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This book presents a celebration, survey and critique of the theological work of arguably the most important and most widely-read contributor to the modern dialogue between science and theology: John Polkinghorne. Including a major survey by Polkinghorne himself of his life's work in theology, this book draws together contributors from among the most important voices in the science-theology dialogue today to focus on key aspects of Polkinghorne's work, with Polkinghorne providing responses. Anybody exploring contemporary aspects of the science-religion debate will find this book invaluable.

John Polkinghorne is a major figure in today’s debates over the compatibility of science and religion. Internationally known as both a theoretical physicist and a theologian—the only ordained member of the Royal Society—Polkinghorne brings unique qualifications to his inquiry into the possibilities of believing in God in an age of science. In this thought-provoking book, the author focuses on the collegiality between science and theology, contending that these "intellectual cousins" are both concerned with interpreted experience and with the quest for truth about reality. He argues eloquently that scientific and theological inquiries are parallel. The book begins with a discussion of what belief in God can mean in our times. Polkinghorne explores a new natural theology and emphasizes the importance of moral and aesthetic experience and the human intuition of value and hope. In other chapters, he compares science’s struggle to understand the nature of light with Christian theology’s struggle to understand the nature of Christ. He addresses the question, Does God act in the physical world? And he extends his ideas about the role of chaos theory, surveys the prospects for...

The development of mathematical competence -- both by humans as a species over millennia and by individuals over their lifetimes -- is a fascinating aspect of human cognition. This book explores a vast range of psychological questions related to mathematical cognition, and provides fascinating insights for researchers and students of cognition and instructors of mathematics.

Based on a thorough study of the ‘lived theology’ of Christian students and university professors in Abidjan, Kinshasa and Yaoundé, this book proposes a theoretical framework that makes an intercultural and interdisciplinary debate on science and religion possible.

Science Teaching explains how history and philosophy of science contributes to the resolution of persistent theoretical, curricular, and pedagogical issues in science education. It shows why it is essential for science teachers to know and appreciate the history and philosophy of the subject they teach and how this knowledge can enrich science instruction and enthuse students in the subject. Through its historical perspective, the book reveals to students, teachers, and researchers the foundations of scientific knowledge and its connection to philosophy, metaphysics, mathematics, and broader social influences including the European Enlightenment, and develops detailed arguments about constructivism, worldviews and science, multicultural science education, inquiry teaching, values, and teacher education. Fully updated and expanded, the 20th Anniversary Edition of this classic text, featuring four new chapters—The Enlightenment Tradition; Joseph Priestley and Photosynthesis; Science, Worldviews and Education; and Nature of Science Research—and 1,300 references, provides a solid foundation for teaching and learning in the field.

The Word of God emerged and evolved as divine responses to changing human needs in biblical history. By tracing the historical trajectories of six paradigms of salvation, such as ex-odus, kingship and sacrifice, through a millennium of biblical history, Nurnberger reveals a vibrant current of meaning underlying the texts which expresses growing insight into God's redeptive intentions and which can be extrapolated in to the present predicaments of humankind. Klaus Nurnberger is professor emeritus for Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics at the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. His carreer has been devoted mainly to the underlying causes of world-wide socio-economic discrepancies and the relevance of the Christian faith in this regard.Ã?Â?

Describes and defends a long-standing tradition that maintains a proper balance between religious faith and human rationality Many of the early apologists, including Justin Martyr and Origen, presented a defense of the Christian faith that sought to combine the message of the Gospels with respect for the kind of rationality associated with Socrates and his followers. Michael Langford argues that, despite many misunderstandings, the term "liberal theology" can properly be used to describe this tradition. Langford's Tradition of Liberal Theology begins with a historical and contemporary definition of "liberal theology" and identifies eleven typical characteristics, such as a nonliteralist approach to interpreting Scripture, a rejection of original guilt, and the joint need for faith and works. Langford then gives vignettes of thirteen historical Christian figures who personify the liberal tradition. Finally, he explores some contemporary alternatives to liberal theology -- fundamentalism, the Catholic magisterium, Karl Barth's theology -- and presents a rational defense of the tradition of liberal theology.

