John C. Polkinghorne Wins 2002 Templeton Prize

NEW YORK, March 14 -- John C. Polkinghorne, a mathematical physicist and Anglican priest whose treatment of theology as a natural science has invigorated the search for interface between science and religion and made him a leading figure in this emerging field, has won the 2002 Templeton Prize. The announcement was made at a news conference at the Church Center for the United Nations in New York.

Polkinghorne, 71, resigned a prestigious position as Professor of Mathematical Physics at the University of Cambridge in 1979 to pursue theological studies, becoming a priest in 1982. Since then, his extensive writings and lectures have consistently applied scientific habits to Christianity, resulting in a modern and compelling, new exploration of the faith. His approach to the fundamentals of Christian orthodoxy -- including the Trinity, Christ's resurrection after death, and God's creation of the universe -- using the habits of a rigorous scientific mind have brought him international recognition as a unique voice for understanding the Bible as well as evolving doctrine.

The Templeton Prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities, founded by Sir John Templeton in 1972 as the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, is the world's largest annual monetary prize given to an individual, currently worth 700,000 pounds sterling, about one million dollars. It is the world's best known religion prize, awarded each year to a living person to encourage and honor those who advance spiritual matters. The monetary value of the Templeton Prize always exceeds the Nobels as a way to underscore Templeton's belief that benefits from advances in spiritual discoveries can be quantifiably more vast than those from other worthy human endeavors. Mother Teresa won the first Templeton Prize in 1973, six years before she received the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Duke of Edinburgh will award the prize to Polkinghorne in a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Monday, April 29.

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