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Oxford Mathematician and Christian apologist Professor John Lennox models what it means to defend the truth in love. He recently sat down with agnostic philosopher Alex O’Connor for a winsome conversation about faith, science, and the Bible.

Few people are as well credentialed as Professor John Lennox.

He currently holds the titles of Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and Emeritus Fellow in Mathematics and Philosophy of Science at Green Templeton College, Oxford.

(An “Emeritus” professorship is granted to retired professors in recognition of distinguished service.)

Professor Lennox has also served as an adjunct lecturer at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and an Associate Fellow of the Saïd Business School—also at the University of Oxford.

Lennox started his tertiary studies at Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge, where he attended the last series of lectures delivered by the great C.S. Lewis. He was awarded two Master’s degrees—in Arts and Science, respectively—and a Doctor of Philosophy.

Lennox: Researcher, Academic, Author, Debater

After obtaining his doctorate—the highest academic degree a person can earn in a specific field—Lennox commenced his academic career at the University of Wales, Cardiff, where he remained for twenty-nine years. During that time, he taught at universities around continental Europe—including Vienna, Würzburg, and Freiburg.

In 1993, Lennox was awarded a second doctorate—this time a Doctor of Science—by Cardiff University. Since then, he has also obtained a second Master of Arts and a third doctorate (DPhil) at the University of Oxford, and a third Master of Arts (in Bioethics) from the University of Surrey.

Lennox is also a prolific author. He has published over seventy academic papers and co-authored two research-level works in algebra, which formed part of the Oxford Mathematical Monograph series. He has also written key books on the intersection between science, philosophy and theology.

Lennox’s key books include God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? (2009), Seven Days That Divide the World: The Beginning According to Genesis and Science (2011), God and Stephen Hawking: Whose Design Is It Anyway? (2011), Gunning for God: A Critique of the New Atheism (2011), Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism (2015), Determined to Believe: The Sovereignty of God, Freedom, Faith, and Human Responsibility (2017), Can Science Explain Everything? (2019), 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity (2020), and Cosmic Chemistry: Do God and Science Mix? (2021).

Besides being an impressive researcher, academic, and author, Lennox is also a formidable debater. He has gone toe-to-toe on the debate stage with the likes of Christopher Hitchens, Michael Shermer, Richard Dawkins, Lawrence Krauss, Peter Atkins, Stephen Law, and Peter Singer.

Conversation with Alex O’Connor

In a recent episode of his podcast Within Reason, popular agnostic YouTuber and philosopher Alex O’Connor has interviewed Professor John Lennox—and the conversation is well worth listening to.

O’Connor is one of the most respected non-believing interlocutors, among both Christians and non-Christians alike. He is known and appreciated by many Christians for his genuine efforts to precisely and accurately represent Christian beliefs and arguments—even if he does not accept them.

In recent times, O’Connor’s popularity has spiked thanks to an episode of Jubilee’s ‘Surrounded’ program, where he faced off in a debate with twenty-five Christians, and a discussion he moderated between Professor Richard Dawkins (the renowned New Atheist) and Canadian psychologist Dr Jordan Peterson.

Speaking Truth in Love

Alex O’Connor’s conversation with John Lennox was striking for a number of reasons. Two points stand out.

Firstly, Lennox models what it means to defend the truth in love. He consistently prioritises knowledge transfer and communicating in an accessible manner over scoring “points”.

Lennox’s manner is intellectually humble and reveals that he is genuinely willing to listen to his interlocutor and consider his points.

It is extremely easy to get so caught up in debunking what we see as bad ideas that we forget that other people are involved—people with complex feelings, motives, and life experiences. It is easy to make things personal and lead people to think that we are attacking them.

Our lived testimony—our character, maturity, and loving demeanour—is more powerful than any argument that we can field.

John Lennox illustrates this approach well. He genuinely cares—and it shows.

Secondly, the conversation illustrated a broader point about the deficiencies of the adversarial “debate” format for productive discussions. Both Lennox and O’Connor shared this concern, noting that they have both steered increasingly away from debates and towards “conversational” formats.

Invariably, debates tend to focus on “winning” and “scoring points” rather than on pursuing truth. A moderated discussion between individuals—or even an unmoderated conversation like Lennox and O’Connor’s—can provide much more value in the pursuit of truth.

This is not to say that there is no place for debates.

However, the format inevitably inclines one away from the pursuit of truth and towards a more entertainment-based clash of wits.

Instead of focusing on aggressive point-scoring, we should be honest, open, and genuine, letting our thoughtful testimony bear witness to the truth of our beliefs.

But that is enough from me!

Why not watch the full conversation and draw your own conclusions?

Photo via Flickr.