The Boyle Lectures are a series of public lectures named after 17th century Anglo-Irish scientist and philosopher Robert Boyle (1627 – 1691), a prominent natural philosopher of early modern Britain and Ireland.
Under the terms of his will, Robert Boyle, a wealthy inheritor as the son of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, supplied £50 GBP (from 1691, the year of Robert's death, roughly equivalent in purchasing power to £10,000 – £13,500 in 2026) per annum to endow a series of lectures or sermons—originally with the intention that eight lectures be given each year—which were to consider the relationship between Christianity and the then-fledgling discipline of natural philosophy. A field of inquiry comparable to, and the precursor of, modern-day science—and of the sciences and scientific inquiry broadly—the development and study of natural philosophy was a key element of the processes leading to the Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolution, and on its own a subject of intense intellectual exploration emergent in 17th-century European society, namely among the learned and scholarly classes of the time; European civilization being predominantly Christian—Europe itself considered a cornerstone of wider Christendom—alongside these academic pursuits appeared Christian apologetics aimed at countering the disputations of theology arising from religious engagement with that subject, with a particular focus placed upon doctrinal and dogmatic claims regarding supernatural phenomena scrutinized in the light of scientific skepticism.
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 (ISSR), and has again 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 (later Archbishop of Canterbury) 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 (ISSR) 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 (titles might be trimmed)Separate first editions of lectures #2–8:
The eight lectures, from 1735 edition, reprinted
First full edition, in html 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 - [Title Unknown], by Richard Bentley 1695 - The Possibility, Expediency and Necessity of Divine Revelation, by John WilliamsWilliams, J., Five Sermons at the Boyle Lectures 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 (Bishop of Chester) 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 (Bishop of Rochester) 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 - Physico-Theology, or a Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God from his Works of Creation, 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 - An Enquiry into the Cause and Origin of Evil, by John Clarke 1720 - On the Origin of Evil, by John Clarkehttp://www.ilab.org/db/detail.php?booknr=350617182 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 Vol. 1; Vol. 2 1725–28 - John Denne 1730–32 - The Gradual Revelation of the Gospel from the time of Man's Apostacy, by William Berriman 1736–38 - The History of the Acts of the Holy Apostles, confirmed from other Authors, and considered as full Evidence for the Truth of Christianity, by Richard Biscoe 1739–41 - Leonard Twells, Vol. 1; Vol. 2 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 Vol. 1; Vol. 2 1778–80 - An Argument for the Christian Religion, drawn from a Comparison of Revelation with the Natural Operations of the Mind, by James Williamson
19th century 1802–05 - An Historical View of the Rise and Progress of Infidelity, with a Refutation of its Principles and Reasonings, by William Van Mildert 1812 - William Van Mildert 1814 - Frederick Nolan
1821 - The Connection of Christianity with Human Happiness, by William Harness 1845–46 - The Religions of the World; and Their Relations to Christianity Considered in Eight Lectures - Frederick Denison Maurice 1854 - Christopher Wordsworth 1857 - Eight discourses on the miracles, by William Gilson Humphry 1861 - The Bible and its Critics: an Enquiry into the Objective Reality of Revealed Truths, by Edward Garbett 1862 - The Conflict between Science and Infidelity, by Edward Garbett 1863 - The Divine Plan of Revelation, by Edward Garbett 1864 - The conversion of the Roman empire, by Charles Merivale 1865 - The Conversion of the Northern Nations, by Charles Merivale 1866–67 - Christ and Christendom, by Edward Hayes PlumptreNew Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. I: Aachen - Basilians | Christian Classics Ethereal Library 1868 - The Witness of the Old Testament to Christ, by Stanley Leathes 1869 - The Witness of St. Paul to Christ, by Stanley Leathes 1870 - The Witness of St. John to Christ, by Stanley Leathes 1871–72 - Moral Difficulties Connected with the Bible, by James Augustus Hessey 1874–75 - Christianity and Morality Or the Correspondence of the Gospel with the Moral Nature of Man, by Henry Wace 1876 - What is Natural Theology?, by Alfred Barry 1877–78 - The Manifold Witness for Christ, by Alfred Barry 1879–80 - The Evidential Value of the Holy Eucharist, by George Frederick Maclear 1884 - The Scientific Obstacles to Christian Belief, by George Herbert Curteis 1890 - Old Truths in Modern Lights (The Present Conflict of Science and Theology), by T. G. Bonney 1891 - Christian Doctrines and Modern Thought, by T. G. Bonney 1893 - Ascent of Faith or the Grounds of Certainty in Science and Religion, by Alexander James Harrison 1895 - The Gospel of Experience Or the Witness of Human Life to the Truth of Revelation, by W. C. E. Newbolt 1897 - William Benham
20th century 1903–05 - The Testimony of St. Paul to Christ Viewed in Some of its Aspects, by Richard John KnowlingSchaff, P. & Herzog J. J., New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Volume VI, Innocents - Liudger, pp. 360–61 | Christian Classics Ethereal Library 1935–36 - God, Creation and Revelation, by Allen John MacDonald 1965 - The Christian Universe, by Eric Mascall
21st century 2004 - Darwin, Design, and the Promise of Nature, by John F. Haught, with a response by Richard Chartres 2005 - Darwin's Compass: How Evolution Discovers the Song of Creation, by Simon Conway Morris, with a response by Keith Ward 2006 - The Emergence of Spirit: From Complexity to Anthropology to Theology, by Philip Clayton, with a response by Niels Gregersen 2007 - Cosmology of Ultimate Concern, by John D Barrow, with a response by Martin Rees 2008 - Psychologising and Neurologising about Religion: Facts, Fallacies and the Future, by Malcolm Jeeves, with a response by Fraser Watts 2009 - Misusing Darwin: The Materialist Conspiracy in Evolutionary Biology, by Keith Ward, with a response by John Polkinghorne 2010 - The Legacy of Robert Boyle - Then and Now, by John Hedley Brooke, with a response by Geoffrey Cantor 2011 - Is the World Unfinished? On Interactions between Science and Theology, by Jürgen Moltmann, with a response by Alan Torrance 2012 - Christ and Evolution: A Drama of Wisdom, by Celia Deane-Drummond, with a response by Fount LeRon Shults 2013 - Science and Religion in Dialogue, by John Polkinghorne, with a response by Richard Chartres 2014 - New Atheism – New Apologetics: The Use of Science in Recent Christian Apologetic Writings, by Alister McGrath, with a response by Richard Harries 2015 - Natural Theology Revisited (Again), by Russell Re Manning, with a response by Louise Hickman 2016 - Natural Theology in a Changed Key? Evolution, Cooperation, and the God Question, by Sarah Coakley, with a response by Christopher Insole 2017 - Theological Influences in Scientific Research Programmes: Natural Theology 'in Reverse''', by Robert J. Russell, with a response by Rowan Williams 2018 - Apocalypses Now: Modern Science and Biblical Miracles, by Mark Harris, with a response by John Hedley Brooke 2019 - Science, Religion and Ethics, by Michael Reiss