New Bishop of Whitby - The Diocese of York

Hawking, Dawkins and GOD
York Courses have produced a CD
featuring John Polkinghorne
in conversation with John Young.
The Bishop of Hull, the Rt Revd
Richard Frith reviews this CD.
John Young was formerly York
Diocesan Evangelist. He is a gifted
evangelist, gentle but persuasive, and
superb at drawing the best out of
those to whom he is talking.
This CD is brilliant! If you are one
of the many Christians who view
science with fear rather than
confidence in it being a gift from
God, it is for you.
If, like me, you are pretty clueless
about science but want reassurance
that being a Christian doesn't
require intellectual suicide in relation
to science, listen to it.
If it bothers you that research
indicates that a large majority of
sixteen-year-olds - particularly boys -
believe that science has disproved
religion, it is for you too.
If you are a seeker after truth who
would love to see science and religion
as friends and not enemies, it will set
you thinking.
If you would feel encouraged to hear
a conversation between two
warm-hearted, humble but
confident, outstanding Christian
communicators, you will find this
CD to be excellent value.
John Polkinghorne (pictured) is a
former Professer of Mathematical
Physics at Cambridge University. He
is also an Anglican priest.
The CD is a wide-ranging review of
John Polkinghorne's life and faith,
with particular reference to his
response to the New Atheism. He
speaks of Stephen Hawking, Richard
Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens
respectfully but critically.
About Richard Dawkins he says,
"He's very polemical. He's trying to
win an argument rather than see the
truth.... and in doing that he likes to
set up straw men." "The God
Delusion" has more assertion than
argument in it.
John Polkinghorne knows Stephen
Hawking well and has great respect
for him, admiring his courage and
persistence in living with motor
neurone disease. But he describes
Hawking as naive in matters of
theology.
There are, says Polkinghorne, a
significant number of practising
scientists who hold the Christian
faith. John Young quotes Howard
Jacobson, who said: "The fact that so
many of mankind's best thinkers,
artists and even scientists have
believed in God is not itself a reason
to believe. But it should prevent our
thinking that God is for the
uneducated and gullible.
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