Middle Tennessee State University hosted an invigorating public lecture Thursday, October 16th 2025 as a signature event of the TN STEAM Festival. The subject was the history of science, religion, and how their histories are entangled, ultimately resulting in events like the Scopes Monkey trial. The lecture was well attended, including students, members of the public, as well as current and retired faculty from many disciplines. The discussion during the question an answer portion was spirited and highlighted how human nature and science influence each other, and our perceptions change as science advances. Happily, the lecture was recorded and is hosted on the TN STEAM website (link below).
The lecture was sponsored by the Distinguished Lecture Fund, the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, the Nashville Section of the American Chemical Society and the Tennessee Academy of Science. Nicholas Spencer is Senior Fellow at the Theos Think Tank in London, England. He is the author of a number of books including Darwin and God and most recently Magisteria: The Entangled Histories of Science and Religion.