The worlds of science and religion are often seen as opposing forces, but an upcoming conference is looking to find the balance between both.

This Saturday, Grand Valley State University will host the eighth-annual Grand Dialogue, a day-long event in which members of both the scientific and religious community come together and discuss their relationship.

This year’s keynote speaker is not only a nuclear physicist, but also an Orthodox Jew. Gerald Schroeder is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate and professor of applied nuclear physics at the Aish HaTorah College of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. Schroeder has been an author and speaker on the delicate relationship that science and religion have for multiple decades.

“This is the first Jewish keynote speaker we have had,” said Sheldon Kopperl, GVSU professor of biomedical sciences. “We have had a Buddhist and mostly Christians in the past, so this year we have something a little different.”

Schroder’s works such as “Genesis and the Big Bang” and “The Science of God: The Convergence of Scientific and Biblical Wisdom” have garnered attention in both scientific and religious communities.

“The Grand Dialogue is a program sponsored by a number of community organizations including Grand Valley,” said Douglas Kindschi, GVSU professor and director of the Grand Dialogue.

Along with GVSU, local universities including Cornerstone, Aquinas and Hope sponsor the event. Religious organizations such as the Western Theological Seminary and The Catholic Information Center also support the event.

The conference was created eight years ago when Kindschi wrote a grant to explore this topic. The event is expected to attract upwards of 250 people this weekend.

Last year the event hosted keynote speaker Nancey Murphy. Her 45 minute speech “Do Humans Have Souls?” was filled with challenging theories along with light-hearted banter with even a zombie joke mixed in.

“Some people talk about how there is some kind of warfare between science and religion,” Kindschi said. “This conference looks to show the various ways science and religion and coexist through a deeper understanding of both.”

After Schroeder’s presentation a number of experts will participate in short presentations called breakdown sessions, two of which will be lead by Kopperl.

“This gives me an opportunity to advertise Grand Valley’s new religious studies major and minor,” Kopperl said, discussing the upcoming program at GVSU.

Kopperl will also give a presentation dealing with the Hebrew Bible.

“I’m going to talk about the parts of the Hebrew Bible that have been used and abused throughout history,” Kopperl said. “Some passages in the Bible are remarkably advanced, not everything in the Bible is trying to hold science back.”

This weekend’s conference will be located within the Loosemore Auditorium on GVSU’s downtown campus. The event is free and is scheduled between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., with Schroeder speaking at 10 a.m. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

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