Research On Religion » Galileo

Russell Kleckley on Religion, Science, and Johannes Kepler

tonygill — Sun, 14 Sep 2014 08:00:22 +0000

We all know Johannes Kepler as one of history’s great mathematicians and astronomers, but did he have anything to say about theology? Of course he did, and Russell Kleckley, an associate professor of religion at Augsburg College, details the life and times of this fascinating individual who both reflected and challenged the thinking of his age. Before diving into the topic of Kepler, though, we talk about scuba diving as it was on a dive trip in the Florida Keys where the two of us met. We share a brief story about the famous “Scuba Jesus” that is located about 30 feet underwater in the Atlantic Ocean.

Following this bit of fun banter, we turn to the serious historical topic of Johannes Kepler. Prof. Kleckley provides a quick “textbook” summary of Kepler’s life for those of us who may have missed that day in high school. We learn about his mercenary father, his mother who was accused of witchcraft, some important moments in Kepler’s life such as the observation of the Great Comet of 1577, and his major scientific contributions. It is then I probe how Russell became interested in studying this “natural philosopher” as a topic of his doctoral dissertation. He explains how Kepler, whose theological musings often go unnoticed, was representative of the intellectual ferment that was occurring in the century following the Protestant Reformation. This historical context is also reviewed for listeners and we chat about why scientists — as we would call them today — were considered to be “natural philosophers” back then. The desire to explain the workings of the natural world were intimately tied to finding theological meaning in the world, including a greater understanding of God’s design of the universe. We learn that Kepler considered himself a “priest of the book of nature,” indicating that he saw no conflict whatsoever with his spiritual beliefs and his empirical quest to explain the world around him.

The conversation then moves into an examination of Kepler’s theology, specifically his differences with Lutherans, Calvinists, and Catholics. The fact that Kepler lived at the geographic intersection of these faiths, was raised a Lutheran, and had to move around to different town due to theological conflict plays an important role of how Kepler developed his own understanding of faith and orthodoxy. We discuss the meaning of two revealing statements written by Kepler himself that reflected his thought and historical context — “I am neither a Lutheran nor a Calvinist” and “One should be pious, but not at all too pious.” Both statements indicate his frustrations with the growing orthodoxy of the day. Russell details a number of theological differences Kepler had with the two dominant Protestant faiths at the time, particularly centering around ideas about free will/predestination and his understanding of Article VIII of the Formula of Concord. This latter controversy revolved around the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. We see Kepler’s discomfort with orthodoxies that had developed after the Reformation and how he preferred a hierarchy of authority that started with Scripture and then deferred to the Early Church Fathers. Later doctrine needed to be approached with more skepticism and flexibility. Russell also points out how Kepler’s concern over more recent orthodoxies (for his era) led him to advocate for more ecumenical relations among Christians, seeking to build bridges across Protestant theologies as well as with Catholics.

We finish the discussion with Russell’s personal reflections on his study of this topic. While noting that Kepler probably did not have much of an impact on the theological debates of his era, his thought and life history is an indication for us today that science and religion need not be antithetical to one another but can really work well hand-in-hand. Recorded: September 8, 2014.

David Bentley Hart on Atheist Delusions

tonygill — Sun, 23 Feb 2014 09:00:32 +0000

A regular listener to the show recently requested we talk with David Bentley Hart about his book Atheist Delusions and we have so complied. Dr. Hart, an Eastern Orthodox theologian and prolific writer, joins us to talk about how the book came about as well as his counter-critiques to the critiques of Christianity that are often made by the “new atheists” (as well as some of the older atheists) with a wee bit of churlishness here and there.

Our discussion begins with how this award-winning book came about. We discover that he did not originally intend on writing such a book but was approached by an acquisitions editor from a publishing house with the general idea for this book in mind. This conversation reveals some of the fascinating “inside baseball” of the academic publishing business.

Following this discussion, we set out to define who the “new atheists” are, why they have appeared when they did, and what impact Dr. Hart thinks these folks have had on the general culture. Tony further inquires as to why they are “fashionable,” as per the title of Dr. Hart’s book, and a pithy response is provided. We compare them to the “old atheists,” who David argues had more substantive critiques of religion.

We then dive into David’s substantive responses to various claims made by atheists — new and old — regarding the deleterious effect that religion, specifically Christianity, has had on human history and progress. Prof. Hart explodes the myth that Christianity plunged Western civilization into a “dark age of knowledge,” by burning down libraries and tamping down scientific inquiry. He provides some interesting detail into how the trope of “library burning” came about, tracing it back to a short sentence based upon some historical hearsay in the work of 18th century historian Edward Gibbon. (That is “18th century” in the sense that Gibbon lived in the 1700s, not that he was a historian examining that era.) This sets off a conversation about how such myths are perpetuated in the populary imagery. Hart claims that no serious historian or other scholar accepts such reasoning, although the popular classes are easily fooled. We then touch upon the infamous Galileo incident. While popular imagery has it that the Vatican was acting to squash a heliocentric view of the universe and repress scienfitic inquiry, the reality was that this was a clash of personalities with the scientist not giving due respect to the powerful religious figures at the time. Portraying Church leaders as “simpletons” in one’s academic writing is not the best way to endear one to the religious officials who help fund one’s research. The topics of witch hunts and religiously-induced violence are also reviewed.

We then take up the question of whether or not the “Age of Reason” brought humanity out of these dark ages. This brings us to a discussion on the difference between modernity and Christianity and how modern society retains the echoes of the Christian revolution but is really drifting towards a soulless destiny likely devoid of true faith. We end on this cheery note. Recorded: February 21, 2014.

NOTE: I have done the best with the audio quality that I can without distorting any of the sound quality.

Rodney Stark on the Triumph of Christianity, Part II

tonygill — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 08:00:57 +0000

What path did Christianity take following Emperor Constantine’s Edict of Milan in 313? We address this question with Prof. Rodney Stark, co-founder and co-director of Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion. This interview is the second in our three part series examining Prof. Stark’s book, The Triumph of Christianity. We begin by looking at what effects the Edict of Milan had on Christianity, including both the benefits and drawbacks. A discussion of the downside of becoming an official state religion brings us to a discussion about the Church of Power, where clerical offices were often held for personal gain, and the Church of Piety (e.g., monasticism) that pushed back against institutional corruption. We also note how the level of religious practice among the European peasantry has been exaggerated during this period and what implications that holds for secularization theory. Both elements were in play during the medieval era. We then examing whether or not the “Dark Ages” were really that “unenlightened” or merely a caricature imposed upon that time by thinkers such as Voltaire. Rod argues that Europe actually flourished after the collapse of the Roman Empire and Christianity was a big part of economic and moral progress during the millenium stretching from the 5th century to the 15th century. We discuss the Church’s role in ending slavery as well as its support for scientific inquiry. Galileo becomes a topic for our discussion as Prof. Stark demonstrates why this renowned scientist was actually censured by the Church … and it wasn’t because of his scientific theories, but rather how he presented them. We finish off by looking at religious dissent, touching briefly on witchcraft and the Protestant Reformation, which brings us to the topic of the Spanish Inquisition, which Prof. Stark also notes has been badly misrepresented in some academic circles. Recorded: March 2, 2012.