LA MIRADA, Calif., Jan. 26, 2012 — Renowned philosopher Alvin Plantinga will discuss his new book, “Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism” at Biola University on Feb. 2.  The book — which prompted a recent New York Times profile — argues that theism is “vastly more hospitable to science than naturalism,” the view that there is no God or anything like God. “Indeed,”  says Plantinga, “it is theism, not naturalism, that deserves to be called ‘the scientific world view.’"

The lecture, titled "Science & Religion: Where the Conflict Really Lies," is open to the public and will be held Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012 from 6 to 7 p.m. in Calvary Chapel, sponsored by Biola’s Center for Christian Thought — an ambitious new initiative that will bring world-renowned Christian scholars together to discuss and write about important questions facing Christianity in the 21st Century.

Alvin Plantinga

Plantinga is currently the William H. Jellema Chair of Philosophy at Calvin College, and was until his retirement in 2010 the John A. O'Brien Chair of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He is a past president of the American Philosophical Association and the Society of Christian Philosophers, a Guggenheim fellow, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has been awarded several prestigious lectureships, including two Gifford Lectures at the University of Aberdeen, the Wilde Lectures at Oxford University, and the Suarez Lecture at Fordham University. His most recent book, Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism (2011) was just published with Oxford University Press.

Biola University Center for Christian Thought

Set to launch in February 2012, the Biola University Center for Christian Thought seeks to serve as an innovative opportunity for scholars and an important resource for society. At the heart of the Center is a residential fellowship program that will bring together eight research fellows — four Biola faculty members and four external scholars — for a semester at a time to do work on a selected theme. The Center will also bring well-known “visiting scholars” to Biola’s campus for several days or weeks at a time to help facilitate the dialogue.

The Center for Christian Thought will focus on the theme "Christian Scholarship in the 21st Century: Prospects and Perils" this semester.The visiting Presidential Scholars for Spring 2012 are Nicholas Wolterstorff and Alvin Plantinga.

For more information, please contact Jenna Bartlo, Media Relations Coordinator, at 562.777.4061 or jenna.l.bartlo@biola.edu.

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About Biola University

Biola University, named one of 17 “up and coming”national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2011, is a private Christian university located in Southern California. For more than 100 years, Biola has remained committed to its mission of biblically centered education, integrating biblical principles with every academic program. With a current record-high enrollment of 6,250 students, the university’s six schools offer 145 academic programs, ranging from the B.A. to the Ph.D. For more information, visit www.biola.edu.