The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion

Something to think about.

Can a Loving God Use Evolution? Denis Alexander vs Ed Atkinson hosted by John Nelson Can evolution fit with Christian faith, or does it challenge belief in a loving Creator? Dr Denis Alexander and Ed Atkinson debate evolution, suffering, and purpose - exploring whether science and faith can truly be reconciled.

Help Us Shape a New Master!

If you have (or will soon have) a bachelor's degree or higher, we would love your input. We are developing a new Master’s Programme in Global Perspectives on Science and Religion. Your ideas can help shape what it becomes. In this 15-minute survey, tell us:

“Which topics interest you most?”
“Whether you prefer to study in person, online, or in a hybrid format,”
“And what would make the programme affordable and accessible?”

At the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, we are exploring the possibility of offering an internationally recognised, accredited master’s degree that examines the relationship between science and religion across cultural contexts. We cannot do this without your support!

Click here to go to the survey:
https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8916350/e2ad5a001177

🌍 Creation Care and Climate Change: Biblical and Practical Responses

How might Christian faith shape the way we understand and respond to climate change?

In this thought-provoking talk, Revd Dr Dave Bookless explores biblical perspectives on creation care alongside practical responses to one of the most pressing challenges facing our world today.

The talk was given as part of the Faraday Institute Summer Course 2026, Science, Religion and Society.

This is a free resource available to everyone and well worth watching — or revisiting if you joined us for the course.

▶️ Watch here: https://www.faraday.cam.ac.uk/resources/multimedia/creation-care-and-climate-change-biblical-and-practical-responses/

Dave Bookless Rocha International .international

**Session 1: Preaching – How (not) to use science in the pulpit**

Science and faith both help us understand the world and our place within it. This course explores how scientific insights can enrich the Church's ministry while Christian faith offers valuable perspectives for engaging with science.

Our opening session with Revd Dr Jonathan Jong asks how scientific research can strengthen preaching without becoming a distraction or being misused. We'll explore how science can provide fresh illustrations, deepen biblical teaching, and help connect with scientifically minded listeners, while also considering the common pitfalls to avoid.

📅 Monday, 21 September 2026
💻 Online

https://www.faraday.cam.ac.uk/event/equipped-for-ministry/

Jonathan Lewis-Jong

**New Course: Equipped for Ministry: Science and the Life of the Church**

How can science enrich preaching, worship, pastoral care, prayer, community engagement, and the way we read the Bible? *Equipped for Ministry: Science and the Life of the Church* is a six-session online course exploring the fruitful relationship between science and Christian ministry.

Led by experienced practitioners in ministry, theological education, and science-faith engagement, each session combines a recorded talk, discussion, practical examples, and take-home resources. Whether you are a church leader, ministry trainee, or active church member, this course will equip you with fresh insights and practical tools for serving your church and community.

📅 Mondays, 21 September 2026 – 22 March 2027
💻 Online

Join us as we discover how science can illuminate the life of the Church—and how Christian faith continues to inspire scientific curiosity and care for creation.

https://www.faraday.cam.ac.uk/event/equipped-for-ministry/

⏰ Reminder: Applications close 15 July!

There's still time to apply for our **Postdoctoral Researcher** position at the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion.

We're seeking a researcher with strong quantitative and qualitative social science expertise, excellent communication skills, and a passion for exploring questions at the intersection of science, religion, and society.

✨ 12-month, full-time position
✨ Wellcome Trust-funded project
✨ Start date: 1 October 2026 (negotiable)
📅 **Application deadline: 15 July 2026**

If you or someone in your network might be interested, we'd be grateful if you could share this opportunity.

🔗 https://www.faraday.cam.ac.uk/.../vacancy-postdoctoral.../

The Faraday Summer Course is underway!

We are delighted to introduce Revd Dr Dave Bookless, Head of Theology for A Rocha International, a global family of conservation organisations helping communities live out God’s calling to care for creation.

Dr Bookless’s work brings together theology, biodiversity conservation, mission, ecology, and church life. His PhD at the University of Cambridge explored a theological understanding of biodiversity conservation, and his wider academic interests include theology of place, ecological theology, missiology, ecclesiology, and the theological importance of wildlife.

After years in parish ministry, he founded A Rocha UK in 2001, serving as National Director before moving into writing, theological education, and his current international role. He has written and spoken widely on creation care, with books including Planetwise: Dare to Care for God’s World and God Doesn’t Do Waste.

We look forward to hearing his insights at this year’s Faraday Summer Course.

A Rocha International .international University of Cambridge

The Faraday Summer Course is underway!

We are delighted to introduce Dr Thoko Kamwendo, Research Fellow at Durham University.

Dr Kamwendo is an interdisciplinary researcher working across history, sociology, and Science and Technology Studies. Grounded in the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge, her work examines how scientific and religious knowledge is constructed, governed, authorised, and institutionalised across different social and disciplinary settings.

Her current research focuses on strengthening the foundations of the social study of science and religion as an emerging interdisciplinary field, bringing valuable insight into how knowledge communities form, develop, and shape public understanding.

We look forward to hearing her insights at this year’s Faraday Summer Course.

Durham University

The Faraday Summer Course is underway!

We are delighted to introduce Prof. Amanda Rees, historian of science whose work explores how scientific ideas take shape across time, culture, and imagination.

After graduating with a BA in Social and Political Sciences, Prof. Rees worked in the civil service at the Welsh Office before studying at Harvard University on a Henry Fellowship. It was there that she discovered the history of science as an academic discipline and found the field that would shape her career.

She later completed her PhD in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge, supported by a British Academy studentship, before taking up a position at York. Her research has ranged across the history of the field sciences, the history and sociology of relationships between humans and other animals, and the history of prehistory.

More recently, Prof. Rees has turned her attention to the history of the future, bringing her long-standing interest in science fiction into conversation with the history of science.

We look forward to hearing her insights at this year’s Faraday Summer Course.

Harvard University University of Cambridge

The Faraday Summer Course is underway!

We are delighted to introduce Revd Dr Dave Gregory, Baptist minister, physicist, and Baptist Missioner in Science and the Environment.

Dave brings together deep experience in science, theology, ministry, and environmental engagement. Before entering ministry, he studied Physics and Astrophysics at the University of Leicester and completed a doctorate in Atmospheric Physics at Imperial College London.

He then spent 15 years at the Met Office and European Weather Centre, researching clouds in weather forecast and climate models. In 2021, he completed a Masters in Applied Theology at Regents Park College, Oxford focusing upon the dialogue of science and theology

A Baptist minister for 20 years, Dave served as Baptist Union President from 2018–2019, with the theme “Divine Windows – Glimpses of God in Life, the Universe and Everything.” He now works at the intersection of science, faith, and climate concern, convening the Baptist Union Environment Network and contributing widely to science-faith engagement across churches, schools, and theological colleges.

He also coordinates Messy Church Does Science, helping families explore the wonder of creation through hands-on experiments, and has led work on MESS-AI Church, exploring robots, AI, and faith.

We look forward to hearing his insights at this year’s Faraday Summer Course.

University of Leicester Imperial College London of Oxford Met Office