Paths from Science Towards God: The End of All Our Exploring

Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgements......Page 12
Preface......Page 14
Prologue: Genesis for the third millennium......Page 20
PART I: THE SPIRITUAL QUEST IN THE NEW WORLD OF SCIENCE......Page 22
The ‘two cultures’ and the dominance of science......Page 24
The spiritual life of scientists......Page 25
The rise of science......Page 28
The forging of Christian belief through past challenges......Page 31
The challenge of the scientific culture to religion today......Page 34
The intellectual reputations of science and theology......Page 37
Science withstands the postmodernist critique......Page 41
Evolution and human rationality......Page 43
Reasonableness through inference to the best explanation......Page 45
Theology at the crossroads......Page 49
PART II: EXPLORING FROM SCIENCE TOWARDS GOD: NEW VISTAS, CHALLENGES AND QUESTIONS......Page 56
That the world is......Page 58
God and time......Page 62
The world: one and many......Page 67
Whole–part influences in the world......Page 70
The flow of information in the world......Page 72
The world-as-a-whole: a System-of-systems......Page 73
A lawlike world – no intervention......Page 75
A world containing inherently unpredictable events......Page 77
Brains, minds and persons in the world......Page 78
Communication between persons in the world......Page 81
The epic of evolution......Page 84
The physical origin of the universe......Page 86
The origin of life......Page 87
The anthropic principle......Page 89
The duration of evolution......Page 91
The mechanism of biological evolution – natural selection......Page 92
A process of chance and law (necessity)......Page 94
The emergence of humanity......Page 97
Human behaviour......Page 98
Trends and directions in evolution?......Page 100
The ubiquity of pain, suffering and death......Page 102
The evolution of life and our exploration towards God......Page 103
Evolution: a risky process?......Page 107
The problem......Page 110
Predictability and causality......Page 114
‘Chaotic’ systems and divine action......Page 118
Quantum events and divine action......Page 123
Whole–part influence and God’s interaction with the world......Page 127
God as ‘personal agent’ in the world......Page 133
6 The sound of sheer silence......Page 135
God, human experience and revelation......Page 136
How does God communicate with humanity?......Page 140
PART III: THE END OF ALL OUR EXPLORING......Page 146
7 An open theology......Page 148
Immanence: a theistic naturalism......Page 154
Panentheism......Page 157
The instrumental and symbolic relation of God and humanity to the world......Page 163
The world as an instrument of God’s purposes......Page 164
The world as a symbol of God’s purposes......Page 165
A congruence between the scientific and sacramental perspectives......Page 167
The Wisdom of God......Page 173
The Word, the Logos, ofGod......Page 177
The uncreated energies of God......Page 179
Vistas of the end?......Page 182
A global perspective......Page 187
Epilogue......Page 191
Appendix: A contemporary Christian understanding of sacrament......Page 194
Notes......Page 196
Glossary......Page 204
Supplementary reading......Page 207
Index......Page 212