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Scientific Theology: Nature: Volume 1
New in paperback of the first volume of McGrath's groundbreaking three volume work of Systematic Theology, "A Scientific Theology". Written by one of world's best-known theologians, these volumes together represent the most extended and systematic exploration of the relation beween Christian theology and the natural sciences yet produced. Thoroughly ecumenical, this will be a significant work for Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and evangelical readers. The work is marked throughout by a sustained and critical engagment with the history and philosophy of the natural sciences, and a passionate commitment to the legitimacy of theology as an academic discipline.
"Nature" sets out a vision for a "scientific theology", in which the working assumptions of the natural sciences are critically appropriated as a theological resource. It then moves on to deal at considerable length with the crucially important question of the status of nature, which ahs rearely been given the serious considertion that it deserves. Responding sympathetically to the growing consensus that "nature" is a socially mediated concept, McGrath sets out an approach to nature that establishes it as a theologically legitamate notion, and explores its positive and constructive role within a scientific theology.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published December 6, 2001
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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 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 5, 2024
With an elite background in chemistry, philosophy, and theology, Alister E. McGrath is the ideal author of A Scientific Theology: Volume 1: Nature. In addition, Alister McGrath was originally an outspoken non-believer. So, I was expecting this volume to be more of a philosophical attempt to prove the existence of God “from below.” I was curious as to how McGrath would go about it since I have always been skeptical of this approach. I was profoundly astonished when I discovered that his position, like mine, required an ontological framework to establish cosmological relevance. Indeed, his three guiding principles are: 1) Ontologically that there exists a reality or realities, the existence of which is independent of the human mind; 2) Epistemologically that this reality or realities can be known, though likely only approximately; and 3) Semantically that this reality can be at least provisionally described (pp. 75-76).
That ontological (“from above”) aspect is necessary because the “from below” approach (a “natural theology” without ontology) is always prone to the danger of imposing Deism on one side or infinite regress on the other (p. 284). Tying these together would be Thomas F. Torrance’s observation that epistemology is directly related to ontology (cited on p. 190). And, while skeptics would insist that none of this can be proven, McGrath rightly leans on the assertion by non-Christian Karl Popper regarding “science:” “…part of the paradox of the scientific method is that while science is the most critically tested and evaluated form of knowledge available, it is nevertheless tentative and provisional.” (p. 47) The purely materialistic conception of reality is incredibly well-described in Edwin A. Burtt’s conclusion about the Newtonian revolutions march toward Deism and then, Materialism: “The really important world outside was a world hard, cold, colourless, silent and dead; a world of quantity, a world of mathematically computable motions in mechanical regularity. The world of qualities as immediately perceived by man became just a curious and quite minor effect of that infinite machine beyond.” (cited on p. 108)
So, by basing his initial volume of his theological treatise on the idea of “nature,” McGrath is willing to ground his theology in an appreciation of natural science, but with a sense that: “The natural order had been created in both analogue and anagogue-that is, with a capacity to represent the Godhead, and lead the human mind upwards through the dynamic symbols of the natural world to their fons et origo in God.” (p. 218). As a result, we need to be careful how we interpret the natural order: “…we can never be sure a priori how God must act, and therefore, can never say a priori how his creations must behave.” (Michael Foster cited on p. 139) Despite his observation that: “Calvin declares that the created order is a ‘theatre’ (I.v.5) or a ‘mirror’ (I.v.11) for the displaying of the divine presence, nature and attributes” (p. 274), McGrath concurs with Calvin that the human experience is such that distortion sets in. So, he proposes a groundwork for doing natural theology based on three principles: 1) the created order is the work of the Christian God and no other; 2) the act of creation was not limited by the quality of some pre-existent material (but created out of nothing); and 3) the human mind possesses the capacity to see creation for the divine work it is, as long as these insights are secured by Christian revelation. (p. 299)
Therefore, McGrath has laid the groundwork for a natural theology which will force the theologian out of the intellectual ghetto and into encounters with nature, familiarity with the working assumptions of scientists, awareness of conditioning of idea of “nature” via the social sciences, and use of the natural sciences to proclaim the truth behind nature (p. 304). While A Scientific Theology: Volume One: Nature offers powerful insights from historical theology and creates an interesting case for building theology from “natural theology” informed by revelation, the book could have demonstrated the author’s own awareness of current theories in the natural sciences as a way of validating his methodology. Without such demonstration, the book ends up going back into the intellectual ghetto from which he was trying to liberate his readers.
