Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Science and Faith: Compatible or in Conflict? Ard Louis speaks at Large Group

On March 23rd, Dr. Ard Louis, a theoretical physicist at Oxford University, came to Swarthmore College to talk about a hot-button issue for many here on our campus: the compatibility of science and faith in how we figure out our world. The speaking event was supported and made possible by the Veritas Forum and the Cooper Serendipity Fund.

Please watch Dr. Louis' talk in the video embedded below.



So what do you think? Are science and faith compatible? The conversations that were generated from this talk are many, lively, and important, so let's continue them!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Sacrifice

Lent starts this Wednesday, and right now, I'm struggling to figure something out.

What exactly does sacrifice mean?

It's a term used so often in the Christian church, how God sacrificed his one and only son so that we might be forgiven of our sins, but what does it mean for us, today?

This question stems from a campaign started by World Vision, and co-sponsored by Intervarsity, called Relentless ACT:S of Sacrifice. The goal of the campaign is to get our generation, college-students, twenty-somethings, those just starting to dig their feet into the "real world," to think about what it means to live a life that is sacrificial, that isn't about us at all, but rather about the larger picture of God's Kingdom.

I really love the idea behind this movement, because, as you can probably tell from previous posts, what draws me most to Christianity is the message of social justice present at its core. I think, in many ways, Christianity has one of the most radical philosophies out there: that everyone, regardless of race, class, background, or gender, can find an equal place in God's kingdom is crazy. No other philosophy is quite like that.

Which is why I am struggling to figure out what I, personally, can sacrifice this Lent. Obviously, nothing I do can compare to what Christ did (nor should it), but as William Penn so straightforwardly said, "To be like Christ is to be a Christian."

What part of myself can I give up?