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Re-Uploaded from 2021

Welcome back to the ISSR Podcast.

I am pleased to be (re)introducing you to this special episode on the late John Polkinghorne. John was the founding President of ISSR, and his involvement in the field of science and religion cannot be understated. His intellectual work has been a source of ongoing discussion over the years and remains so today, as you will see here. John was a professor of theoretical physics at Cambridge University until 1979, when he resigned from that prestigious position to pursue theology, entering the priesthood in 1982. A prolific writer, he authored over 30 books, exploring in depth the relationship between the discoveries of modern physics and the doctrines of the Christian faith.

In 1989, he became President of Queens' College, Cambridge, a position he held until he retired in 1996. The next year, in 1997, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for distinguished service to science, religion, learning and medical ethics. In 2002, he received the prestigious Templeton Prize in recognition of his modern and compelling treatment of theology as a complement to natural science, which, when viewed together, offer what he called a “binocular” vision of the truth. That same year, ISSR was founded, with John as Founding President.

We had a number of speakers present for the event, and all gave thoughtful reflections and respectful criticism of John’s life, work and influence. In Conversation for this episode are:

Michael J Reiss, Professor of Science Education at the Institute of Education, University College London. Prof Reiss is also past president of ISSR.
https://iris.ucl.ac.uk/iris/browse/pr...

Mark Harris is Professor and Andreas Idreos Chair in Science and Religion, and Director of the Ian Ramsey Centre in Science and Religion at Oxford University.
https://www.theology.ox.ac.uk/people/...

Michael Welker is Senior Professor of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Heidelberg
https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/fakulta...

Nicholas Saunders is a barrister and former lecturer at Cambridge University.
https://www.faraday.cam.ac.uk/about/p...

Nicholas Beale is the founder and director of Sciteb

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The International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) is pleased to share the Plenary talks from the ISSR 2025 Summer Conference, titled "Ecology between Religions and Sciences: Minds and Bodies in Nature."

The fourth talk in this series was given by Panu Pihkala, adjunct professor of environmental theology in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Helsinki. His talk was titled "Environmental emotions, attitudes, and religion". 

This was the fourth of seven Plenary talks at the conference, which publicly launched ISSR's new priority research area on ecology and the environment engaged from the field of science and religion. It was designed to encourage growth on a wide range of topics relevant to religious and scientific engagements with environmental/ecological issues from interdisciplinary angles, including:

• The role of the natural, social, and human sciences in current discourse about climate change

• Diverse religious approaches to environmental issues in world faith traditions, and their history and sociology;

• The relationship between worldview beliefs and environmental emotions, anxieties, actions and commitments;

• Eco-theologies and conceptualizations of the environment;

• Pedagogies of environmental awareness,

• Experiences of nature and official discourses in religious and scientific environmentalisms;

• Planetary intelligence and environmental sensitivity in relation to spiritual intelligence. 

View the rest of the Plenary talks in the playlist here:   https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJNG998NhMIMYQnpl2ZDdUFDTMKHs2gl&si=4pqgAvid0y6w7eGh

We hope that you enjoy and take away positive lessons from these deeply engaging and inspiring talks. These seven Plenary talks comprise a playlist featuring leading thinkers in the field of science and religion who engage with ecological and environmental issues. 

ISSR, the premier academic society focused on interdisciplinary learning and research in the fields of science and religion, was established with a global and multi-faith perspective. We invite you to learn more about us and consider becoming an Associate member by visiting our website: https://www.issr.org.uk.

Thank you for joining us. We look forward to seeing you next time on the ISSR YouTube channel. 

Anthony K Nairn
www.anthonyknairn.ca
ISSR Executive Assistant
www.issr.org.uk


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You can listen to the YouTube version here: https://youtu.be/U--QBn4Glwg

The International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) is pleased to share the Plenary talks from the ISSR 2025 Summer Conference, titled "Ecology between Religions and Sciences: Minds and Bodies in Nature."

The third talk in this series was given by Niels Henrik Gregersen, Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Copenhagen. His talk was titled "Three Irreducible Aspects of Ecology: Alterity, Power, and Entanglement". 

This was the third of seven Plenary talks at the conference, which publicly launched ISSR's new priority research area on ecology and the environment. It was designed to engage with a wide range of topics relevant to religious engagements with environmental/ecological issues, including:

• The role of the natural, social, and human sciences in current discourse about climate change

• Diverse religious approaches to environmental issues in world faith traditions, and their history and sociology;

• The relationship between worldview beliefs and environmental emotions, anxieties, actions and commitments;

• Eco-theologies and conceptualizations of the environment;

• Pedagogies of environmental awareness,

• Experiences of nature and official discourses in religious and scientific environmentalisms;

• Planetary intelligence and environmental sensitivity in relation to spiritual intelligence. 

