Brian Cox has to be the coolest physics professor in the UK. I watched the first part of his new series on the BBC last night and found what he had to say fascinating. He has such an engaging style and is able to make some very difficult concepts far easier to grasp (or, for a non-science person like me, a little easier to understand – but that’s not his fault, I should have paid more attention at school).

One quote that struck me went something like this: ‘The language of our curiosity used to be religious, now it’s scientific’. We could have endless fun with that one, couldn’t we, readers! But I’ll leave it with Rob Bell – I don’t think he minds much being called a heretic.

Despite being cool, clever, and well dressed, however, Brian Cox is also a bit miserable. For on last night’s film he said that the sun will eventually run out of fuel, all stars will ultimately become white dwarfs, and (get this) the universe is slowly becoming less ordered and will finally come to an end. He managed to say all this with a smile on his face – being the old pro that he is – but if that’s all you believe (as Paul once said) then surely you have to get depressed on a regular basis.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m not dismissing what he said. We need the scientists in our world – we’d loose out on so much if we didn’t have them. But for a Christian like me there was a lot that wasn’t said last night. Like – if the universe has a beginning and an end what was there before it was created, and what happens after it’s gone? And is there a guiding, sustaining hand behind it all? I would say that there is – and that it is this that gives me hope, for I believe that God has a plan for his creation that stretches beyond its finite createdness.

So, Brian, cheer up, mate – there’s good news to be heard. When I Googled his name this morning and read the Wikipedia entry on him I was surprised to find out that during his student days Brian Cox was a member of a pop band called D-Ream. You’ll remember that one of their hits was used by New Labour during their landslide election victory in 1997 – Things can Only Get Better.

Oh the irony of it!

And here is that catchy little tune to cheer up your dreary Monday.