In Seven Myths about the Catholic Church and Science, Dr. Benjamin Wiker dispels the most common and persistent confusions about the relationship between the Faith and scientific inquiry. All too often, this relationship is presented - in the popular media and even in history books - as if it is a war, an endless battle between superstition and the forces of light and reason.
Quite to the contrary, Professor Wiker proves the truth is that the Church is and always has been the great friend, patron, and protector of science. Certainly, the Church is not a flatterer, but she is a friend nonetheless. The so-called "war" waged against science is merely the Church's efforts to steer its flock away from scientific theories that, however attractive and popular they may be, ultimately undermine natural and supernatural truths, morality, and authentic science itself.
The Church is the great patron of science because she rejoices in two kinds of truth: those revealing the wisdom of God the Creator, and those revealing the love of God the Redeemer. It has no anxiety about raising a single voice in the double-praise, because the Creator God and the Redeemer God are the same God. The Church sits as judge over the intersections where science approaches morality. Scientists are human, and sometimes the Church must step in to remind them of their limits, especially those limits that safeguard their own humanity - just as the Church safeguards Christian orthodoxy.
Join Professor Wiker for a fascinating exposition on a wide variety of scientific topics, including the Big Bang, Evolution, Darwinism, Aliens, and more. Discover how the Church protects the humanity of scientists, their moral dignity, and their real freedom to choose between good and evil.
Dr. Benjamin Wiker took his undergraduate degree in Political Philosophy from Furman University and holds a Ph.D. in Theological Ethics from Vanderbilt University. He is the author of nine books, including 10 Books That Screwed Up the World: And 5 Others That Didn't Help (Regnery Publishing, 2008). He is co-author with Scott Hahn of Answering the New Atheism: Dismantling Dawkins Case Against God (Emmaus Road, 2008) and co-author with Jonathan Witt of A Meaningful World: How the Arts and Sciences Reveal the Genius of Nature (IVP Academic, 2006). Professor Wiker is a Senior Fellow with Envoy Institute, St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, and Discovery Institute.
8 Lectures (Approx. 30 min. each)
1. The Church: Great Patron, Friend, & Judge of Science
Introduction to the Church's role regarding science—she is its great patron and protector. True science cannot conflict with revelation because the Creator God is the same as the God who redeems us. For the Catholic Church, knowing more about nature means knowing more about God's wisdom manifested in creation.
2. Myth #1: The Church Has Always Been at War Against Science
Discusses the popular and persistent myth that the Church has forever been, and will forever be, at war with science. Reveals the myth's origins and why it stubbornly continues to distort our understanding of how the Church approaches science.
3. Myth #2: The Middle Ages Were Scientifically "Dark"
Debunks the myth of the so-called "dark ages." Science not only flourished during the Middle Ages, but modern science owes a large part of its advances to Catholic Churchmen.
4. Myth #3: The Church Persecuted Copernicus & Galileo
Both the Copernican and Galilean affairs were far more complex than we've been led to believe by popular accounts. The Church was not the enemy of science; it was in fact the great promoter of science in the centuries before Galileo, at the time of Galileo, and has remained a great advocate of science right down to the present.
5. Myth #4: The Church Rejects Evolution
What does the Catholic Church teach about evolution? Addresses evolution in general and Darwinian evolution in particular. Discover scientists who held alternative "God-friendly" theories in opposition to Darwin's theory of random and chance-driven evolution.
6. Myth #5: The Big Bang is the Alternative to a Creator God
The Big Bang is not a scientific alternative to believing in a creator God. It actually points to the existence of an intelligent designer who has engineered the universe in such precision that it is impossible that it sprang into existence just the way it did due to random chance.
7. Myth #6: Human Life is the Result of Chemical Accident
Can the origins of life on earth can be considered a simple, happy accident? Even the building blocks of life—the unique and particular elements—are precisely engineered for life. Biocentrism overwhelmingly indicates the careful governance of God's hand over the creation of life.
8. Myth #7: The Vast Universe Necessitates Alien Life
Approaches the idea that alien life, intelligent or otherwise, is out there, somewhere, in the universe. Addresses both sides of the issue, secular and religious. Discover why ET speculation has serious consequences for Christian theology.
