The 2023 Walton Lecture

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The 2022 Walton Lecture

Why are there Viruses in God's Creation?
Dr. Mirjam Schilling

University of Oxford

The video recording of the live stream on 17 November is available on YouTube.

Mirjam Schilling received a PhD degree from the Institute of Virology, Freiburg, Germany in 2016 and is currently working as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on the interplay of viruses and the innate immune system. In her free time she has been studying Theology part-time in Stuttgart, Freiburg and Oxford, and she is currently working on her DPhil degree in which she explores the theological aspects of viruses. She has written a book in German about her investigations: Warum erschuf Gott die Viren? Mit einer Virologin auf Entdeckungsreise (SCM Hänssler 2021).

More information about Mirjam Schilling can be found on her personal webpage.

The 2021 Walton Lecture

Thinking Machines? A Christian Perspective
Prof. Stephen Williams

Queen's University Belfast

The video recording of the live stream on 28 October is available on YouTube.

Stephen Williams is Professor emeritus in Systematic Theology at Union Theological College in Belfast. In 2017 he was appointed Honorary Professor of Theology at Queen’s University Belfast. He has published in different areas, especially in theology and intellectual history. His books include The Shadow of the Antichrist: Nietzsche’s Critique of Christianity (Baker Academic Press, 2006), The Election of Grace: a Riddle without a Resolution? (Eerdmans, 2015) and John Wyatt and SW, eds., The Robot Will See You Now: Artificial Intelligence and the Christian Faith (London: SPCK, 2021).

During 2018 Professor Williams held a Research Fellowship at the Henry Center at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield, Illinois) researching the connection between transhumanism and a Christian understanding of creation. More information about Stephen Williams can be found on his personal webpages.

The 2020 Walton Lecture

Christians, Climate, and our Culture around the World

This lecture was given on 9 March 2020 at University College Cork.

Climate Change: Facts, Fictions, and our Faith

This lecture was given on-line on 29 October 2020.

Prof. Katharine Hayhoe

Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy

The video recording of the live stream on 29 October is available on YouTube.

Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist who has spent many years studying climate change. She is currently Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy and she is the former director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University (Lubbock, Texas). She specialises in climate impact assessments and in translating climate projections into actionable information. She has been a lead contributor to U.S. National Climate Assessments.

Professor Hayhoe is also a renowned science communicator and an evangelical Christian who is fearless to speak out about climate change. Her TED talk has close to 4 million views. Her message is: The climate is changing, it is human caused, the impacts are serious, and it is time to act. More information about Katharine Hayhoe can be found on her personal webpages.

The 2019 Walton Lecture

Science, Religion and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Rev. Prof. David Wilkinson

St. John’s College, Durham University

The lecture was given on 4 April 2019 at Trinity College, Dublin.

Audio recording with slides:
Prof. Wilkinson gave a lecture with the same title on 2 April in Belfast as the Church of Ireland Theological Lecture at Queen’s University. The audio recording of this lecture with slides is available on Vimeo.

The lecture in Dublin was organised by Christians in Science Ireland in collaboration with the TCD Christian Union.

Rev. Prof. David Wilkinson is Professor and Principal of St. John's College in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University. He has degrees in both astrophysics and theology and has written extensively about science and Christianity. One of his recent books is Science, Religion, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Oxford UP 2017). More information about him can be found on his personal webpage.

The 2018 Walton Lecture

Are Natural Disasters Acts of God?
Prof. Robert White

The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion
University of Cambridge

The lecture was given on 20 March 2018 at University College Cork, on 21 March at Trinity College Dublin, and on 22 March in Fitzroy Presbyterian Church in Belfast.

Audio recording (Belfast lecture):
Walton Lecture (mp3, 24 Mb)

Slides:
Slides (pdf, 4.5 Mb)

This lecture was organised by Christians in Science Ireland in collaboration with the UCC Christian Union, the TCD Christian Union, and Fitzroy Presbyterian Church in Belfast.

Robert White is Professor of Geophysics in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge (since 1989) and Director of The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1994. He recently received the Gold Medal for a lifetime of distinguished achievement in solid Earth geophysics from the Royal Astronomical Society.
He has (co)authored and edited several books on religion and science, including: Nick Spencer and Robert White: Christianity, Climate Change and Sustainable Living (SPCK 2007); Robert S. White (editor): Creation in Crisis: Christian Perspectives on Sustainability (SPCK 2009); Jonathan A. Moo and Robert S. White: Hope in an Age of Despair: The Gospel and the Future of Life on Earth (Inter-Varsity Press 2013); Robert S. White: Who is to Blame? Disasters, Nature and Acts of God (Oxford: Lion Hudson 2014).

More information about Robert White can be found on his personal webpage.

The 2017 Walton Lectures

Cosmic Chemistry: Do God and Science Mix?

This lecture was given on 28 March 2017 at University College Cork.

God and Stephen Hawking: Whose Design Is It Anyway?

This lecture was given on 30 March 2017 at Trinity College Dublin.

