There are some really valid concerns and objections to belief in god and to Christianity. Let’s talk about those questions! Are there rational reasons to believe in God? Can belief in God and Christianity be both reasonable and desirable?  How do we make sense of God, or at least make sense of the idea of God? How do Science and Faith mix? Is knowing truth about God even possible or is it all subjective?

We invite you to do some investigating.  In our REASON FOR GOD sessions, we will be addressing some common questions and objections to belief in God and Christianity. Come enjoy a free hot meal and bring your toughest questions. You can find this year’s topics and schedule here.

If you are coming, please help us out by filling out this form so we order enough food. You don’t have to submit and contact info.

“Whether you consider yourself a believer or a skeptic, I invite you to seek the same kind of honesty and to grow in an understanding of the nature of your own doubts. The result will exceed anything you can imagine.” 

― Timothy J. Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

Help us to order enough food - tell us you are coming here

Future Events

The IAP Reason for God series has become an annual tradition at MIT since 2014.
It’s for anyone (the religious, the spiritual, the skeptic, the seeker, atheists, Christians and people of any faith tradition).  We hope this series be a time to learn, explore, ask questions, and help us all in our pursuit of truth. Our values for the event are honesty, learning, humility, respect, kindness, and listening well to one another.

We hope you will join us for one or more sessions this year! 

WHAT TO EXPECT EACH NIGHT
We start with catered meal and then transition to our guest speaker for the night. If you want to know what food is being served you can find that info here. At each session you can expect to see 150-200 students. The audience is very diverse in the beliefs each person holds. Once most people have gone through the food line (usually at about 7:20), we will introduce the speaker for the evening. Following the speaker there will be a time for audience members to ask questions to the speaker. You will be able to ask your question directly to the speaker or submit them anonymously. We aim to end the event around 8:30pm. You are welcome to continue discussions in the room afterwards or talk more with the speaker.

Free Books - at each event, there will be free books available (1 per student) for those who want to go deeper into topics of Faith, Reason, God, the Bible, etc.

Abdu Murray

Abdu Murray is an brilliant thinker, speaker, author, and attorney who specializes in addressing issues where religious faith and emerging cultural trends intersect and collide. Abdu has spent decades analyzing how the major religious and non-religious thought traditions have attempted to address emerging cultural issues. Abdu has tackled complex issues in Q&A forums, debates, and dialogues at leading universities.

For most of his life, Abdu was a Muslim until a nine-year historical, philosophical, theological and scientific investigation pointed him to the Christian faith. Watch more about his story here. He has engaged with diverse international audiences in debates and dialogues across the globe and hosts the podcast and YouTube shows, All Rise, Deliberations LIVE and CouldaShouldaWoulda.  

He received his Juris Doctor from University of Michigan Law School and worked as an accomplished lawyer in Detroit. He lives in the Metro Detroit area with his wife and their three children.

He has written four books, his most recent being More than a White Man’s Religion: Why the Gospel is Not Merely White, Male-Centered, or Just a Religion

Dr. Rebecca McLaughlin

Rebecca grew up in the UK and holds a Ph.D. in English literature from Cambridge and a theology degree from Oak Hill College in London. In September 2017, she co-founded Vocable Communications.   

Rebecca is facinated by the power of words and the message of the Gospel of Jesus. She loves exploring the message of Jesus with broken people (all of us), and longs to be part of the rediscovery of the Christian faith as an intellectual movement.

She is a saught after speaker who has traveled the world speaking about claims of the Christian faith and the Bible. She is the author of several books. Her first book, Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion, was named 2019 Book of the Year by Christianity Today. She lives in Cambridge and is married and has two daughters and a son.

Find out more about Rebecca here and check out her Podcast

Dr. Tom Rudelius

Dr. Tom Rudelius, professor of physics at Durham University in England. His research focuses on string theory, quantum field theory, and early universe cosmology. He has a blog on science and faith called Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae

Prior to becoming a professor at Durham, Tom was postdoctoral researcher in theoretical physics at the University of California, Berkele, as well as a postdoctoral researcher at The Institute for Advanced Studies (Princeton). He holds a Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in physics, mathematics, and statistical science from Cornell University.

He is an avid sports fan and even published an article on statistical analysis of baseball: Did the Best Team Win?

He recently released his first book, Chasing Proof, Finding Faith, where he traces his journey to unexpected faith in Jesus. Seeking proof of God’s existence, he found himself in a world of uncertainty, faced with plenty of reasons for both faith and doubt. In the book he explores some of the issues he wrestled with, including creation and cosmic origins, the problem of evil and suffering, the compatibility of miracles with science and the plausibility of Jesus’ resurrection, as wellas the reliability of the Bible.

While Tom never found absolute proof of God or Christianity, he ultimately concluded that the existing evidence for both is compelling and compatible with science. His searingly honest story is a potent guide for those doubting or exploring faith.

Sam Detmer

Sam is a fourth-year PhD student at MIT in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Research focus - the development of more robust and deliverable siRNA and mRNA therapeutics. Sam received a Bachelors (in Chemistry and Physics) and Masters (in Physics) from Harvard before starting his PhD at MIT. Also, while at Harvard he was on the Rowing Team.

Sam loves teaching and his long-term goal is to work in academia doing translational research. 

In addition to studying physics and chemistry, Sam enjoys studying ancient languages and history. Other interests include gardening, woodworking, oil painting, and music. He enjoys discussing the relationship between science and faith and has lead groups at Harvard and MIT to foster dialogue around life’s big questions.