Provides a sustained account of how the thought of Aquinas may be used in conjunction with contemporary science to deepen our understanding of divine action and address such issues as creation, providence, prayer, and miracles.

This reader brings together carefully selected material from a wide range of authors on the relationships between science, religion and theology. It samples the recent literature on the challenges to religion posed by both modern physics and evolutionary biology as well as exploring the relationship between scientific and theological approaches. Topics include models of interaction between science and religion, historical reflections on the "conflict thesis", scientific and theological methods, creation and modern cosmology, uncertainty and chaos, creationism and evolutionary theory, the anthropic principle and design, and the challenge of reductionism. Contributors include Ian Barbour, Michael Behe, Richard Dawkins, John Habgood, Mary Hesse, T. H. Huxley, Alister McGrath, Arthur Peacocke, John Polkinghorne, Michael Ruse, Keith Ward and Fraser Watts.

This collection of essays is offered in admiration of and in gratitude for the work of Ernest Charles Lucas. The title of the volume acknowledges Ernest's particular areas of interest and expertise. The word wisdom comes first for two reasons: firstly because the Bible's Wisdom literature is a particular love about which Ernest has published a number of books, and secondly because wisdom is a characteristic of the man. Several of the contributions to this volume pick up the theme of biblical wisdom, while others touch on the practical application of a wisdom shaped by the Scriptures to vital contemporary issues. The second word of the title, science, reflects both Ernest's first career as a research bio-chemist and his interest as a theologian in exploring the relationship between science and faith. This area of interest is reflected in a number of the contributions to this collection, including Ernest's passionate interest in and concern about climate change. The final words of the title are and the Scriptures. Ernest has, at one time or another, taught every part of the Bible and retained a keen interest in the discipline of Biblical Studies. Once again, this is reflected in...

This exciting volume invites the reader to join in an intellectual and personal adventure, engaging mind and heart in a search for religious truth and "the living God."

Emphasizing its historical, methodological and constructive dimensions, Religion and Science takes the pulse of pertinent current research as the interdisciplinary study of science and religion gains momentum.

John Polkinghorne, ordained member of the Royal Society, past President of Queen's College Cambridge, Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, 2002 Templeton Prize winner, theoretical physicist, and theologian writes in breathless style to unfold core Christian doctrine in dialogue with science. His work deftly addresses how one would interpret and commend Christian faith in the contemporary world as he elucidates the key topics in the dialogue of religion with science. Polkinghorne's work addresses the hope Christians have--present and future--in the faithfulness of a loving God who stands alongside them today and for all eternity. Eschatological hope enables and empowers Christian life and emerges in God's resurrection of Jesus from the horrific crucifixion. Polkinghorne ably supports his thesis with a strong argument for the resurrection built on the kenotic acts of God. His thesis sees Christian eschatology as the advent of hope--the heart of faith. In Christian eschatology, as argued by Polkinhorne and supported in the work of Jurgen Moltmann and Nicholas T. Wright, Christ's presence is not some far off event, but present reality.

Both science and religion explore aspects of reality, providing "a basis for their mutual interaction as they present their different perspectives onto the one world of existent reality," Polkinghorne argues. In One World he develops his thesis through an examination of the nature of science, the nature of the physical world, the character of theology, and the modes of thought in science and theology. He identifies "points of interaction" and points of potential conflict between science and religion. Along the way, he discusses creation, determinism, prayer, miracles, and future life, and he explains his rejection of scientific reductionism and his defense of natural theology.

Explores the various dimensions of the human encounter with reality, offering a view of reality encompassed by a wide rage of insights from physics' account of casual structure, the unique significance of Jesus, and the human encounter with God.

Is it possible to think like a scientist and yet have the faith of a Christian? Although many Westerners might say no, there are also many critically minded individuals who entertain what John Polkinghorne calls a "wistful wariness" toward religion--they feel unable to accept religion on rational grounds yet cannot dismiss it completely. Polkinghorne, both a particle physicist and Anglican priest, here explores just what rational grounds there could be for Christian beliefs, maintaining that the quest for motivated understanding is a concern shared by scientists and religious thinkers alike. Anyone who assumes that religion is based on unquestioning certainties, or that it need not take into account empirical knowledge, will be challenged by Polkinghorne's bottom-up examination of Christian beliefs about events ranging from creation to the resurrection. The author organizes his inquiry around the Nicene Creed, an early statement that continues to summarize Christian beliefs. He applies to each of its tenets the question, "What is the evidence that makes you think this might be true?" The evidence Polkinghorne weighs includes the Hebrew and Christian scriptures--their historical...

