God, Salvation, and the Problem of Spacetime

by Emily Qureshi-Hurst

Much has been written on the relationship between the nature of temporal reality and the God of Classical Theism. Despite the popularity of this general area, what the physics and metaphysics of spacetime might mean for specific theological doctrines has received less attention. Recently, however, interest in this rich and dynamic interplay of ideas has seen rapid growth. This Element provides both an introduction to the physics and metaphysics of spacetime and a jumping-off point for understanding how these can – and in fact should – inform both Christian theology and the philosophy of religion more generally. The author will argue that the nature of spacetime raises particular and pressing problems for Christianity, specifically the interrelated doctrines of salvation and eschatology, and explore whether adequate solutions to these problems are available.

Genres: Theology, Philosophy

74 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 10, 2022

Reviews

[Rahul Samaranayake · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compendious and informative book! Dr Qureshi-Hurst brings to light not only the riveting theories on the philosophy of time but also shows the historically intimate connection between theology and the metaphysics of time. Furthermore, Dr Qureshi-Hurst's recapitulations of the most critical findings in physics are excellent; even for a reader with no particular interest in theology, it'll be useful. Being a layperson, I had to look up some of the technical theories that Dr Qureshi-Hurst points to, e.g., theories of time, but the book, on its own, does a great job at explaining them in plain jargon-free language.

This book certianly made me interested in looking into more books in the 'Cambridge Elements: The Problems of God' series.