Prof. John Lennox

Department of Mathematics
University of Oxford

Audio recordings (Dublin lecture):
Walton Lecture (mp3, 13 Mb)
Questions and Answers (mp3, 14 Mb)

These two lectures were part of Reasons for Hope 2017, and were organised by Christians in Science Ireland in collaboration with Christian Unions Ireland, the UCC Christian Union, and the TCD Christian Union.

John Lennox is Professor of Mathematics (emeritus) at the University of Oxford and Fellow in Mathematics and the Philosophy of Science at Green Templeton College, Oxford. He is also an Adjunct Lecturer at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics.
John Lennox has lectured extensively in Europe, North America and Australasia on mathematics, the philosophy of science and the intellectual defence of Christianity. He has defended the Christian faith in public debates with Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and others, and he has written a number of books on the interface between science, philosophy and theology. More information about John Lennox can be found at www.johnlennox.org.

The 2016 Walton Lecture

Can a Scientist Believe in Miracles?
Prof. Sir Colin Humphreys

Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy
University of Cambridge

The lecture was given on 1 November 2016 at University College Cork, on 2 November at Trinity College Dublin, and on 3 November in Fitzroy Presbyterian Church in Belfast.

Audio recording (Belfast lecture):
Walton Lecture (mp3, 15 Mb)

Slides:
Slides (pdf, 3.4 Mb)

This lecture was organised by Christians in Science Ireland in collaboration with the UCC Christian Union, the TCD Christian Union, and Fitzroy Presbyterian Church in Belfast.

Sir Colin Humphreys is Professor and Director of Research in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy at the University of Cambridge (UK). Prof. Humphreys also directs a major Research Centre with Rolls-Royce, and the Cambridge Centre for Gallium Nitride.
Colin Humphreys has given many lectures about science and Christianity, and has written three books in this area: The Mystery of the Last Supper: Reconstructing the Final Days of Jesus (Cambridge University Press 2011); The Miracles of Exodus: A Scientist's Discovery of the Extraordinary Natural Causes of the Biblical Stories (Harper 2003); Creation and Evolution (Oxford University Press 1986). He is currently President of Christians in Science. More information about Colin Humphreys can be found on his personal webpage.

The 2015 Walton Lecture

Dealing with Darwin: Place, Politics and Polemics in Christian Engagements with Evolution
Prof. David Livingstone

School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology
Queen's University, Belfast

The lecture was given on 24 April 2015 at Maynooth University, and on 15 May 2015 in The Hub, Belfast.

Audio recordings (Maynooth lecture):
Introduction (mp3, 1.4 Mb)
Walton Lecture (mp3, 20 Mb)
Questions and Answers (mp3, 7 Mb)

Slides:
Slides (pdf, 2.8 Mb)

This lecture was organised by Christians in Science Ireland in collaboration with the Maynooth Christian Union and The Hub Belfast.

David N. Livingstone is Professor of Geography and Intellectual History at Queen's University Belfast. He is the author of a number of books including Darwin's Forgotten Defenders (Scottish Academic Press) and Dealing with Darwin: Place, Politics and Rhetoric in Religious Encounters with Evolution (Johns Hopkins University Press). He has given the 2014 Gifford Lectures. More information about David Livingstone can be found on his personal webpage.

The 2013 Walton Lecture

Genes, Determinism and God
Dr. Denis Alexander

The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion
Cambridge University

The lecture was given on 10 October 2013 at Trinity College, Dublin, and on 11 October 2013 in The Hub, Belfast.

Audio recordings (Dublin lecture):
Introduction (mp3, 0.5 Mb)
Walton Lecture (mp3, 14 Mb)
Questions and Answers (mp3, 7.6 Mb)

Slides:
Slides (pdf, 6.3 Mb)

This lecture was organised by Christians in Science Ireland in collaboration with the Trinity College Christian Union and The Hub Belfast.

Dr. Denis Alexander is the Emeritus Director of The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion in Cambridge (UK). He was previously Chairman of the Molecular Immunology Programme and Head of the Laboratory of Lymphocyte Signalling and Development at The Babraham Institute in Cambridge. He has written extensively about science and Christianity and has given the 2012 Gifford Lectures. More information about him can be found on his personal webpage.

The 2011 Walton Lecture

Darwin's Impact on the Relationship between Science and Religion
Rev. Prof. David Wilkinson

St. John’s College, Durham University

The lecture was given on 24 November 2011 at University Road Moravian Church, Belfast, and at Trinity College, Dublin.

Audio recordings (Dublin lecture):
Introduction (mp3, 1.6 Mb)
Walton Lecture (mp3, 13 Mb)
Questions and Answers (mp3, 5.7 Mb)

Slides and review:
Slides (pdf, 2.7 Mb)
Review (pdf, 97 kb)

This lecture was organised by Christians in Science Ireland in collaboration with the University Road Moravian Church in Belfast and the Trinity College Dublin Christian Union.

Rev. Prof. David Wilkinson is Professor and Principal of St. John's College in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University. He has degrees in both astrophysics and theology and has written extensively about science and Christianity. More information about him can be found on his personal webpage.