View the rest of the Plenary talks in the playlist here:   https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJNG998NhMIMYQnpl2ZDdUFDTMKHs2gl&si=4pqgAvid0y6w7eGh

We hope that you enjoy and take away positive lessons from these deeply engaging and inspiring talks. These seven Plenary talks comprise a playlist featuring leading thinkers in the field of science and religion who engage with ecological and environmental issues. 

ISSR, the premier academic society focused on interdisciplinary learning and research in the fields of science and religion, was established with a global and multi-faith perspective. We invite you to learn more about us and consider becoming an Associate member by visiting our website: https://www.issr.org.uk.

Thank you for joining us. We look forward to seeing you next time on the ISSR YouTube channel. 

Anthony K Nairn
www.anthonyknairn.ca
ISSR Executive Assistant
www.issr.org.uk

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Send us Fan Mail

Watch the YouTube version here: https://youtu.be/NJAza_N9SpU

The International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) is pleased to share the Plenary talks from the ISSR 2025 Summer Conference, titled "Ecology between Religions and Sciences: Minds and Bodies in Nature."

The second talk in this series was given by Susan P Bratton, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science at Baylor University. Her talk was titled "Religion, scientific ecology, and environmental problem solving: Shared worldviews, constructive cooperation, separation, or conflict?". 

This was the second of seven Plenary talks at the conference, which publicly launched ISSR's new priority research area on ecology and the environment. It was designed to engage with a wide range of topics relevant to religious engagements with environmental/ecological issues, including:

• The role of the natural, social, and human sciences in current discourse about climate change

• Diverse religious approaches to environmental issues in world faith traditions, and their history and sociology;

• The relationship between worldview beliefs and environmental emotions, anxieties, actions and commitments;

• Eco-theologies and conceptualizations of the environment;

• Pedagogies of environmental awareness,

• Experiences of nature and official discourses in religious and scientific environmentalisms;

• Planetary intelligence and environmental sensitivity in relation to spiritual intelligence. 

View the rest of the Plenary talks in the playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJNG998NhMIMYQnpl2ZDdUFDTMKHs2gl

We hope that you enjoy and take away positive lessons from these deeply engaging and inspiring talks. The seven Plenary talks comprise a playlist featuring leading thinkers in the field of science and religion who engage with ecological and environmental issues. 

ISSR, the premier academic society focused on interdisciplinary learning and research in the fields of science and religion, was established with a global and multi-faith perspective. We invite you to learn more about us and consider becoming an Associate member by visiting our website: https://www.issr.org.uk.

Thank you for joining us. We look forward to seeing you next time on the ISSR YouTube channel. 

Anthony K Nairn
www.anthonyknairn.ca
ISSR Executive Assistant
www.issr.org.uk

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Send us Fan Mail

You can watch the YouTube version here: https://youtu.be/oz42NeALXKE?si=-9GjOWwV1oou7Gpd 

The International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) is pleased to share the Plenary talks from the ISSR 2025 Summer Conference, titled "Ecology between Religions and Sciences: Minds and Bodies in Nature."

The first talk in this series was given by Mike Hulme, Professor of Human Geography and Fellow, as well as Director of Studies in Geography at Pembroke College, University of Cambridge. His talk was titled "Climate, Ecological, and Social Crises – Scientific and Religious Perspectives".

A Response to the talk was given by Celia Deane-Drummond, Senior Research Fellow in Theology, and Director of the Laudato Si Research Institute, Campion Hall, University of Oxford.

This was the first of seven Plenary talks at the conference, which publicly launched ISSR's new priority research area on ecology and the environment. It was designed to engage with a wide range of topics relevant to religious engagements with environmental/ecological issues, including:

• The role of the natural, social, and human sciences in current discourse about climate change

• Diverse religious approaches to environmental issues in world faith traditions, and their history and sociology;

• The relationship between worldview beliefs and environmental emotions, anxieties, actions and commitments;

• Eco-theologies and conceptualizations of the environment;

• Pedagogies of environmental awareness,

• Experiences of nature and official discourses in religious and scientific environmentalisms;

• Planetary intelligence and environmental sensitivity in relation to spiritual intelligence.

We hope that you enjoy and take away positive lessons from these deeply engaging and inspiring talks. The seven Plenary talks comprise a playlist featuring leading thinkers in the field of science and religion who engage with ecological and environmental issues.

