Dialogue Events – October 2011

Sunday, Oct. 2 at 6 pm

“Reading the Scriptures as the Body of Christ”

Rev. Michael Gulker, executive director, The Colossian Forum on Faith, Science and Culture

Sunday, Oct. 9 at 6 pm

“How Astronomy Has Changed Our Picture of Creation”

Question-and-Answer Session

Loren Haarsma, professor of physics and astronomy, Calvin College

Alvin Plantinga, emeritus professor of philosophy, University of Notre Dame; professor of philosophy, Calvin College

Sunday, Oct. 16 at 10 am (Adult Education)

“Securing Our Faith-and-Science Dialogue Through Worship and Prayer”

Michael Gulker, executive director, The Colossian Forum on Faith, Science and Culture

Sunday, Oct. 16 at 6 pm

“Modern Cosmology, the Multiverse, and the Creator”

Question-and-Answer Session

Deborah Haarsma, professor of physics and astronomy, Calvin College

Kelly James Clark, professor of philosophy, Calvin College

Sunday, Oct. 23 at 6 pm

Skeptics Sunday

“Religion and Science: Conflict or Concord?”

Question-and-Answer Session

Alvin Plantinga, emeritus professor of philosophy, University of Notre Dame; professor of philosophy, Calvin College

Presenters

Michael Gulker is executive director of The Colossian Forum on Faith, Science and Culture, an organization dedicated to creating hospitable space for Christians to engage difficult cultural issues in ways that build up the church and extend the witness of Christ. An ordained Mennonite pastor, he previously served as pastor of Christ Community Church in Des Moines, Iowa, where he focused on recovering the traditional prayers of the Church for his congregation. Michael has a longstanding interest in the intersection of faith and culture, especially concerning liturgical formation. A native of West Michigan, he studied philosophy and theology at Calvin College and has a divinity degree from Duke. Michael also worked for five years as an electrical engineer, devising and implementing automation systems.

Deborah Haarsma is a professor of physics and astronomy at Calvin College, where she chairs the Physics & Astronomy department. She earned undergraduate degrees at Calvin in both physics and music and then earned a Ph.D. in astrophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her current research is on galaxy formation and galaxy clusters. Deborah is also co-director of The Ministry Theorem, a project of Calvin Theological Seminary and the Calvin College Science Division and funded by the John Templeton Foundation. The project provides continuing education to pastors and ministry leaders on how to effectively integrate science into the life of the church.

Loren Haarsma is a professor of physics and astronomy at Calvin College. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Calvin, an M.S. from University of Washington, and a Ph.D. in atomic physics from Harvard University, and then did five years of postdoctoral research in neuroscience. His current research uses a technique called electrophysiology to measure the flow of electrically charged ions through the membranes of living cells. He also studies issues at the intersection of science and the Christian faith. Loren is co-author with his wife, Deborah Haarsma, of Origins: A Reformed Look at Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design.

Alvin Plantinga taught philosophy at Calvin College for 19 years and at the University of Notre Dame for 28 years. He and his wife, Kathleen, have now returned to their old stomping grounds at Calvin. Al has lectured and written widely on the subjects of epistemology, metaphysics, and the philosophy of religion. His newest book, Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion and Naturalism, will be published this fall by Oxford University Press.

Event Photos

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Program Poster

(Download as PDF)

Wednesday Evening Discussions

To complement the Sunday series, Church of the Servant is offering Wednesday evening discussions in October led by member Jim Bradley. Participants will meet in the church living room to view and discuss lessons from the DVD series “Religion and Science: Pathways to Truth” hosted by Francis S. Collins:

Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 7 pm − “Religion and Science: Introduction”

by Francis S. Collins, director, National Institutes of Health; former director, The Human Genome Project

Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 7 pm − “Friends or Foes? The Story of a Complex Relationship”

by David Wilkinson, St. John’s College, Durham (England)

Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 7 pm − “Truth in Science and Theology”

by Philip Clayton, Claremont School of Theology

“Many claim that science and faith are incompatible, that you have to make a choice between a scientific worldview, which basically uses the tools of science to investigate nature and says that that’s all there is, and a spiritual worldview, which explores other types of questions, like why we are here, questions that science is not suited to address. It is my perspective that those worldviews are not imcompatible and that, in fact, a thoughtful person can incorporate both of those perspectives as they go through life.”

—Francis S. Collins