We are delighted to celebrate the publication of an article by Dr Bethany Sollereder, Associate Professor of Science and Religion at the Faculty of Theology and Religion and Associate of the Ian Ramsey Centre featured in Plough magazine. Her piece, “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Teilhard de Chardin?”, explores the life, struggles, and enduring legacy of the 20th-century Jesuit priest and palaeontologist Teilhard de Chardin.
An excerpt from the article:
"Experiencing Teilhard’s life not in the impenetrable world of his words, but in the long arch of his biography, three things struck me as deeply insightful from his life for people today. First, one of the remarkable aspects of Teilhard’s story is his steadfast loyalty to his calling as a Jesuit, even when his Jesuit superiors blocked his advancement, silenced him, and exiled him. Had he left the order, he could have had a teaching job in the sciences in any university in Paris. Similarly, while in China, he built a very close friendship with a remarkable woman name Lucile Swan. She wanted him to leave the priesthood, marry her, and publish and speak freely. He wrote back affirming his love yet gently replying: “I do not belong to myself, and consequently I cannot give me entirely and exclusively to anybody.” Despite the open doors in front of him to success, fame, and romantic love, he remained steadfast to his teenage commitment to the Society of Jesus. In today’s world of fractured relationships, Teilhard’s actions may seem alien or even naive. Yet he used the discipline he was under to shape his character and his experience of God. No one can answer what his life might have looked like had he walked through those other doors. What can be said is that his faithfulness has left a rich legacy that has shaped the church he loved. His writings have been honored by the late Pope Francis and his work is widely read in seminaries across the globe."
Dr. Sollereder offers a personal and insightful reflection on Teilhard’s spiritual resilience, scientific foresight, and the challenges of working at the intersection of disciplines. Her article invites readers to reconsider Teilhard’s mystical yet scientific vision of a cosmos infused with divine love.
We congratulate Dr. Sollereder on this widely shared and deeply thoughtful piece, which shines a light on the vital work being done within the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion to explore the dialogue between science and faith.
📖 Read the full article at Plough.com
🔗 Learn more about Dr. Sollereder’s work at the Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Oxford
