Science and Religion in the Twenty-First Century

by Russell Re Manning, Michael Byrne

Overview

Despite the upsurge in public interest in science-and-religion provoked by the so-called “new atheist” attacks on religion, there has been surprisingly little publically accessible informed discussion of the central issues at stake in contemporary work at the interface of science and religion. This book fills this gap by providing a snapshot of what is really at stake in contemporary interactions and debates between scientists and theologians. What the collection shows, above all, is the vibrant complexity of discussions in science-and-religion. Old models of conflict between the two disciplines no longer hold; but neither do the alternative comprehensive models of independence, dialogue or integration. What emerges instead is a complex set of relations between science and religion in the twenty-first century. Contributors include Keith Ward, Jurgen Moltmann, John Hedley Brooke, Celia Deane-Drummond and John Polkinghorne.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780334045946
Publisher:	Hymns Ancient & Modern
Publication date:	01/31/2013
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Contributors xi

Preface Jonathan Boyle xv

Foreword: The Boyle Lectureship and its Trustees - Then and Now Michael Byrne xvii

Introduction: Science and Religion in the Twenty-First Century Russell Re Manning xxxix

1 Darwin, Design and the Promise of Nature John F. Haught 1

2 Darwin's Compass: How Evolution Discovers the Song of Creation Simon Conway Morris 22

3 The Emergence of Spirit: From Complexity to Anthropology to Theology? Philip Clayton 40

4 Cosmology of Ultimate Concern John D. Barrow 59

5 Psychologizing and Neurologizing about Religion: Facts, Fallacies and the Future Malcolm Jeeves 75

6 Misusing Darwin: The Materialist Conspiracy in Evolutionary Biology Keith Ward 94

7 The Legacy of Robert Boyle: Then and Now John Hedley Brooke 114

8 Is the World Unfinished? On Interactions between Science and Theology in the Concepts of Nature, Time, and the Future Jürgen Moltmann 129

9 Christ and Evolution: A Drama of Wisdom? Celia Deane-Drummond 141

10 Science and Religion in Dialogue John Polkinghorne 158

Bibliography of Works Cited 172

Index 187

Editorial Reviews

Science and Religion in the 21st Century is an important collection of Boyle lectures delivered by leading scholars in the interaction between science, philosophy and theology. Topics range from evolution and emeregence to cosmology and the psychology of religious beliefs. I strongly recommend this book to scholars and the general public interested in cutting edge thinking about science and religion.

Robert Russell

The revival of the Boyle lectures in the 21st century was a most imaginative way of connecting the current dialogue between ‘science’ and ‘religion’ (as we now call them) with the original Boyle lectures, first given in 1692. The first ten Boyle lecturers of modern times are a roll call of the leading figures in contemporary world of science and religion, and these lectures are an excellent and accessible guide to the current debates, covering physics, evolutionary biology and the human sciences.

Fraser Watts

The lectures gathered in this collection are all by eminent figures ifrom both within and beyond science. Intended for a wide audience, they together illuminate in masterful fashion the most perplexing problems at the interface of science and religion. Anyone who believes that this is God's world will find much of compelling interest here. Others should see the crucial importance for human reason of the arguments considered.

Roger Trigg