ISSR, a beacon of interdisciplinary learning and research in the fields of science and religion, was established with a global and multi-faith perspective. We invite you to learn more about us and consider becoming an Associate member by visiting our website: https://www.issr.org.uk.

Thank you for joining us. We look forward to seeing you next time on the ISSR YouTube channel. 

Anthony K Nairn
www.anthonyknairn.ca
ISSR Executive Assistant
www.issr.org.uk

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Send us Fan Mail

Link to the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/sLza_1H2aJo

The International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) is pleased to share a discussion with the award-winning author of the 2024 ISSR Book Prize for Science and Religion, Nicholas Spencer, for his Magisteria: The Entangled Histories of Science & Religion (2023, OneWorld Press). https://oneworld-publications.com/work/magisteria/

Funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation, the ISSR Book Prize is intended to understand ‘religion’ broadly and seek excellence in content and communication. We seek to reward books that make a major contribution to the field, especially if they have the potential to take the field in new directions. We expect three books to be selected each year, one suitable for a general audience, one for an academic audience, and one for a professional audience. Each year there are three financial prizes of £500 for the winning authors presented to the winning authors at the American Academy of Religion’s annual meeting. 

For more information about the Book Prize and to find out how to nominate books, please visit this link: https://www.issr.org.uk/projects/issr-annual-book-prize/

Each year, we have awarded three prizes in distinct categories: Academic, General, and Professional. 

ISSR is pleased to have awarded the following authors the 2024 ISSR Book Prize on Science and Religion:   

– In the academic category – Peter N. Jordan for Naturalism in the Christian Imagination: Providence and Causality in Early Modern England. Cambridge University Press, 2022.

– In the category for a general readership – Philip Goff for Why? The Purpose of the Universe. Oxford University Press, 2023.

– In the category for professionals and educators – Nicholas Spencer for Magisteria: The Entangled Histories of Science & Religion. OneWorld, 2023.

In conversation with Nicholas is John Hedley Brooke, with an introduction by the chair of the Prize Committee, Fraser Watts.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-spencer-1085967/?originalSubdomain=uk 
https://johnhedleybrooke.com/
http://www.fraserwatts.co.uk/ 

ISSR, a beacon of interdisciplinary learning and research in the fields of science and religion, was established with a global and multi-faith perspective. We invite you to learn more about us and consider becoming an Associate member by visiting our website: https://www.issr.org.uk.

Thank you for joining us. We look forward to seeing you next time on the ISSR YouTube channel. 

Anthony K Nairn
www.anthonyknairn.ca
ISSR Executive Assistant
www.issr.org.uk

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The International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) is pleased to present the ISSR 2025 Boyle Lecture Discussion, which was recorded live following the Premiere of the 2025 Boyle Lecture on YouTube.  

The discussion included:
The Most Reverend Dr Antje Jackelén, Archbishop Emerita of Uppsala and Primate Emerita of Sweden
https://www.ctr.lu.se/en/person/antjejackelen/

Professor Arthur Petersen, Professor of Science, Technology and Public Policy, University College London
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/steapp/people/professor-arthur-petersen-0

Professor Noreen Herzfeld, Saint John's University
https://www.csbsju.edu/theology/person/noreen-herzfeld/

and

Professor and Chair of Nanomaterials Andrew Briggs, University of Oxford
https://andrewbriggs.org/

These live discussions emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic when ISSR hosted an entirely digital Boyle Lecture led by the late Tom McLeish in 2021. Since then, ISSR has maintained the Digital Lecture and Discussion so all can enjoy this prestigious event and the accompanying conversations. All of the Digital Lectures and Discussions can be found on our YouTube channel. 

The original Boyle Lectures were given as a series of sermons at several churches in London and Westminster following their establishment in 1692. The ‘original Boyles’ lasted until about 1730, although sporadic later ‘Boyle Lectures’ continued to be given in the centuries since then. The lecture series was revived in 2004 at one of its original locations, the Wren church of St Mary-le-Bow on Cheapside in the City of London, where it continues to be hosted each year. 

Prior Boyle Lectures before 2021 can be found on St Mary-le-Bow’s YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/stmarylebow

The International Society for Science and Religion was founded in 2002 to promote education through interdisciplinary learning and research in the field of science and religion, conducted in an international and multi-faith context. To find out more about ISSR, please visit our website here: https://www.issr.org.uk/

ISSR is thankful to all who continue to make the Boyle Lectures and Discussions possible each year. 

Anthony K Nairn
www.anthonynairn.com 
ISSR Executive Assistant 
www.issr.org.uk

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The International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) is pleased to present the 2025 Boyle Lecture, which was given by The Most Reverend Dr Antje Jackelén, Archbishop Emerita of Uppsala and Primate Emerita of Sweden, on:

“Science, Technology, Theology and Spirituality — A Necessary Partnership?”

