The Open Secret: A New Vision for Natural Theology

by Alister E. McGrath

Natural theology, in the view of many, is in crisis. In this long-awaited book, Alister McGrath sets out a new vision for natural theology, re-establishing its legitimacy and utility.

Genres: Theology, Philosophy, Christian

384 pages, Paperback

First published April 11, 2008

About the author

Alister 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.

Reviews

[David Haines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alister McGrath is a true scholar. This book is an interesting and innovative attempt at giving new life to Natural Theology. McGrath gives some very insightful analyses of the Englightenment attempts at Natural Theology, and explains why they failed. This book could be described as a Post-post-modern, critical realist, Christian Natural Theology. He brings out a number of interesting points, however, this reader is slightly worried that, in the end, his version of Natural Theology only ends up being an application of Christian Theology to a study of the Natural world, and rather than presenting any objectively verifiable truths, simply presents Christianity as possibly the best choice in the market place of worldviews. The major flaw in this book is that it does not interact, except for a few insignificant mentions, with the large tradition of thomistic natural theology.

[Willy Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Em Teologia Natural, Alister McGrath investiga de que modo uma abordagem à teologia natural firmemente alicerçada em uma visão trinitária de Deus oferece um engajamento mais bem desenvolvido e satisfatório com o mundo natural, transcendendo os limites do processo de apenas dar sentido às coisas. Ele define a Teologia Natural como sendo a investigação sistemática de uma relação proposta entre o mundo cotidiano de nossa experiência e uma realidade transcendente afirmada, uma ideia antiga e universal que alcançou desenvolvimento significativo no pensamento dos primeiros pais cristãos e continua a ser o assunto de muita discussão hoje.
Ele defende que se a natureza deve revelar o transcendente, ela deve ser "percebida" ou "lida" de certas formas específicas, formas que não são em si necessariamente ordenadas pela própria natureza. Segundo o autor a teologia cristã fornece um quadro interpretativo pelo qual a natureza pode ser "vista" de uma forma que se relacione com o transcendente. Portanto, a tarefa da teologia natural é de discernimento, ver a natureza de uma forma específica, vê-la através de óculos únicos e precisos.

Livro excelente!

[Claire Scorzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

McGrath faz aqui um "ensaio", como ele próprio diz na introdução; um ponto de partida, ao recapitular posições antigas - e como mostra, ineficazes - de teologia natural, limpar o terreno e assim propor novas bases, uma abordagem enfocando a chamada tríade platônica do Verdadeiro, do Belo e do Bom, que são anseios históricos, comuns ao ser humano, que Alister McGrath vê como buscas do ser feito à imagem e semelhança de Deus, e que apontam para Deus - pois Jesus Cristo reflete / encarna a Verdade, a Beleza e a Bondade (Justiça). Excelente, com sabor de "quero mais", e meu desejo ao findar seria o de que McGrath a partir deste livro escrevesse outro aprofundando os aspectos levantados aqui. Ainda quero achar um teólogo competente escrevendo sobre estética teológica. Um dia, quem sabe...

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

McGrath is remarkable. This is an incredibly well researched and diverse book, essentially a precursor to his 'Reimagining Nature', and sets out the idea of natural theology as a trinitarian and distinctively Christian discipline. Really helpful.

[Jônathas Souza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Podia ser a metade do tamanho dele.

[Ben Holloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

If one can show that i) there are many people who have remarkably similar religious experiences and ii) that those experiences are fairly universal and iii) the Christian worldview has a sufficiently powerful explanation to account for those experiences, then you have the beginnings of a pretty good inductive argument for the existence of God and even the truth of Christian theism.

At first reading, McGrath's contribution to a novel natural theology merely comprises a taxonomy of well-known people (poets, authors and leading thinkers) who, through their contact with nature, become convinced of some transcendence that lies beyond what they experience. What emerges is an increasing record of sufficiently similar experiences. This lends credit to those who claim some religious experience through nature. Many readers will concur. They may not have turned their experience into poetry, but they will resonate with the poet's description. Even if, however, one is disinclined to believe in God, one should be impressed with just how many people of renown do believe in God largely because of their experience of him in nature.

The second part of McGrath's argument is to suggest that the Christian worldview, if it is true, would account well for those experiences. In other words, what Christians believe about truth, beauty, and goodness goes a long way in explaining the content and possibility of religious experience.

McGrath's argument encourages Christians that their experiences in of God as they play in his world are not unusual (in fact, they are fairly normative). For the nonbeliever, McGrath presents an argument that would be enhanced as part of a cumulative case argument for the existence of God. Natural theology of this stripe is not only for the believer, but remains an "open secret" if one is willing.

[Wendy Langhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing book. It takes a new look at the old subject of natural theology and opens the door to further exploration.



"Natural theology...can bring together the poet's imaginative engagement with the world, the scientist's meticulous observation of nature, and the theologian's vision of God, leading to a whole that is greater than the sum of it's parts."



As a "retired" interpretive naturalist and curent seminary student, I found it facinating. Not an easy read, but worth the effort.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally finished it! I will need to read it again to fully digest it-- loved the integration of neuroscience and theology.

[David Rathel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating. Highly recommended.