What the Future Holds for the Universe and Us? Christian Theology in Conversation with Stephen Hawking.

Stephen Hawking used his worldwide fame to warn of several future existential threats to humanity. The pessimism of some of these scenarios was interwoven with a belief in science as savior and an increasing skepticism of the value of religion and belief in God. Yet, alongside the challenge of how t...

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Published in:Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science Vol. 60; no. 4; pp. 1261 - 1282
Main Author: Wilkinson, David
Format: Article
Published: Open Library of Humanities Dec2025
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Dec2025
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        atl: What the Future Holds for the Universe and Us? Christian Theology in Conversation with Stephen Hawking.
      aug:
        au: Wilkinson, David
        affil: Professor in the Department of Theology and Religion, Durham University, Durham, UK
      su:
        Dark energy
        Resurrection
        Faith
        Universe
        Theology
        Jesus Christ
        Interdisciplinary research
        Physical cosmology
        Existentialism
        Hawking, Stephen, 1942-2018
      sug:
        subj:
          Dark energy
          Resurrection
          Faith
          Universe
          Theology
          Jesus Christ
          Interdisciplinary research
          Physical cosmology
          Existentialism
          Hawking, Stephen, 1942-2018
      ab: Stephen Hawking used his worldwide fame to warn of several future existential threats to humanity. The pessimism of some of these scenarios was interwoven with a belief in science as savior and an increasing skepticism of the value of religion and belief in God. Yet, alongside the challenge of how the power of science can be used responsibly, there are also challenges that are beyond the power of science. For example, the future futility of the universe due to its acceleration, which is driven by dark energy. The long-term future is a cold and lifeless state. Here, science as savior is unable to provide optimism. Likewise, it challenges religious views of a creation getting increasingly better. This article argues that Christian theology, which takes seriously the bodily resurrection of Jesus and includes the New Testament's understanding of new creation, is a fruitful conversation partner with this scientific picture. In addition, it recognizes science as a transformative gift of God to be used alongside and for God's purposes.
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    language: English
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      custom: Copyright of Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science is the property of Open Library of Humanities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
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          year: 2025
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