Theology in the Context of Science pdf

John Carlton Polkinghorn, British theoretical physicist, religious thinker, writer, and Anglican priest, born in 1930 As president of Queen's College Cambridge from 1988 to 1996, Polkinghorne authored five books on physics and twenty-six books on the relationship between science and religion. His books include Quantum World 1989, Quantum Physics and Theology: An Unexpected Connection 2005, Exploring Truth: The Intertwining of Science and Religion 2007 , Questions of Truth 2009, A Polkinghorn Reader (edited by Thomas J. Ord) and providing key summaries of Polkinghorn's most influential books, knighted in 1997 and awarded a £1m Templeton Prize in 2002 for his outstanding contributions to affirming the spiritual dimension of life.

Theology in the Context of Science pdf by John Polkinghorne

Just as gendered, cultural, and geographical perspectives have illuminated and advanced theological thought, the contributions of twentieth-century science have much to offer theology. In his latest book, physicist-theologian John Polkinghorne, renowned as one of the world’s foremost thinkers on science and religion, offers a lucid argument for developing the intersection of the two fields as another form of contextual theology. Countering recent assertions by “new atheists” that religious belief is irrational and even dangerous, Polkinghorne explores ways that theology can be open to and informed by science. He describes recent scientific discourse on such subjects as epistemology, objectivity, uncertainty, and rationality and considers the religious importance of the evolution in these areas of scientific thought. Then, evaluating such topics as relativity, space and time, and evolutionary theory, he uses a scientific style of inquiry as a foundation on which to build a model of Christian belief structure. Science and theology share in the great human quest for truth and understanding, says Polkinghorne, and he illustrates how their interaction can be fruitful for both.