Classic: Sir Roger Penrose vs William Lane Craig — Origins & Purpose of the Universe

Unbelievable?

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Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 7 October 2025

⏱️ 93 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How did the universe come into being, and why are we part of it? Sir Roger Penrose (atheist-leaning Nobel laureate) and Christian philosopher William Lane Craig come together for this mind-stretching Big Conversation: “Did the universe begin and what is its origin and purpose in it?” Penrose outlines his three “mysteries” (physics, mind, mathematics) and his Conformal Cyclic Cosmology, while Craig argues that the beginning of the universe, the applicability of maths, morality and fine-tuning point to a divine mind. Expect respectful fireworks and first-rate clarity from two titans on this classic of Unbelievable? podcast. Since recording, Penrose received the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics for work on black holes, reinvigorating interest in his cosmic ideas. Craig has continued to draw huge audiences, publishing In Quest of the Historical Adam (2021) and debating cosmology and God worldwide. 👉 Support thought-provoking conversations and help keep the show going at www.premierunbelievable.com/geolink/donate💡 🎧 Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the Unbelievable? podcast a www.premier.plus/unbelievable 🎙️ 🔗 Get bonus content, updates, fascinating articles, and early access to new episodes - absolutely free! Join now at www.premierunbelievable.com 📢 Social Links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/unbelievablefe Facebook: / https://facebook.com/premierunbelievable Instagram: / https://instagram.com/premierunbelievable Tik Tok: / https://tiktok.com/@premier.unbelievable

Transcript

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0:00.0	Children face unimaginable hardship worldwide.
0:03.0	But each Christmas, thanks to you, they receive great joy and the good news of Jesus in a shoebox.
0:09.0	My name is Desireenana.
0:11.0	Receiving the shoebox at eight years old was a really blessing for me.
0:15.0	It was just full of goodies.
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0:20.0	An Operation Christmas Child's shoebox gift isn't just toys. It shows a child
0:24.5	that God loves them. Take yours to a drop-off point between November the 10th and 17th. So thank you so
0:30.6	much for packing shoebox. Operation Christmas Child from SamaritansPers, UK. Search Samaritanspurse.org.uk slash premiere.
0:40.2	Welcome to season two of the Big Conversation from Unbelievable, exploring faith, science, history and
0:46.0	philosophy and asking what it means to be human. The Big Conversation is brought to you by Premier
0:51.4	Christian Radio in partnership with the Templeton Religion Trust.
0:55.1	And today, our big conversation is on the universe. How did it get here? And why are we part of it?
1:02.3	My conversation partners today are Roger Penrose and William Lane Craig. So Roger Penrose is a celebrated mathematical physicist.
1:10.1	Among many accomplishments, he worked alongside Stephen Hawking to produce the Penrose is a celebrated mathematical physicist. Among many accomplishments, he worked
1:11.8	alongside Stephen Hawking to produce the Penrose Hawking singularity theorems, which helped to confirm
1:17.6	Big Bang cosmology. He's described himself as an atheist, but has rejected the idea that the
1:23.1	universe is purposeless, saying, I think that there is something much deeper about its existence,
1:28.5	which we have very little inkling of at the moment. Professor William Lane Craig is a renowned
1:33.3	Christian philosopher and the founder of reasonable faith, an organisation seeking to defend Christianity
1:38.7	through reason and evidence. He's well known for arguments for the existence of God, such as the
1:43.5	calum cosmological argument and the fine-tuning of the universe for life.
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