christianity is not a ceremony, it is a step of commitment rationally based on evidence.

What Christ promises is that if a person faces the mess they have made of their own lives and repents and trusts him for salvation, they will receive in that moment peace with God. Christ assures them that you’ll never come into judgment but have passed from death to life.”


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## WaltL1 (Feb 1, 2019)

> “Can science explain everything.”


Anybody that understands science already knows the answer to that question is No.
All the rest of it is just taking an already obvious answer and pushing a particular agenda.


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## ambush80 (Feb 1, 2019)

WaltL1 said:


> Anybody that understands science already knows the answer to that question is No.
> All the rest of it is just taking an already obvious answer and pushing a particular agenda.




I'll watch the video because I like listening to Lennox speak.  

Can the Bible explain everything?  Can it explain anything?


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## WaltL1 (Feb 1, 2019)

ambush80 said:


> I'll watch the video because I like listening to Lennox speak.
> 
> Can the Bible explain everything?  Can it explain anything?


I'll be honest -
Im not that patient or interested.
There could be 1000 pages and 50 videos and none of it will accomplish anything.
Its a question about science and the answer is already known.
All the rest of it is just blah blah blah blah.....
Yes, admittedly I will miss different perspectives etc.
If the answer was unknown I would have far more interest on various perspectives.
Belief or disbelief in God doesn't have squat to do with the answer to the question.


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## SemperFiDawg (Feb 1, 2019)

ambush80 said:


> I'll watch the video because I like listening to Lennox speak.


 
Me too.


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## SemperFiDawg (Feb 1, 2019)

Maybe to you Walt, but just reading the introduction one would realize it matters a great deal to others of various beliefs.  That’s why I posted it.


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## WaltL1 (Feb 1, 2019)

SemperFiDawg said:


> Maybe to you Walt, but just reading the introduction one would realize it matters a great deal to others of various beliefs.  That’s why I posted it.


Great. They can chime in with their opinions just as I did.
Nowhere have I discouraged opinions counter to mine.


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## 660griz (Feb 28, 2019)

The answer is...Not Yet.


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