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Glimpsing the Face of God : The Search for Meaning in the Universe
Taking as its starting point the observable order of the universe and the ways in which the natural sciences point us towards discovering God, this short text is a presentation of forms of natural theology.
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Published January 1, 2003
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About the author
Alister E. McGrath
451 books498 followersAlister Edgar McGrath is a Northern Irish theologian, priest, intellectual historian, scientist, and Christian apologist. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford, and is Professor of Divinity at Gresham College. He was previously Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at King's College London and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture, Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford, and was principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, until 2005. He is an Anglican priest and is ordained within the Church of England.
Aside from being a faculty member at Oxford, McGrath has also taught at Cambridge University and is a Teaching Fellow at Regent College. McGrath holds three doctorates from the University of Oxford, a DPhil in Molecular Biophysics, a Doctor of Divinity in Theology and a Doctor of Letters in Intellectual History.
McGrath is noted for his work in historical theology, systematic theology, and the relationship between science and religion, as well as his writings on apologetics. He is also known for his opposition to New Atheism and antireligionism and his advocacy of theological critical realism. Among his best-known books are The Twilight of Atheism, The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine, Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, and A Scientific Theology. He is also the author of a number of popular textbooks on theology.
Aside from being a faculty member at Oxford, McGrath has also taught at Cambridge University and is a Teaching Fellow at Regent College. McGrath holds three doctorates from the University of Oxford, a DPhil in Molecular Biophysics, a Doctor of Divinity in Theology and a Doctor of Letters in Intellectual History.
McGrath is noted for his work in historical theology, systematic theology, and the relationship between science and religion, as well as his writings on apologetics. He is also known for his opposition to New Atheism and antireligionism and his advocacy of theological critical realism. Among his best-known books are The Twilight of Atheism, The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine, Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, and A Scientific Theology. He is also the author of a number of popular textbooks on theology.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 18, 2024
Read this for a book group and was pleasantly surprised by the format. The author asks a lot of questions so that the reader also considers the questions in an effort to consider the God of the universe mostly from a scientific perspective. If one is searching for true meaning or knows someone who is, I recommend this book as a great starter to thinking through Who God, the Creator is and what He prepared for us.
June 17, 2024
MCGRATH ASKS, “WHAT DO WE HAVE A “QUEST FOR MEANING”?
Author Alister McGrath wrote in the first chapter of this 2002 book, “Something seems to lie beyond the whispering orbs of the night [stars]. But what? And how is it to be known? Questions like these have intrigued people since the human race began to think. Maybe these are pointless questions… Yet perhaps we are meant to think such thoughts. Maybe the spectacle of the night sky is meant to … open the door on a new way of thinking and living. We seem to have been created to ask questions… So what is it about human nature that makes it yearn to make sense of things? Why is it that the human mind seems able to gain access to at least something of the structuring of the universe[?]… It is almost as if the human mind was designed to discern the pattern of the universe of the universe and reflect on its meaning… There seems to be some inbuilt longing for purpose which drives us to look for clues to the meaning of the universe…” (Pg. 8-9)
He continues, “Deep down within us lies a relentless quest for meaning. Some might say that this is nothing more than a coping mechanism thrown up by the human mind to shield us from the unbearable pain of knowing that life is pointless. We… prefer to inhabit this imaginary country rather than face up to the bleak and barrenness of the real world… But what if these attempts to explain away our longing for meaning are misplaced? We if we are meant to think such thoughts?... What if the sense of longing and yearning … is meant to lead us onwards on a voyage of discovery? What if nature is studded with clues to our true meaning and destiny, and fingerprinted with the presence of God? This book is an exploration of this fascinating possibility.” (Pg. 11-13)