That ontological (“from above”) aspect is necessary because the “from below” approach (a “natural theology” without ontology) is always prone to the danger of imposing Deism on one side or infinite regress on the other (p. 284). Tying these together would be Thomas F. Torrance’s observation that epistemology is directly related to ontology (cited on p. 190). And, while skeptics would insist that none of this can be proven, McGrath rightly leans on the assertion by non-Christian Karl Popper regarding “science:” “…part of the paradox of the scientific method is that while science is the most critically tested and evaluated form of knowledge available, it is nevertheless tentative and provisional.” (p. 47) The purely materialistic conception of reality is incredibly well-described in Edwin A. Burtt’s conclusion about the Newtonian revolutions march toward Deism and then, Materialism: “The really important world outside was a world hard, cold, colourless, silent and dead; a world of quantity, a world of mathematically computable motions in mechanical regularity. The world of qualities as immediately perceived by man became just a curious and quite minor effect of that infinite machine beyond.” (cited on p. 108)
So, by basing his initial volume of his theological treatise on the idea of “nature,” McGrath is willing to ground his theology in an appreciation of natural science, but with a sense that: “The natural order had been created in both analogue and anagogue-that is, with a capacity to represent the Godhead, and lead the human mind upwards through the dynamic symbols of the natural world to their fons et origo in God.” (p. 218). As a result, we need to be careful how we interpret the natural order: “…we can never be sure a priori how God must act, and therefore, can never say a priori how his creations must behave.” (Michael Foster cited on p. 139) Despite his observation that: “Calvin declares that the created order is a ‘theatre’ (I.v.5) or a ‘mirror’ (I.v.11) for the displaying of the divine presence, nature and attributes” (p. 274), McGrath concurs with Calvin that the human experience is such that distortion sets in. So, he proposes a groundwork for doing natural theology based on three principles: 1) the created order is the work of the Christian God and no other; 2) the act of creation was not limited by the quality of some pre-existent material (but created out of nothing); and 3) the human mind possesses the capacity to see creation for the divine work it is, as long as these insights are secured by Christian revelation. (p. 299)
Therefore, McGrath has laid the groundwork for a natural theology which will force the theologian out of the intellectual ghetto and into encounters with nature, familiarity with the working assumptions of scientists, awareness of conditioning of idea of “nature” via the social sciences, and use of the natural sciences to proclaim the truth behind nature (p. 304). While A Scientific Theology: Volume One: Nature offers powerful insights from historical theology and creates an interesting case for building theology from “natural theology” informed by revelation, the book could have demonstrated the author’s own awareness of current theories in the natural sciences as a way of validating his methodology. Without such demonstration, the book ends up going back into the intellectual ghetto from which he was trying to liberate his readers.
February 26, 2022
Second time through this one. I've been deeply influenced by McGrath's robust engagement with science.
November 16, 2012
For quite some time I was a huge fan of Alister McGrath. His background in the sciences, his definitive work on Luther (_Luther's Theology of the Cross_) his historical work on Justification (_Iustitia Dei_), etc. I have literally read dozens of his works... Most of of his earlier works especially were "above average", squarely evangelical and for the most part clearly communicated. Up until the release of this set, if he wrote it I got it (even though sometimes getting his out of print volumes, and even his in print volumes that he publishes through Blackwell can be cost prohibitive).
