John Polkinghorne

• Polkinghorne is a English theoretical physicist, theologian and Anglican Priest.
• Polkinghorne's view is that there is no divide between science and religion. (especially Christianity)
• 1. According to Polkinghorne, explanation is needed for the fact that the world is intelligible at all. There is no evolutionary value in our being able to make sense of the universe, so the fact that we can at all suggests we are designed this way by a God
• 2. God is at work within the Universe but not always in ways that humans can see. God does not intervene to stop evil but he is not uninvolved either. Instead he works within the processes of the universe
• 3. Both Christianity and science are empirical because they both seek to make sense of experience. Religion is rooted in religious experiences and different experiences are based on experiences of the same underlying reality
• 4. The Bible gives evidence for Christian claims about Jesus that can be rationally examined just as a scientific theory can. The Bible puts forward historical evidence that can be rationally assessed and examined in a way which is scientific
• 5. The claim that there is a God is one that can be made on the basis of evidence and can such be treated in the same way as a scientific claim. Christianity and science are compatible; they are different ways of understanding the same reality