Tag Archives: sof-Maxwell

James Clerk Maxwell: A Model for Twenty-first Century Physics in the Christian Liberal Arts

Vatican Observatory Foundation Faith and Science

Article 20 pages Level: university This paper by Heather M. Whitney, Assistant Professor of Physics at Wheaton College, was published in Christian Scholar’s Review in 2016.  It is an overview of James Clerk Maxwell’s scientific work and religious faith, and also a discussion of Maxwell as a model for foundational science instruction in a faith-centered and collegial environment.  It is also rich in Maxwell quotations.  Whitney writes, “as a physics instructor… when I am actively engaged with the fullness of the intellectual arm of the body of Christ, I am best able to offer to my students instruction that is interdisciplinary engaged, grounded in physical reality, and pointing toward Christ”.  From the paper’s abstract: Physicist James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) is considered by many to have been as important to physics as Newton and Einstein, especially for his work on electricity and magnetism and for being the first director of the Cavendish Laboratory. His technical achievements are significant, but he also offers … Continue reading →

The Man Who Changed Everything: The Life of James Clerk Maxwell

Vatican Observatory Foundation Faith and Science

Book 226 pages Level: high school and above This is a biography of James Clerk Maxwell, written by Basil Mahon and published in 2003 by Wiley. Maxwell was one of the more prominent figures in science history, a key figure in the development of the physics of electricity and magnetism and light who also was the first to work out the structure of the rings of Saturn. Maxwell was also a man of Faith: Mahon writes that “his faith was the guiding principle of his life”. A contemporary wrote of Maxwell that he was “one of the best men I have ever met, and a greater merit than his scientific attainments is his being, so far as human judgment can discern, a most perfect example of a Christian gentleman”. Click here for a preview, courtesy of Google Books. From the dust jacket of The Man Who Changed Everything: James Clerk Maxwell (1831- 1879) changed our perception of reality and laid the foundations for … Continue reading →

James Clerk Maxwell – Science and Faith

Vatican Observatory Foundation Faith and Science

Article (two letter excerpts) 350 words Level: all audiences James Clerk Maxwell is one of the most important figures in the history of science. Students in physics courses everywhere study “Maxwell’s Equations” that mathematically describe electromagnetic waves. These waves include light, radio, x-rays, etc. They are how astronomers learn about the universe and they are the basis of all wireless communication technology, including smart phones. Maxwell was a devout Christian who spoke of his faith in many of his letters. Below are two excerpts from letters which contain direct references to both his scientific work and his faith. The first is from a draft of a letter in 1875 regarding membership in “The Victoria Institute”: I think men of science as well as other men need to learn from Christ, and I think Christians whose minds are scientific are bound to study science that their view of the glory of God may be as extensive as their being is capable … Continue reading →

James Clerk Maxwell – A Student’s Evening Hymn

Vatican Observatory Foundation Faith and Science

Article (poem, PDF) 460 words Level: all audiences James Clerk Maxwell is one of the most important figures in the history of science. Students in physics courses everywhere study “Maxwell’s Equations” that mathematically describe electromagnetic waves. These waves include light, radio, x-rays, etc. They are how astronomers learn about the universe and they are the basis of all wireless communication technology, including smart phones. Maxwell was a devout Christian, and a poet. Here we see both his interest in science and his faith reflected in one of his poems. Click here for Maxwell’s poem from The Life of James Clerk Maxwell: With a Selection from His Correspondence (1882). [Click here to download PDF]  

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