He outlines, “We are surrounded by clues, some of which seem to point to one explanation and others in a very different direction… what sort of clues are we talking about? One clue is provided by the natural sciences, especially physics and cosmology. Here, we find a remarkable degree of ordering within the universe…. The fact that so much of the deep structure of the universe can be represented mathematically points to something remarkable… It is almost as if the human mind has been designed to grasp the patterns and structure of the cosmos… A second clue is provided by what is sometimes called the ‘fine-tuning’ of the universe. The structure of the universe is determined by a series of ‘fundamental constants’ … Had these been different, the universe would have taken a very different form---and life… could not have emerged… Another clue is provided by the deep human longing for significance. It seems that nothing in this world really possesses the capacity to satisfy us.” (Pg. 18-19)
He argues, “Christ had no authority whatsoever to speak those words [Mk 2:1-12: ‘Your sins are forgiven”] if he was simply a human being. But what if Christ was more than this? What if he were… God incarnate, the living God entering into human history, in order to share our pain and sorrow? Would not he have been entirely justified in claiming to forgive sins---in doing something that only God can do?... it might point to something profound and deeply significant … for the way we think about God.” (Pg. 30-31)
He observes, “One of the most significant parallels between the natural sciences and Christianity is this fundamental conviction that the world is characterized by regularity and intelligibility… Nature thus bears witness to God’s wisdom, just as a great building bears witness to the genius of its designer… A second way of thinking about creation is to compare this with the creative actions of an artist---like someone painting a picture or composing a symphony… It is part of the purpose of the creator that we should bear the music of the cosmos, and, through loving its harmonies, come to love their composer.” (Pg. 47-48)
He asks, “So how might God encounter us? How might God find us? … If God is to encounter us, God must come to meet us where we are. And where are we? In a world of time and space… It would therefore make a lot of sense if God were to enter the flux of human history, and find us there. We find something very like this in the Christian doctrine of the incarnation. The basic idea is that God stoops down to set foot in the sphere of our existence.” (Pg. 64-65)
He suggests, “The resurrection also opens up another fascinating line of thought. Many are intrigued by what are often called ‘near-death experiences.’ These are visions… reported by individuals who have been close to death, yet have at the last moment … recovered from what would otherwise have been a fatal condition. Those visions often take the form of sensations of peace or joy… Yet there is a tantalizing difficulty here. Those who have provided such reports of what lies beyond death have not actually died. They have hovered close to that state, but have not entered it… But suppose someone really were to die… Suppose this person were to rise from the dead. Would not such a person possess a unique authority to speak on the great themes of human nature and destiny?” (Pg. 76-77)
He acknowledges, “The presence of suffering in the world is clearly an anomaly for those who believe in a good, loving and compassionate God… For some, this is enough to compel them to abandon belief in such a God… The reality of suffering is clearly a difficulty for the Christian worldview. It does not, however, compel the abandonment of that worldview… Instead, we must recognize that theories of life do coexist with riddles, puzzles, and anomalies, and aim to explore the matter more deeply… For the Christian, the answer lies in the memory of the way things were and the hope of the way things shall be…. This brings home to us that the present world is not our true home… We are passing through, on our way to a true homeland, in which suffering will no longer be with us.” (Pg. 88-89, 94)
He states, “Doctrines make their appeal to the mind; they are an integral aspect of any attempt to understand the Christian faith. They are not, and were never meant to be, a substitute for the living witness of the New Testament to Christ, or the Christian experience of the presence of God in our lives. Rather, doctrines are a framework that give strength to these matters… Second, doctrines have a defensive role. They are like fences enclosing the pastureland of the New Testament, ensuring that its witness to the significance of Jesus is protected and safeguarded… God is a trinity… Precisely because these doctrines are unusual, they need to be justified.” (Pg. 103-104)
He concludes, “This is the essence of Christian hope. We have bene made to relate to God, and our true joy lies in the fulfillment of that God-given potential... How can such hope be sustained? How can we be assured that this is a real hope, and not simply some soporific to dull us to a harsher reality that is just too painful to bear? In the end, we cannot be absolutely sure… It is all a matter of trust. All the clues are there---but they are not decisive. In the end, we have to trust our hearts, as much as our minds, to aid us in reaching a decision.” (Pg. 118)
This book includes many beautiful color photographs; it will be of keen interest to those seeking a relatively short presentation of McGrath’s apologetic approach (perhaps to give as a gift to someone).
