It was a rare privilege to be in a room surrounded by experts in science and religion who had travelled to Oxford from all around the globe to share their perspectives on the evolving meaning and scope of the field. The IRC’s 2026 summer conference, ‘Rethinking Science and Religion 101’, brought together representative voices from all continents, and provided a unique opportunity for vibrant discussion surrounding how science and religion can be effectively developed and expanded to reflect global diversity.
Expertise within the room spanned across physics, chemistry, engineering, technology, AI, and quantum computing, through to Bible studies, global faiths, cultural traditions and philosophy of religion. Such a rich array of specialisms and cultural backgrounds allowed for productive insights into how a science and religion curriculum might be revised in order to properly emphasise underrepresented topics and lived experiences.
Conference sessions challenged Western-centric assumptions, biases and structures, including the title of ‘science and religion’ itself, highlighting the cultural contingency of the implied distinction between two different areas of research. It was noted that within many African and Indigenous contexts, the separation between scientific and religious inquiry is not culturally resonant; research into ‘nature’ encompasses both scientific and religious phenomena, without making a profound separation.
The significance of ethical, social and political issues, such as healthcare and healing, oppression and inequality, bioethics and environmental responsibility, were frequently at the forefront of consideration. The attendee’s shared commitment to shifting from abstraction towards embodiment, and towards recognition of relationships through which we can achieve a more faithful engagement with the world, will be expressed in a forthcoming declaration on science and religion.
This blog post has been penned by Dr Emma Jaura, who was a volunteer for the IRC's Conference this May. Stay tuned for more updates and information about this project's outputs.
