Pacifica Stories

The Pacifica Center for Philosophy and Theology opened its 2026–2027 “God and Science” series with Dr. Garrett Pendergraft, who guided 28 students through a long-standing and intimate question: are our choices truly free?

Over lunch from the Wolf Shack, Dr. Pendergraft offered a map of the debate. He organized the main views on free will, separating positions that see freedom as compatible with a fully caused world from those that do not, and explained what each side means by “free.” With these categories clear, students could engage the issues.  

The discussion moved to familiar threats to free will. If every event is fixed by prior causes, can any choice be ours? If we are only physical matter, can an agent choose? If God ordains all events, does divine providence preserve human freedom or sharpen the problem? Students questioned Dr. Pendergraft on each point, checking where the arguments stand or fail.  

The session ended with scientific challenges. Research in neuroscience and psychology suggests our decisions arise from brain processes or unnoticed situational forces. Dr. Pendergraft, whose work argues we can be free and morally responsible despite these pressures, helped students distinguish what the science shows from what it does not.  

Students departed with sharper questions, a clearer understanding of the debate, and—we hope—the belief that their choices genuinely matter.  

We appreciate Dr. Pendergraft for his time and insight. Watch for the next event in the “God and Science” series!