Strauss to Speak on “Quantum Mechanics and the Sovereignty of God” at Oct. 1 Philosophy Forum

September 29, 2021

Dr. Michael Strauss, David Ross Boyd Professor of Physics at the University of Oklahoma, will speak at the next Philosophy Forum Friday, Oct. 1. His lecture, “Quantum Mechanics and the Sovereignty of God,” will take place at 4 p.m. in Tulsa Royalties Auditorium in Bailey Business Center.

Philosophy Forums are held regularly for students, faculty and staff who long to openly discuss questions about knowledge, reality and existence. Strauss’s lecture will give insight into how a difficult-to-understand science, quantum mechanics, can relate to the complexity of the divinity of God.

Dr. Tawa J. Anderson, associate professor of philosophy at OBU, organizes the Philosophy Forums and is eager to welcome Strauss to campus to discuss such an interesting topic.

“Quantum physics is a mysterious branch of science, simultaneously complex and incomprehensible to the average layperson,” Anderson said. “The sovereign will and action of God is a similarly mysterious side of theology. In this thought-provoking Philosophy Forum, Dr. Michael Strauss will explore the intersection of complex science and deep theology, bringing quantum mechanics and God's sovereignty into conversation. I am looking forward to learning a great deal more about the nature and implications of quantum mechanics, and how seeking understanding of complex science can illuminate our knowledge of and relationship with the Lord God.”

Strauss entered his undergraduate tenure at Biola University interested in both theology and physics. After graduating summa cum laude from Biola in 1981, he moved on to the University of California, Los Angeles, earning a Ph.D. in high energy physics. His primary research focus is in experimental particle physics, and he is currently studying data coming from the ATLAS detector using the Large Hadron Collider at CERN laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland. Studies indicate that answers to fundamental questions about the nature of mass, the asymmetry between matter and antimatter, and even the particles that make up the dark matter in the universe may be discovered at the LHC.

No stranger to speaking on the integration of Christian faith in areas of science, Strauss has spoken on Bison Hill before. Most recently, he led a breakout session at the “Generation Why?” student apologetics conference in March 2021, titled “A Scientist Examines Modern Science, Apologetics and Christian Witness.”

One more Philosophy Forum will take place during the fall semester. Anderson will speak during the next event Friday, Nov. 12, at 4 p.m. in Tulsa Royalties Auditorium. This event was rescheduled from its original date of Nov. 5. Anderson will lecture on “Why We Should Want Christianity to Be True.” The forum originally scheduled for Friday, Dec. 3, featuring Dr. Randy Ridenour, has been postponed to the spring semester due to a scheduling conflict with another campus event.