Boyle Lectures


The Boyle Lectures are named after Robert Boyle, a prominent natural philosopher of the 17th century and son of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork. Under the terms of his Will, Robert Boyle endowed a series of lectures or sermons which were to consider the relationship between Christianity and the new natural philosophy then emerging in European society. Since 2004, this prestigious Lectures series has been organized, with the assistance of Board of the Boyle Lectures, by the International Society for Science and Religion and has been held at one of its original locations, the Wren church of St Mary-le-Bow on Cheapside in the City of London.

History

Early lectures

The first such lecture was given in 1692 by Richard Bentley, to whom Isaac Newton had written:
The early lecturers were specifically charged to prove the truth of the Christian religion against Jews, Muslims and non-believers, without considering any controversies or differences that might exist between different Christian groups.
A clergyman was to be appointed to the lectureship for a term of no more than three years by Thomas Tenison and three other nominated trustees. Boyle had assigned the rent from his house in Crooked Lane to support the lectures but the income from that source soon disappeared. Archbishop Tenison then arranged that the rental income from a farm in the parish of Brill in Buckinghamshire was to be paid at the rate of £12.10.00 per quarter to the lecturer.

Revival

The Boyle Lectures were revived in 2004 at the famous Wren church of St Mary-le-Bow in the City of London by Dr Michael Byrne, a Fellow of Birkbeck College London. Financial support for the lectures has been provided by a number of patrons, principally the Worshipful Company of Grocers and the Worshipful Company of Mercers in the city. A book to mark the 10th anniversary of the revived series was edited by Russell Re Manning and Michael Byrne and published by SCM Press in 2013 as 'Science and Religion in the Twenty-First Century: The Boyle Lectures 2004-2013'.
Having convened the first 15 lectures in the new series, Michael Byrne stepped down as Convenor in 2018. Management of the lecture then passed to the International Society for Science and Religion in cooperation with the Boyle Lectures Board of Trustees. Members of the board include John Boyle, 15th Earl of Cork; the Hon. Robert Boyle; Julian Tregoning, Past Master of the Grocers' Company; Xenia Dennan, Past Master of the Mercers Company; the Revd George R. Bush, Rector of St Mary-le-Bow; Emeritus Professor John Hedley Brooke; Dr Russell Re Manning; Professor Fraser Watts; and the Revd Michael Reiss, former President of the ISSR.

Chronological list

; 17th century
  • 1692 – A Confutation of Atheism, by Richard Bentley
  • 1693-94 - A Demonstration of the Messias, in which the Truth of the Christian Religion is proved, especially against the Jews, by Richard Kidder
  • 1694 - , by Richard Bentley
  • 1695 - The Possibility, Expediency and Necessity of Divine Revelation, by John Williams
  • 1696 - The Perfection of the Evangelical Revelation, by John Williams
  • 1697 - The Certainty of the Christian Revelation and the Necessity of believing it, established, by Francis Gastrell
  • 1698 - The Atheistical Objections against the Being of God and His Attributes fairly considered and fully refuted, by John Harris
  • 1699 - The Credibility of the Christian Revelation, from its intrinsick Evidence, by Samuel Bradford
  • 1700 - The Sufficiency of a Standing Revelation, by Offspring Blackall
; 18th century
  • 1701–02 - Truth and Excellency of the Christian Religion, by George Stanhope
  • 1703 - Adams
  • 1704 - A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God, by Samuel Clarke
  • 1705 - The Evidences of Natural and Revealed Religion, by Samuel Clarke
  • 1706 - Arguments to Prove the Being of a God, by John Hancock
  • 1707 - The Accomplishment of Scripture Prophecies, by William Whiston
  • 1708 - The Wisdom of God in the Redemption of Man, as delivered in the Holy Scriptures, vindicated from the chief Objections of Modern Infidels, by John Turner
  • 1709 - Religion no Matter of Shame, by Lilly Butler
  • 1710 - The Divine Original and Excellence of the Christian Religion, by Josiah Woodward
  • 1711–12 - ', by William Derham
  • 1713–14 - On the Exercise of Private Judgment, or Free-Thinking, by Benjamin Ibbot
  • 1717–18 - Natural Obligations to Believe the Principles of Religion and Divine Revelation, by John Leng
  • 1719 - ', by John Clarke
  • 1720 - On the Origin of Evil, by John Clarke
  • 1721 - The pretended Difficulties in Natural or Revealed Religion, no Excuse for Infidelity, by Robert Gurdon
  • 1724–25 - A Demonstration of True Religion, in a Chain of Consequences from certain and undeniable Principles, by Thomas Burnett
  • 1725–28 - John Denne
  • 1730–32 - The Gradual Revelation of the Gospel from the time of Man's Apostacy, by William Berriman
  • 1736–38 - ', by Richard Biscoe
  • 1739–41 - Leonard Twells
  • 1747–49 - Christianity justified upon the Scripture Foundation; being a Summery View of the Controversy between Christians and Deists, by Henry Stebbing
  • 1750–52 - John Jortin
  • 1756–58 - Thomas Newton
  • 1759–62 - Charles Moss
  • 1763 - A Discourse upon the Being of God against Atheists, by Ralph Heathcote
  • 1766–68 - The Evidence of Christianity deduced from Facts and the Testimony of Senses throughout all Ages of the Church to the present time, by William Worthington
  • 1769–71 - The Intent and Propriety of the Scripture Miracles considered and explained, by Henry Owen
  • 1778–80 - ', by James Williamson
; 19th century
; 20th century
  • 1903–05 - ', by Richard John Knowling
  • 1935–36 - God, Creation and Revelation, by Allen John MacDonald
  • 1965 - ', by Eric Mascall
; 21st century