The Hermeneutical Challenge

In by Mark McEwan

Event Details

FREE PUBLIC EVENT: CSCA’s Montreal chapter presents a lecture by Terry Defoe (Emeritus Pastor and associate member of the ASA / CSCA).

Online Lecture
Jun 19 2025

Terry Defoe
"The Hermeneutical Challenge: Interpreting Genesis while Maintaining Biblical Authority"

Thursday | 7:00 pm EDT | Zoom

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The Hermeneutical Challenge: Interpreting Genesis while Maintaining Biblical Authority

Terry will be addressing issues arising from chapter 12 of his book Evolving Certainties: Resolving Conflicts at the Intersection of Faith and Science, concerning Genesis 1:
Why are there so many conflicting interpretations of the Bible’s creation accounts? Why have these apparently straightforward narratives generated so much controversy over the years? The technical term for the interpretation of documents is hermeneutics. Some insist that just reading the text off the page is sufficient. Others argue that without an understanding of ancient Hebrew culture and language, including authorial intention, the end result will be an example of  interpretive malpractice.
Recent research shows that many young people consider the evangelical church to be out of touch with scientific reality. Enhancing scientific literacy among evangelicals is, in Defoe’s opinion, critically important. Re-establishing trust between science and religion is extremely important in today’s highly polarized world. Defoe believes it is time to bring these discussions out into the open, and through a process of respectful conversation, raise awareness and hopefully, in the long run, increase acceptance of scientific expertise among conservative people of faith.

Terry Defoe was educated at Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia (BA, Sociology, 1978), Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon Saskatchewan (M.Div., 1982), and the Open Learning University, Burnaby British Columbia (BA, Psychology, 2003). Defoe served as a chaplain at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. Emeritus Pastor and associate member of the ASA / CSCA. He has been interested in the science-faith dialog for more than 30 years. In 2018, two years after he retired, he published Evolving Certainties: Resolving Conflict at the Intersection of Faith and Science which received endorsements from scientists affiliated with the BioLogos Association, including a Foreword from its first president, biologist Darrel Falk of Point Loma University in San Diego, as well as scientists holding membership in the American Scientific Affiliation, a group Defoe joined in 2019.