Belief in God in an Age of Science (The Terry Lectures Series)

Focuses on the collegiality between science and theology, arguing that the two are intellectual cousins, since both are concerned with a quest for truth and reality

An elegant, brief foray into the intersections of theology and science. While God-and-science appears to be a bandwagon, with a recent spate of books on this topic, few scientists or theologians could address its ramifications as gracefully as Polkinghorne (Reason and Reality, 1991; Beyond Science, 1996). That rare fluidity stems from his mastery of both subjects: a theoretical physicist of some renown, he is also an ordained clergyman and past president of Queens College, Cambridge (England). This new book is based on a series of lectures he delivered at Yale in 1996 (past lecturers include such august thinkers as Paul Tillich, Hans Kung, and Carl Jung). A primary concern for Polkinghorne is finding the points of consonance between science and religion, but he differs from the apologists in that he seeks these conjunctions in methods of inquiry, not empirical results. In other words, his subtlety lies in his contention that religion and science both engage in a quest for truth, and that this truth is likely to be built on developmental consensus in both disciplines (the book's second chapter explores how Christological debates over the person and nature of Jesus evolved through the centuries, much the same way that 20th-century physicists have considered the nature of light). Toward the end of the book, Polkinghorne outlines future strategies for the cross-fertilization of science and religion. He'd like to see more biologists get involved (to this point, the scientists engaged in the discussion have been primarily physicists), and he maintains that theologians shouldn't shy away from contemplating the repercussions of scientific inquiry. This is a slim volume that raises more questions than it answers, but it does so in a manner more intellectually satisfying than a dozen of the ``mind-of-God'' books now on the market. If you read one book on science and religion, this should be it. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Atheists must exercise new caution when invoking modern science to advance their views. An Anglican priest and a theoretical physicist, Polkinghorne articulates a faith strengthened, not threatened, by the latest scientific research. Whether puzzling over the curious fit between the laws of physics and the requirements for life or tracing the similarities between the methods of the scientist and those of the theologian, Polkinghorne reasons with rare sophistication. He aims not for a dogmatic affirmation but, rather, for an open dialogue. Only through such dialogue can religious belief acquire rigor while scientific theory gains human meaning. Within such dialogue, the chaos theory invites reflection on divine providence, and mathematical formulas open into an investigation of how the mind finds truth. Even public libraries with small holdings in philosophy will want this book, which holds rare promise for healing the secular-religious fissures in our fractured culture. Bryce Christensen

In medieval times, theology was known as "the queen of the sciences." Not so today. A new dialog between religion and science has begun, however, and in that conversation Polkinghorne, theoretical physicist and Canon Theologian of Liverpool Cathedral, holds a special place. This accessible little book grew from the Terry Lectures the author gave at Yale in October 1996. Polkinghorne discusses new developments in the theology of nature, inquiries into divine purpose and human destiny, and explanations of how God works in the world. He explores prospects for future dialog and the pursuit of truth in the company of both science and theology. The possible rapprochement of scientific thinking and belief in God has been probed in numerous books recently, including Richard Swinburne's Is There a God? (Oxford Univ., 1996). Lay readers may find this discussion exciting but heady; can it be grounded in experience? Recommended for public and academic libraries.?John R. Leech, Brooklyn, N.Y.
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