Science, Oneness and God
Joining the dots between the spiritual and the material
In this talk, Revd Don MacGregor will discuss ways in which science and spirit are basically converging around the issue of interconnectedness and oneness. A new story is emerging – a story of the acceptance that science and spirituality are not opposing world views, but are the two sides of the same coin. It stems from the increasingly adopted scientific view that consciousness is the starting point of all that is - and the spiritually-minded call that consciousness God. The talk will also be illustrated.
The world is rapidly changing. How do we move Christianity into the 21st century when so much of its doctrine is still heavily influenced by the medieval mentality? Revd Don MacGregor will draw upon insights from emerging scientific perspectives together with wisdom from the world’s spiritual traditions to reach towards a re-imagining of God and the Christ that is meaningful and helpful for today. Some have said ‘it is now rational to be spiritual’ and Don hopes to put some meat on the bones of that tantalising statement by re-examining some central Christian teachings in the light of the universe as we understand it this century.
Revd Don MacGregor BSc, PGCE, MA is the author of “Blue Sky God: the Evolution of Science and Christianity” and “The Wisdom Series” of books. He has now retired as a vicar and lives in St Davids, Pembrokeshire, West Wales. He has had a career with a number of twists and turns. After gaining his BSc in Ergonomics at Loughborough University, he initially worked as a statistician in the National Health Service. Then he retrained as a teacher, and taught Science in a secondary school in Leicester for 13 years. During that time he was involved politically in the Green movement, and studied the Perennial Wisdom philosophy and other esoteric subjects.
He then became involved with Christianity and went into the ordained ministry in the Church of England, gaining an MA in Theology. He worked in churches in Birmingham and Leicester, then returned to Loughborough University as chaplain for 6 years, before moving to West Wales in 2004, ending up being the ministry team leader for 15 churches! His Christian journey has moved from evangelical and charismatic to mystical and esoteric with aspects of contemporary holistic spirituality, and an emphasis on meditation and contemplative prayer. His other roles have included spiritual director, new religious movements officer, and interfaith officer. He is an active member of CANA (Christians Awakening to a New Awareness) and PCN (Progressive Christian Network).
As well as being immersed in Christian theology, Don has also been a long-time student of the Perennial Wisdom teachings, which can be seen as an underground stream of wisdom running through all healthy spirituality. It has emerged in many different situations, usually through an enlightened teacher, taking on the cultural and contexual expression of the time and location. The current spiritual climate is such that this esoteric teaching can now be brought into the open and become exoteric. His aim is to reinterpret Christian theology in this light, incorporating cutting edge scientific revelations as well.