John C. Polkinghorne, internationally renowned priest-scientist, addresses fundamental questions about how scientific and theological worldviews relate to each other in this, the second volume (originally published in 1988) of his trilogy, which also included Science and Providence and One World. Dr. Polkinghorne illustrates how a scientifically minded person approaches the task of theological inquiry, postulating that there exists a close analogy between theory and experiment in science and belief and understanding in theology. He offers a fresh perspective on such questions as: Are we witnessing today a revival a natural theology—the search for God through the exercise of reason and the study of nature? How do the insights of modern physics into the interlacing of order and disorder relate to the Christian doctrine of Creation? What is the relationship between mind and matter? Polkinghorne states that the "remarkable insights that science affords us into the intelligible workings of the world cry out for an explanation more profound than that which it itself can provide. Religion, if it is to take seriously its claim that the world is the creation of God, must be humble enough ...

Many universities, founded on the principles of vigorous scholarship and steadfast Christian faith, have abandoned those roots, resulting in confusion, fragmentation, and ideological strife. This book explores the role reflective Christian faith can play in unifying the intellectual life of the university. Contributors including Jean Bethke Elshtain, Richard Hays, John Polkinghorne, Joel Carpenter, and David Lyle Jeffrey analyze the character and practices of an ideal Christian intellectual community.

Nick Hawkes looks at arguments for and against the existence for God and comes to the conclusion that faith can no more dispense with science than science can dispense with God. Both complete one another. He knows the terrain well and is able to explain complex ideas in ordinary language. Dr. Hawkes concludes by saying that Christian theology, rather than undermining science, actually provides science with a solid ground of meaning on which to stand"--P. [4] of cover.

This volume gathers together twelve essays on the doctrine of the Trinity. It includes the work of systematic theologians, analytic theologians, and biblical scholars who address a range of issues concerning the Christian doctrine of God. Contributors include Jeremy Begbie, Julie Canlis, Douglas Campbell, William Hasker, and Christoph Schwöbel. The volume also includes a new essay written by the late Robert W. Jenson shortly before his death.

The field of `science and religion' is exploding in popularity among both academics and the reading public. This is a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to the debate, written by the leading experts yet accessible to the general reader.

A Natural Theology of the Arts contends that the arts are theological by their very nature and not simply when they are explicitly religious - thereby constituting a distinctive kind of 'natural theology'. Borrowing from science the stance of 'critical realism' to justify truth claims in art and theology, it argues that works of art are complex metaphors that convey the 'real presence' of God, even when not labelled as such. Citing numerous examples from literature, painting, and music - including Shakespeare's King Lear, Vermeer's Young Woman with a Water Jug, Rembrandt's Return of the Prodigal Son, and Stephen Cleobury's experiences performing Bach's St Matthew Passion and Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb - the author concludes that works of art anticipate the new creation, thereby suggesting a Trinitarian account of the God present in the creation and reception of such works.

This book explores the concept of Life from a range of perspectives. Divided into three parts, it first examines the concept of Life from physics to biology. It then presents insights on the concept from the perspectives of philosophy, theology, and ethics. The book concludes with chapters on the hermeneutics of Life, and pays special attention to the Biosemiotics approach to the concept. The question ‘What is Life?’ has been deliberated by the greatest minds throughout human history. Life as we know it is not a substance or fundamental property, but a complex process. It is not an easy task to develop an unequivocal approach towards Life combining scientific, semiotic, philosophical, theological, and ethical perspectives. In its combination of these perspectives, and its wide-ranging scope, this book opens up levels and identifies issues which can serve as intersections for meaningful interdisciplinary discussions of Life in its different aspects. The book includes the four plenary lectures and selected, revised and extended papers from workshops of the 14th European Conference on Science and Theology (ECST XIV) held in Tartu, Estonia, April 2012.

Some of the most eminent Roman Catholic theologians in the United States and Europe examine a range of topics reflecting issues of interest and concern.

This fourth edition of Health Care Ethics provides a contemporary study of broad and major issues affecting health care and the ethics of health care from the perspective of Catholic teachings and theological investigation. It aims to help Christian, and especially Catholic, health care professionals solve concrete problems in terms of principles rooted in Scripture and tested by individual experience. Since the last edition of Health Care Ethics, there have been many changes in the fields of health care medicine and theology that have necessitated a fourth edition. Ashley and O'Rourke have revised their seminal work to address the publication of significant documents by the Church and the restructuring of the health care system. Features of the revised fourth edition: * Discusses significant Church documents issued since the third edition includes "The Splendor of Truth" (Veritatis Splendor), and the "Gospel of Life" (Evangelium Vitae); the "Instruction on the Vocation of Theologians"; the Catechism of the Catholic Church; and the Revised Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Services. * Examines the implications of managed care techniques. * Probes such changes in ...

We need a coherent picture of our world. Life’s realities won’t let us ignore its fundamental questions, but with so many opposing views, how will we choose answers that are reliable? In this series of books, David Gooding and John Lennox offer a fair analysis of religious and philosophical attempts to find the truth about the world and our place in it. By listening to the Bible alongside other leading voices, they show that it is not only answering life’s biggest questions—it is asking better questions than we ever thought to ask. In Book 2 – Finding Ultimate Reality, they remind us that the authority behind ethics cannot be separated from the truth about ultimate reality. Is there a Creator who stands behind his moral law? Are we the product of amoral forces, left to create moral consensus? Gooding and Lennox compare ultimate reality as understood in: Indian Pantheistic Monism, Greek Philosophy and Mysticism, Naturalism and Atheism, and Christian Theism.

When we look at the world around us, one of the most common observations is that things have a tendency to go wrong. People make mistakes, have accidents and some of them commit deliberate acts of violence. Disease affects every single species of plant and animal on the planet. Natural disasters kill millions of people and decimate animal populations. Countless people and animals suffer through no fault of their own. Scientists explain these events in various ways depending upon whether they involve errors in human choices and actions or whether they are caused by natural events. Theologians give us a different set of religious explanations. At times it can appear as if there is a fundamental flaw in the universe. In this book, Adrian Hough uses his training and expertise as both a scientist and a theologian to approach this flaw from both directions and comes up with the astonishing result that both sets of reasoning might have the same fundamental explanation.

Ian G. Barbour is the internationally acknowledged pioneer in the field of 'science and religion'. Although public opinion is often swayed by strident voices which attempt to place science and religion in conflict or keep them totally isolated, Barbour's voluminous contributions over the past fifty years have carved out a trusted pathway to constructive dialogue and creative mutual interaction between science and religion.Fifty Years in Science and Religion brings together nineteen leading scholars in the field to offer an appreciative yet critical assessment of the impact of Barbour's work on science and religion and to point ahead towards future critical areas, goals and tasks that await new research and visionary exploration. This book includes a unique autobiography by Barbour in which for the first time he shares and reflects on his life and work, and a detailed bibliography of Barbour's works. Together, the authors demonstrate how Barbour's writings and the hundreds of scholars who have now become part of the field have changed the course of intellectual history in the West by making possible and necessary a truly constructive engagement between science and religion in the...

Papers resulting from a conference at the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, Berkeley, Calif., Aug. 1993.

A world list of books in the English language.

Conversations about gender, both inside and outside the church, can frequently degenerate into stale and rancorous disputes in which predictable arguments are traded back and forth, or fade awkwardly away into the tense silences of mutual misunderstanding. But the issue is an important one, and calls for a better conversation than either of those alternatives. In September 2015, Morling College hosted a one-day symposium entitled The Gender Conversation. A rich and diverse mix of contributors met to discuss issues of gender, theology, and Christian living, within a shared framework of evangelical conviction. Our aim in hosting the symposium was to deepen mutual understanding and respect, highlight common ground, clarify points of difference, and unite us all in a quest to learn from the Scriptures and live in the light of the gospel. This book brings together the papers presented at the symposium and the contributors' responses to one another, as a resource for further reflection and discussion.