John Carson Lennox (born 7 November 1943) is an Irish mathematician, bioethicist, and Christian apologist originally from Northern Ireland. He has written many books on religion, ethics, the relationship between science and God (like his books, Has Science Buried God and Can Science Explain Everything), and has had public debates with atheists including Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens.
Lennox is the author of a number of books on the relations of science, religion, and ethics. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles on mathematics, co-authored two Oxford Mathematical Monographs, and worked as a translator of Russian mathematics.
He has spoken in many different countries, in conferences and as an academic fellow, including numerous trips to the former Soviet Union.[6][7]
On 14 March 2012 he presented an edition of the Lent Talks for BBC Radio Four. Lennox has also given lectures at the Veritas Forum on topics such as the relationship between science and religion,[8][9] the existence of God,[10]doubt, and the problems of evil and suffering.[11] Additionally, he is a Senior Fellow of The Trinity Forum, a Christian nonprofit organisation that develops leaders to make contributions to cultural renewal.
Debates
Lennox (left) debating religion with Christopher Hitchens in Alabama, March 2009
Lennox and Dawkins had a discussion in April 2008 at Trinity College, Oxford to expand upon topics left undeveloped during The God Delusion Debate.[15][16]
In August 2021, Lennox was the chief guest for the prestigious Malhar Fest hosted by St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.
Lennox speaks English, Russian, French, Spanish and German. He is married to Sally and has three children and 10 grandchildren.[12] He has a brother named Gilbert Lennox, previously an elder in Glenabbey Church, Glengormley.[29] The hymn writer and recording artist Kristyn Getty is John's niece, being Gilbert's daughter.
Lennox, John C.; Stonehewer, Stewart E. (1987). Subnormal subgroups of groups. Oxford: Clarendon. ISBN978-0-19-853552-2.
——— (2015). Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism (1sted.). Monarch Books. p.416. ISBN978-0857216212.
——— (2017). Determined to Believe: The Sovereignty of God, Freedom, Faith, and Human Responsibility (1sted.). Monarch Books. p.352. ISBN978-0857218728.
———; Gooding, David W. (2018). Being Truly Human: The Limits of Our Worth, Power, Freedom and Destiny. The Quest for Reality and Significance. Vol.1. Belfast: Myrtlefield House. ISBN978-1912721016.
———; Gooding, David W. (2018). Finding Ultimate Reality: In Search of the Best Answers to the Biggest Questions. The Quest for Reality and Significance. Vol.2. Belfast: Myrtlefield House. ISBN978-1912721061.
———; Gooding, David W. (2019). Questioning Our Knowledge: Can We Know What We Need to Know?. The Quest for Reality and Significance. Vol.3. Belfast: Myrtlefield House. ISBN978-1912721115.
———; Gooding, David W. (2019). Doing What's Right: The Limits of Our Worth, Power, Freedom and Destiny. The Quest for Reality and Significance. Vol.4. Belfast: Myrtlefield House. ISBN978-1912721214.
———; Gooding, David W. (2019). Claiming to Answer: How One Person Became the Response to Our Deepest Questions. The Quest for Reality and Significance. Vol.5. Belfast: Myrtlefield House. ISBN978-1912721269.
———; Gooding, David W. (2019). Suffering Life's Pain: Facing the Problems of Moral and Natural Evil. The Quest for Reality and Significance. Vol.6. Belfast: Myrtlefield House. ISBN978-1912721160.
——— (2019). Can Science Explain Everything?. The Good Book Company. ISBN978-1784984113.
——— (2019). Joseph: A Story of Love, Hate, Slavery, Power, and Forgiveness. Crossway. ISBN9781433562969.
Having a doctorate from both Cambridge and Oxford makes Lennox what Ghil'ad Zuckermann calls an "Oxbridge paradox": Lennox belongs to the rare group of people who hold a "pair o' docs" (sounding like "paradox" but meaning "two doctorates") – a D.Phil. (Oxon.) and a PhD (Cantab.) – from both Oxford and Cambridge universities (commonly abbreviated as Oxbridge) – see Biography.