Author Alister McGrath wrote in the first chapter of this 2002 book, “Something seems to lie beyond the whispering orbs of the night [stars]. But what? And how is it to be known? Questions like these have intrigued people since the human race began to think. Maybe these are pointless questions… Yet perhaps we are meant to think such thoughts. Maybe the spectacle of the night sky is meant to … open the door on a new way of thinking and living. We seem to have been created to ask questions… So what is it about human nature that makes it yearn to make sense of things? Why is it that the human mind seems able to gain access to at least something of the structuring of the universe[?]… It is almost as if the human mind was designed to discern the pattern of the universe of the universe and reflect on its meaning… There seems to be some inbuilt longing for purpose which drives us to look for clues to the meaning of the universe…” (Pg. 8-9)
He continues, “Deep down within us lies a relentless quest for meaning. Some might say that this is nothing more than a coping mechanism thrown up by the human mind to shield us from the unbearable pain of knowing that life is pointless. We… prefer to inhabit this imaginary country rather than face up to the bleak and barrenness of the real world… But what if these attempts to explain away our longing for meaning are misplaced? We if we are meant to think such thoughts?... What if the sense of longing and yearning … is meant to lead us onwards on a voyage of discovery? What if nature is studded with clues to our true meaning and destiny, and fingerprinted with the presence of God? This book is an exploration of this fascinating possibility.” (Pg. 11-13)
He outlines, “We are surrounded by clues, some of which seem to point to one explanation and others in a very different direction… what sort of clues are we talking about? One clue is provided by the natural sciences, especially physics and cosmology. Here, we find a remarkable degree of ordering within the universe…. The fact that so much of the deep structure of the universe can be represented mathematically points to something remarkable… It is almost as if the human mind has been designed to grasp the patterns and structure of the cosmos… A second clue is provided by what is sometimes called the ‘fine-tuning’ of the universe. The structure of the universe is determined by a series of ‘fundamental constants’ … Had these been different, the universe would have taken a very different form---and life… could not have emerged… Another clue is provided by the deep human longing for significance. It seems that nothing in this world really possesses the capacity to satisfy us.” (Pg. 18-19)
He argues, “Christ had no authority whatsoever to speak those words [Mk 2:1-12: ‘Your sins are forgiven”] if he was simply a human being. But what if Christ was more than this? What if he were… God incarnate, the living God entering into human history, in order to share our pain and sorrow? Would not he have been entirely justified in claiming to forgive sins---in doing something that only God can do?... it might point to something profound and deeply significant … for the way we think about God.” (Pg. 30-31)
He observes, “One of the most significant parallels between the natural sciences and Christianity is this fundamental conviction that the world is characterized by regularity and intelligibility… Nature thus bears witness to God’s wisdom, just as a great building bears witness to the genius of its designer… A second way of thinking about creation is to compare this with the creative actions of an artist---like someone painting a picture or composing a symphony… It is part of the purpose of the creator that we should bear the music of the cosmos, and, through loving its harmonies, come to love their composer.” (Pg. 47-48)
He asks, “So how might God encounter us? How might God find us? … If God is to encounter us, God must come to meet us where we are. And where are we? In a world of time and space… It would therefore make a lot of sense if God were to enter the flux of human history, and find us there. We find something very like this in the Christian doctrine of the incarnation. The basic idea is that God stoops down to set foot in the sphere of our existence.” (Pg. 64-65)
He suggests, “The resurrection also opens up another fascinating line of thought. Many are intrigued by what are often called ‘near-death experiences.’ These are visions… reported by individuals who have been close to death, yet have at the last moment … recovered from what would otherwise have been a fatal condition. Those visions often take the form of sensations of peace or joy… Yet there is a tantalizing difficulty here. Those who have provided such reports of what lies beyond death have not actually died. They have hovered close to that state, but have not entered it… But suppose someone really were to die… Suppose this person were to rise from the dead. Would not such a person possess a unique authority to speak on the great themes of human nature and destiny?” (Pg. 76-77)
