Theology : Systematic Theology / Dogmatics: Christianity and Origen of Modern Science

A cutting-edge survey of contemporary thought at the intersection of science and Christianity. Provides a cutting-edge survey of the central ideas at play at the intersection of science and Christianity through 54 original articles by world-leading scholars and rising stars in the discipline Focuses on Christianity's interaction with Science to offer a fine-grained analysis of issues such as multiverse theories in cosmology, convergence in evolution, Intelligent Design, natural theology, human consciousness, artificial intelligence, free will, miracles, and the Trinity, amongst many others Addresses major historical developments in the relationship between science and Christianity, including Christian patristics, the scientific revolution, the reception of Darwin, and twentieth century fundamentalism Divided into 9 Parts: Historical Episodes; Methodology; Natural Theology; Cosmology & Physics; Evolution; The Human Sciences; Christian Bioethics; Metaphysical Implications; The Mind; Theology; and Significant Figures of the 20th Century Includes diverse perspectives and broadens the conversation from the Anglocentric tradition

Why did science emerge in the West and how did scientific values come to be regarded as the yardstick for all other forms of knowledge? Stephen Gaukroger shows just how bitterly the cognitive and cultural standing of science was contested in its early development. Rejecting the traditionalpicture of secularization, he argues that science in the seventeenth century emerged not in opposition to religion but rather was in many respects driven by it. Moreover, science did not present a unified picture of nature but was an unstable field of different, often locally successful but just asoften incompatible, programmes. To complicate matters, much depended on attempts to reshape the persona of the natural philosopher, and distinctive new notions of objectivity and impartiality were imported into natural philosophy, changing its character radically by redefining the qualities of itspractitioners.The West's sense of itself, its relation to its past, and its sense of its future, have been profoundly altered since the seventeenth century, as cognitive values generally have gradually come to be shaped around scientific ones. Science has not merely brought a new set of such values to the task ofunderstanding the world and our place in it, but rather has completely transformed the task, redefining the goals of enquiry. This distinctive feature of the development of a scientific culture in the West marks it out from other scientifically productive cultures. In The Emergence of a ScientificCulture, Stephen Gaukroger offers a detailed and comprehensive account of the formative stages of this development---and one which challenges the received wisdom that science was seen to be self-evidently the correct path to knowledge and that the benefits of science were immediately obvious to thedisinterested observer.

Too often conversations on Science and Christianity skate over much deeper assumptions--or perceptions--on the nature and interpretation of Scripture, and the nature of science and of God. Instead, the rhetoric goes quickly towards contentious issues, like evolution, global warming, or genetic engineering, without establishing a framework of mutual understanding. Consequently, ""conversations"" can take place between people who completely misunderstand each other because those foundations have not been clearly articulated. In this introductory book you are invited on a journey of discovery, one that makes us self-aware of our starting assumptions. It is only from a framework of critical engagement with both science and the Bible that contemporary issues and the needs of the church and society can be addressed. While the Creator is one who brings order, this book also reminds us that untamed chaos also has a God-ordained place within creation. The author explores the element of chance that seems to be at the heart of nature and shows how this can be incorporated constructively within Christian thinking. Nature is not mere mechanism and is more ""open"" than we might first think. This means that miracles are scientifically plausible and prayer can really change things. . . . ""The polarized positions, from within the church and from skeptics outside, are so loud and so effectively disseminated that it is often difficult for sensible, mediating positions to be heard. But I am encouraged that there are more and more such positions, including this straightforward defense of critical realism."" --Mark Noll, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame; Author of Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind ""A good book on science and faith needs to be written by someone who has a feel for science from the experience of working it, combined with a depth of theological understanding, and the lightness of touch to make it readable and exciting. Tim Reddish has written this kind of good book."" --David Wilkinson, Principal, St. John's College, Durham; Author of When I Pray What Does God do? ""Reddish engages Scripture faithfully and science with professional integrity. . . . Reddish shows not just that science and faith can get along, but that when each is understood properly, they enrich each other."" --Jim Stump, Senior Editor, BioLogos; Author of Science and Christianity: An Introduction to the Issues ""This is an informative book of real scholarship in which Reddish addresses the supposed 'conflict' between science and Christianity head-on. By exposing the historical and cultural roots of the divide, he points out where useful dialogue can and should occur."" --Bill McConkey, Professor Emeritus, University of Windsor ""In Science and Christianity, Reddish lays out an authoritative, yet personal, account of why science and Christianity are not contradictory 'belief systems.' A great book to read and then give to others."" --Mike Hulme, Professor of Climate and Culture, King's College London Tim Reddish (PhD, Physics, Manchester, United Kingdom; MDiv, Knox College, Toronto) was a Reader in Experimental Atomic Physics at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, before moving to Canada in 2002. In 2011 he left his professorship at the University of Windsor to study theology. Upon graduation in 2015, he received Knox College's Gold Medal. He is also the author of The Amish Farmer who Hated L.A. and 8 Other Modern Day Allegories (2015).

Science and Christianity is an accessible, engaging introduction to topics at the intersection of science and Christian theology.   A philosophically orientated treatment that introduces the relationship of science to Christianity and explores to what extent the findings of science affect traditional Christian theology Addresses important theological topics in light of contemporary science, including divine action, the problem of natural evil, and eschatology Historically oriented chapters and chapters covering methodological principles for both science and theology provide the reader with a strong foundational understanding of the issues Includes feature boxes highlighting quotations, biographies of major scientists and theologians, key terms, and other helpful information Issues are presented as fairly and objectively as possible, with strengths and weaknesses of particular interpretations fully discussed

This book, in language accessible to the general reader, investigates twelve of the most notorious, most interesting, and most instructive episodes involving the interaction between science and Christianity, aiming to tell each story in its historical specificity and local particularity.   Among the events treated in When Science and Christianity Meet are the Galileo affair, the seventeenth-century clockwork universe, Noah's ark and flood in the development of natural history, struggles over Darwinian evolution, debates about the origin of the human species, and the Scopes trial. Readers will be introduced to St. Augustine, Roger Bacon, Pope Urban VIII, Isaac Newton, Pierre-Simon de Laplace, Carl Linnaeus, Charles Darwin, T. H. Huxley, Sigmund Freud, and many other participants in the historical drama of science and Christianity.   "Taken together, these papers provide a comprehensive survey of current thinking on key issues in the relationships between science and religion, pitched--as the editors intended--at just the right level to appeal to students."--Peter J. Bowler, Isis