Beyond this, I was (and remain!) a huge fan of Tom Torrance. McGrath's volumes seemed enticing especially given the intellectual biography of Torrance that McGrath wrote and that I had read prior to volume one in this set being published.
My impression of the set (and the small book(let) that accompanies the trilogy) is mostly negative though.
It seemed hastily written and was indeed poorly edited. This is a ding not only against McGrath but also Eerdmans and T&T Clark.
There were numerous misquotes, and also poor "proof-texting" of quotes, that is many quotes from a wide range of authors from an equally wide range of traditions ARE indeed often taken out of context.
Overall though, I felt as though the set wasn't really written for the church... As I read it, and tried to ignore the aforementioned shortcomings, it felt as though this book was self-congratulatory. It was almost like he was just flexing his (intellectual) muscles to himself and maybe a close-knit group of freinds/colleagues and everyone else was mean to look on in wonder and amazement at how awesome he was.
Given McGrath's prominence, I am sure as time passes, this will in some way become a standard or at least be considered a pioneering work, but I am not persuaded that it deserves such recognition. Torrance, Polanyi or even Poyrthress or J.J. Davis (out of Gordon Conwell) I believe deserve such positions of note.
Personally, on a whole, I have noticed a deficiency in his writing since his biography on Torrance. I hope he will stop cranking out the books, slow down, take a breath and start producing better quality material (as he did earlier on in his career).
Beyond this, I was (and remain!) a huge fan of Tom Torrance. McGrath's volumes seemed enticing especially given the intellectual biography of Torrance that McGrath wrote and that I had read prior to volume one in this set being published.
My impression of the set (and the small book(let) that accompanies the trilogy) is mostly negative though.
It seemed hastily written and was indeed poorly edited. This is a ding not only against McGrath but also Eerdmans and T&T Clark.
There were numerous misquotes, and also poor "proof-texting" of quotes, that is many quotes from a wide range of authors from an equally wide range of traditions ARE indeed often taken out of context.
Overall though, I felt as though the set wasn't really written for the church... As I read it, and tried to ignore the aforementioned shortcomings, it felt as though this book was self-congratulatory. It was almost like he was just flexing his (intellectual) muscles to himself and maybe a close-knit group of freinds/colleagues and everyone else was mean to look on in wonder and amazement at how awesome he was.
Given McGrath's prominence, I am sure as time passes, this will in some way become a standard or at least be considered a pioneering work, but I am not persuaded that it deserves such recognition. Torrance, Polanyi or even Poyrthress or J.J. Davis (out of Gordon Conwell) I believe deserve such positions of note.
Personally, on a whole, I have noticed a deficiency in his writing since his biography on Torrance. I hope he will stop cranking out the books, slow down, take a breath and start producing better quality material (as he did earlier on in his career).
March 13, 2016
A well written book on the subject of the natural world, the sciences involved, and what it might mean for the Christian believer. McGrath explores the history behind nature (ways in which it has been interpreted and approached throughout history), the sciences involved, and what this all means within the Christian account of creation.
The goal: "explore the relation between Christian theology and the natural sciences, using philosophy and history as dialogue partners. It would be grounded in and faithful to the Christian tradition, yet open to the insights of the sciences." - I long to find the same thing for my own faith, and this work has provided lots of information on the topic as I continue to study the subject of scientific theology.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interesting in learning more about the topic of scientific theology.
The goal: "explore the relation between Christian theology and the natural sciences, using philosophy and history as dialogue partners. It would be grounded in and faithful to the Christian tradition, yet open to the insights of the sciences." - I long to find the same thing for my own faith, and this work has provided lots of information on the topic as I continue to study the subject of scientific theology.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interesting in learning more about the topic of scientific theology.
June 15, 2012
Enjoyed the book. I do second a comment I read somewhere that it can be hard to determine exactly what the author thinks - the book reads somewhat like a series of encyclopedia articles about what other people think. Still valuable though - I blogged my way through it if anyone is interested. This is the final post, with links to all the rest: http://longerthoughts.wordpress.com/2... .
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews