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At Pensmore Dialogue on Science and Faith, a Huge and Very Enthusiastic Crowd Greets Meyer, Lennox, Richards

Meyer at Pensmore.jpg

This weekend I was privileged to be with Dr. Stephen Meyer, Dr. John Lennox, Dr. Jay Richards, and several other scholars who were presenting at the Pensmore Conference on Science and Faith on the campus of Patrick Henry College. Nestled in the rolling hills near Leesburg, Virginia, PHC was an excellent venue. In addition to PHC students, numbering about 350, there were some 500 attendees from all over the United States. It was a very enthusiastic crowd.

Jay Richards kicked off the conference with a talk on why science matters, or should matter, to people of faith. He set the entire discussion for the weekend within an important historical context. Philosopher and theologian Dr. Vern Poythress followed up with a great talk discussing the issues surrounding the supposed conflict between science and faith, with a lively Q&A with Jay and Vern after.

In the evening sessions, John Lennox discussed the question “Has Science Buried God?” and held the crowd in rapt attention throughout with his engaging style and that wonderful Northern Irish accent! He received a standing ovation.

Steve Meyer followed with a very engaging talk on “The Return of the God Hypothesis.” His remarks were sprinkled with good humor and even an attempt at German accent as he shared a quote from Albert Einstein. His talk was very well received.

The sessions ended with a fantastic Q&A with all four of the speakers on stage in a lively discussion with each other and the crowd.

Throughout the day and evening, participants were encouraged to send tweets using the hashtag #phcpnesmore2014. All through the day and evening, students and attendees were tweeting quotes from the talks and sharing positive comments. We found out later that at one point last night the hashtag was trending worldwide on Twitter. Not bad!

At our Discovery Institute information table, I was impressed and encouraged by how many of the attendees told me they’ve read both of Steve’s books, that they’ve seen all the great Illustra videos, or how much they appreciate the work we do. It was clear from the questions that most were very up on ID, Darwinism, and scientific materialism.

One young lady asked me for information on legislative issues regarding the teaching of evolution and how states formulate their science standards. It turns out she is writing a research paper on the subject…as a high-school sophomore! It was so encouraging to know that young people like her are so engaged with our issue and really understanding it.

I’m now on Twitter. Find me @DonaldM75.

Photo: Stephen Meyer/Patrick Henry College.

Donald McLaughlin

Donald McLaughlin joined Discovery Institute in August 2013 as a Development Officer and Regional Representative in the upper Midwest and Northeast regions. Donald is currently on staff with Ratio Christi as Senior Director of Advancement as well as Chapter Director for Indiana University – South Bend. 

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