He acknowledges, “The presence of suffering in the world is clearly an anomaly for those who believe in a good, loving and compassionate God… For some, this is enough to compel them to abandon belief in such a God… The reality of suffering is clearly a difficulty for the Christian worldview. It does not, however, compel the abandonment of that worldview… Instead, we must recognize that theories of life do coexist with riddles, puzzles, and anomalies, and aim to explore the matter more deeply… For the Christian, the answer lies in the memory of the way things were and the hope of the way things shall be…. This brings home to us that the present world is not our true home… We are passing through, on our way to a true homeland, in which suffering will no longer be with us.” (Pg. 88-89, 94)
He states, “Doctrines make their appeal to the mind; they are an integral aspect of any attempt to understand the Christian faith. They are not, and were never meant to be, a substitute for the living witness of the New Testament to Christ, or the Christian experience of the presence of God in our lives. Rather, doctrines are a framework that give strength to these matters… Second, doctrines have a defensive role. They are like fences enclosing the pastureland of the New Testament, ensuring that its witness to the significance of Jesus is protected and safeguarded… God is a trinity… Precisely because these doctrines are unusual, they need to be justified.” (Pg. 103-104)
He concludes, “This is the essence of Christian hope. We have bene made to relate to God, and our true joy lies in the fulfillment of that God-given potential... How can such hope be sustained? How can we be assured that this is a real hope, and not simply some soporific to dull us to a harsher reality that is just too painful to bear? In the end, we cannot be absolutely sure… It is all a matter of trust. All the clues are there---but they are not decisive. In the end, we have to trust our hearts, as much as our minds, to aid us in reaching a decision.” (Pg. 118)
This book includes many beautiful color photographs; it will be of keen interest to those seeking a relatively short presentation of McGrath’s apologetic approach (perhaps to give as a gift to someone).
August 3, 2016
It’s hard to categorize this book by Alister McGrath, theologian at Oxford University and former biochemist. It is somewhat an apologetics book, arguing in defense of the intellectual integrity of the Christian faith – but it does so in a way that is unlike the usual (and flawed, I would say) ‘scientific and historical proofs that the Bible is true’ argument. All this book attempts to show is that the Christian idea of God, and the Christian faith in general, can exist as a coherent and intellectually satisfying worldview, even in the light of science. He discusses issues of morality, human suffering, epistemology, and the human search for meaning, among other things. The author’s background as a scientist is apparent here, as he often uses examples from science to explain his thoughts. A very thin but thoughtful book.
September 15, 2021
Thought provoking
March 6, 2016
This is a thought-provoking book that managed to poke the philosophical and scientific part of my thinking. What's greatly interesting about this book is its supremacy in explaining, detail by detail, the Christian faith - not just from the mere point of view of Christians themselves - but by also citing the greatest philosophers, scientists and thinkers in the history of mankind and by pausing to reflect on their arguments about life and meaning in this seemingly meaningless universe.. The book is concise in its delivery and Alister McGrath managed to fasten reason with faith - the two aspects of human beings that are really difficult to be attached together. I'm pretty sure that people who are still wondering and doubting the Christian belief would be exhilarated and enlightened in this short account of Alister McGrath. Great!
January 13, 2017
Didn't like his view of creeds --"words on paper"-- without discussion of the Word itself.
Last chapters (2) good -- desire and view of a promised homeland that we can dimly see right now.
Lots of good references to science/scientists.
Overall, an elongated defense for the gospel among other beliefs/ideologies.
I like his view of relationship-centered Christ.
Last chapters (2) good -- desire and view of a promised homeland that we can dimly see right now.
Lots of good references to science/scientists.
Overall, an elongated defense for the gospel among other beliefs/ideologies.
I like his view of relationship-centered Christ.
April 6, 2008
When people ask me about my favourite book, this immediately comes to mind.
Beautifully written and illustrated, an encouragement to the believer and the questioner.
Beautifully written and illustrated, an encouragement to the believer and the questioner.
Want to read
August 4, 2011Recommended by Marilyn on 8/3/11
May 28, 2013
Good book. Thought provoking
July 6, 2013
A very good book for seekers.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews