Must Read Articles

Aren’t religions all the same?

We live in a context of spiritual longing. Many people are searching for that which will satisfy an inner craving for meaning and significance. The artist Damian Hirst recently said this: “Why do I feel so important when I’m not? Nothing is important and everything is important. I do not know why I am here [...]

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Who Lit the Blue Touch Paper? God, Hawking, and the Big Bang

If you are interested in science and religion then it will probably not have escaped your attention that Stephen Hawking, arguably the most famous scientist in the world, has recently written a new book (co-authored by Leonard Mlodinow), entitled The Grand Design. A number of commentators highlighted the physicist’s supposed shift in thinking from a position that theoretically left the door open to the possibility of there being a creator (when he hinted in A Brief History of Time that scientific developments might help us to “know the mind of God”), to now saying that a deity is no longer needed as an explanation for the universe, because the physical laws of nature themselves can explain how everything here began. Although his earlier reference to a creator was almost certainly meant in a metaphorical sense, this latest work leaves the reader in no doubt about his position, as he says “It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going”.

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Lausanne 2010

This summer the world’s attention was focused on South Africa as teams from around the globe competed against one another for the most prestigious prize in international football. Although many of the results may now be forgotten (or we may wish they were!), this October the country will again host another notable international event, this time attended by members of the Zacharias Trust team.

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Stephen Hawking and God

In his latest book, the world’s most eminent physicist Stephen Hawking challenges belief in the divine creation of the universe. According to him, the laws of physics, not the will of God, provide the real explanation as to how life on earth came into being. The Big Bang, he argues, was the inevitable consequence of these laws: ‘because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing.’

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How can I believe in God when there’s so much suffering?

“How do you expect me to believe in God,” asked Woody Allen, “when only last week I got my tongue caught in the roller of my electric type-writer?”

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Isn’t the Bible sexist?

There is a widespread belief around about the Bible that it is some kind of powerful patriarchal conspiracy that has been used to oppress women. As a female speaker I find that this question is frequently asked: ‘How can you as woman promote such a sexist book?’ ‘The Church has tried to keep women down!’

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Recapturing a Vision of Covenant for Our Time

Today I attended the funeral of a friend from my Oxford University days. His life was cut short by a tragic accident abroad. He was in the prime of life, having achieved excellent results at Oxford, and after working for two years for a top firm in London, he was about to embark on a Ph.D. in biology at Harvard University.

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Aren’t Christians responsible for most wars?

I am often asked how I can believe in God when there have been so many wars caused by religion. The implication is that if only people would leave behind their convictions about the existence of a God the world would be a much better, more peaceful place.

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