The Saint Benedict Institute will host Dr. Chris Baglow, the director of the Science and Religion Initiative at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, for a talk titled “Extraterrestrial Life and Catholic Theology” on Thursday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. at Hope College in Winants Auditorium in Graves Hall.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
A video recording of the event will be made available online afterward on the Saint Benedict Institute website.
As shared in the presentation’s abstract, new methods in astronomy and new models in evolutionary biology have opened up new expectations that humans may not be alone in the cosmos. How, it asks, are Christian theologians to consider this in light of what God has revealed in the Incarnation of his Son in Christ? Baglow will draw upon the thought of classical and modern theologians to propose some possibilities for what Christians might expect to discover if the universe is inhabited by other species who, like Homo sapiens, are created in the divine image.
The event is co-sponsored by the Hope College departments of philosophy, physics and religion.
The Saint Benedict Institute is a ministry of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Holland. It seeks to promote and nurture intellectual work done from the heart of the Catholic Church, to foster an ecumenical community of Catholic Christians and friends committed to the renewal of culture, and to aid in the formation of intellectually and spiritually mature Christians by making available the riches of the Catholic tradition to Hope College and the wider community. More information can be found at saintbenedictinstitute.org.
Audience members who need assistance to fully enjoy any event at Hope are encouraged to contact the college’s Events and Conferences Office by emailing events@hope.edu or calling 616-395-7222 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, Hope is currently requiring that masks be worn by all individuals while indoors on campus unless in their living space or alone in their work space.
Graves Hall is located at 263 College Ave., between 10th and 13th streets.