-
Period: to
Early Life and Education
John Polkinghorne was born on 16 October 1930 in Somerset, England. During his undergraduate, he studied mathematics at Trinity College at the University of Cambridge [9]. Afterwards, he received a doctorate in mathematical physics [9]. Polkinghorne then went to the California Institute of Technology for a fellowship [9]. -
Period: to
Polkinghorne: Physicist
Most of Polkinghorne's scientific contributions are rooted in mathematics and physics. Following his fellowship at the California Institute of Technology, he lectured at the University of Edinburgh [9]. From 1958 to 1965, Polkinghorne worked as a lecturer at the University of Cambridge [9]. From 1965 to 1968, he was promoted to a reader at the University of Cambridge [9]. Then, Polkinghorne taught at the University of Cambridge as a Professor of Mathematical Physics from 1968 to 1979 [4]. -
Period: to
Polkinghorne's Point of View
Throughout his priesthood, Polkinghorne continued to study and teach physics. He emphasized the relationship between science and religion in many of his published works. Polkinghorne viewed science and religion as complementary or related like "cousins" [5]. According to Polkinghorne, "scientific and theological accounts of the world must fit together in a mutually consistent way," [9]. -
Period: to
Polkinghorne: Anglican Deacon and Priest
Polkinghorne left his position at the University of Cambridge to pursue religious life. He was ordained as an Anglican Deacon in 1982 and an Anglican Priest in 1982 [4, 7]. Polkinghorne worked as an "assistant curate in Bristol" and then as a vicar in Blean/Kent [7]. Then, he returned to the University of Cambridge to work as the Dean and Chaplain of Trinity Hall [7]. In 1988, he became the President of Queen's College [7]. After, he worked at the Liverpool Cathedral as a canon theologian [4]. -
"Belief in God in an Age of Science"
In this book, Polkinghorne suggests that science and religion are related, almost like "cousins" [1]. He claims that both science and religion depend on previous experience and the desire to find the truth [1]. Polkinghorne stresses that science and religion go hand-in-hand and parallel each other [1]. Book Citation:
Polkinghorne, John. Belief in God in an Age of Science. Harrisburg, Pa., Trinity Press International, 2000. -
"Science and Creation: The Search for Understanding"
In this book, Polkinghorne explores how scientific and religious views can relate to each other [8]. He explains "how a scientifically minded person goes about such a task of theological inquiry, postulating that there exists a close analogy between theory and experiments in science and belief and the understanding in theology," [8]. Book Citation:
Polkinghorne, John. Science and Creation : The Search for Understanding. Philadelphia, Templeton Foundation Press, 2006. -
"Questions of Truth"
In this book, Polkinghorne and Beale respond to 51 questions about science and religion [7]. They explained how science and religion can be interconnected [7]. The main topics discussed are leading questions, the concept and existence of God, the universe, evolution, evil, human being, and religion [7]. Book Citation:
Polkinghorne, John, and Beale, Nicholas. Questions of Truth: Fifty-One Responses to Questions about God, Science, and Belief. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009. -
Period: to
Interviews/Lectures
In many of Polkinghorne's interviews and lectures, he discusses his view of science and religion being interconnected. In one lecture, he explained his Christian views on evolution (https://youtu.be/8KlJ7Bt3oxE) [6]. In a later interview, Polkinghorne discussed how physics can point to God (https://youtu.be/XirvDhRGXS4) [2]. Finally, he spoke about how God created the earth and how science supports this view (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-RBaGLtjEc) [3].