The Thomas A. Perry Faith and Science Lecture at Central Methodist University will take place this year on Wednesday, April 24, with Dr. Michael J. Behe slated as the featured speaker. Behe will be giving his talk on “Chance or Purpose?: The Argument for Intelligent Design in Biology.”
Behe is currently a professor of biochemistry at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. He was awarded a Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1978 from the University of Pennsylvania for his dissertation research on sickle-cell hemoglobin.
In his career he has authored 40 technical papers and three books, Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution (1996), The Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism (2007), and Darwin Devolves: The New Science of DNA That Challenges Evolution (2019), all of which argue that living systems at the molecular level are best explained as being the result of deliberate intelligent design. The books have been reviewed by the New York Times, Nature, Philosophy of Science, Christianity Today, and many other periodicals.
About the lecture series
Thanks to a generous gift from Rev. Garth Leigh, who wished to honor the memory of Dr. Thomas Perry, longtime chair of the CMC English Department, this lecture has been endowed at Central Methodist University. Leigh sponsored the lecture series as a testament to the impact Perry had on generations of students at Central, encouraging them to think deeply, wrestle with greater questions, and challenge themselves to be the best citizens and scholars. The annual lecture focuses on the role that minister-scientists have played in the development of both religious traditions as well as scientific discoveries.
Leigh served as a United Methodist Pastor for many years and has worked as a freelance writer since his retirement from ministry in 2000. He currently lives in Kansas City, Mo. with his wife, Cheri.
In addition to spending 20 years as chairman of the Department of English at Central Methodist College, Perry also served as chair of the Division of Literature and Languages and of the honors program. He sponsored Scribblers and Scrawlers, a club for aspiring creative writers, hosting and entertaining them monthly in his home. Perry is the late father of Tad Perry ’65, former chair and current member of the board of trustees at CMU.
For those unable to attend in person, the Perry Lecture will be livestreamed here: https://centralmethodist.zoom.us/j/98784871497.