This year's Response was given by Professor Arthur Petersen, Professor of Science, Technology and Public Policy, University College London.

The original Boyle Lectures were given as a series of sermons at several churches in London and Westminster following their establishment in 1692. The ‘original Boyles’ lasted until about 1730, although sporadic later ‘Boyle Lectures’ continued to be given in the centuries since then. The lecture series was revived in 2004 at one of its original locations, the Wren church of St Mary-le-Bow on Cheapside in the City of London, where it continues to be hosted each year. We are grateful to St Mary-le-Bow the Rector, Revd George Bush, the Parish Council, and the Boyle Lecture Trustees for their continued support and guidance.

Since the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Boyle Lectures (available on our channel) have been offered online for all to listen to, learn from, and enjoy this most prestigious lecture series.

Prior Boyle Lectures before 2021 can be found on St Mary-le-Bow’s YouTube channel. 

The International Society for Science and Religion was founded in 2002 to promote education through interdisciplinary learning and research in the field of science and religion, conducted in an international and multi-faith context. To find out more about ISSR, please visit our website here: https://www.issr.org.uk/

ISSR is thankful to all who continue to make the Boyle Lectures possible each year. 

Anthony K Nairn
www.anthonynairn.com 
ISSR Executive Assistant 
www.issr.org.uk

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Welcome back to the ISSR Podcast.

For many years, ISSR has had a presence at the AAR/SBL annual conference. In November 2024, ISSR was again at the San Diego, California conference. ISSR is pleased to bring you our sessions from this massive conference for the first time. 

This panel was titled "Author Meets Critics Book Panel: Climate, God and Uncertainty by Arthur Petersen." Referring mainly to works by Latour, William James and Heinrich Rickert, Petersen develops ‘transcendental naturalism’ to reinterpret the interface between science and politics in the context of climate change. He highlights, for instance, issues such as the religious disenchantment of nature, the scientific disbelief in a plurality of value-laden perspectives, and the disregard for non-modern worldviews in politics. In developing its argument, the book makes a methodological intervention on the sort of naturalism that guides both Latour’s work and a large part of the academic field called ‘science and religion’. 

The panel consisted of:

Dr Pete Jordan - https://www.theology.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-pete-jordan

Dr Josh A. Reeves - https://www.samford.edu/arts-and-sciences/directory/Reeves-Josh

Dr Bethany Sollereder - https://edwebprofiles.ed.ac.uk/profile/dr-bethany-sollereder

Prof Whitney Bauman - https://sipa.fiu.edu/people/faculty/religious-studies/bauman.whitney.html

Prof. Dr. Gijsbert van den Brink - https://vu.nl/en/research/scientists/gijsbert-van-den-brink

Prof Lisa Sideris - https://es.ucsb.edu/people/lisa-sideris

And the book's author, Prof Arthur Petersen - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/steapp/people/professor-arthur-petersen-0

Each panellist critically evaluated themes in the book, with Petersen responding at the end. 

ISSR was established as an elite academic society to foster global and multi-faith perspectives on the intersection of science and religion. We invite you to learn more about us and consider becoming an Associate member by visiting our website: https://www.issr.org.uk.

Thank you for joining us, and we’ll see you next time on the ISSR Podcast. 

Anthony K Nairn
www.anthonynairn.com  
ISSR Executive Assistant
www.issr.org.uk

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The International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) was pleased to sponsor and attend the European Society for the Study of Science and Theology (ESSSAT) 2024 conference in Split, Croatia.
https://www.esssat.net/next-conference  

ISSR led the conference's first panel, discussing “Grand Narratives, Science, and Religion.” The panel was chaired by ISSR President Prof Niels Henrik Gregersen, with speakers ISSR Executive Secretary Prof Fraser Watts and ISSR Executive Assistant Anthony K Nairn. ISSR Fellow Dr Joanna Leidenhag responded to the panel.  

https://researchprofiles.ku.dk/en/persons/niels-henrik-gregersen
http://www.fraserwatts.co.uk/
https://anthonynairn.com/
https://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/philosophy/staff/3700/dr-joanna-leidenhag 

ISSR was established as an elite academic society to foster global and multi-faith perspectives on the intersection of science and religion. We invite you to learn more about us and consider becoming an Associate member by visiting our website: https://www.issr.org.uk.

Anthony K Nairn
www.anthonynairn.com  
ISSR Executive Assistant
www.issr.org.uk

Support the show