Abstract
A brief historical overview of the interaction of Christian theology and modern science reveals an initial relationship of conflict leading to divorce between the two realms of thought. That impression of conflict and contradiction remains the most popular and sensational one even today. However, in the light of self-critical examinations of both science and theology in the modern and contemporary periods, it becomes evident that the impression of inevitable conflict and irreconcilable contradiction is no longer a tenable position characterizing the relationship of those two fields of knowledge. Dialogue and mutual influence are much more characteristic of the debate today. The paper suggests several principles that ought to be recognized in developing and describing the relation between science and Christian theology that emphasize the distinctiveness but not total difference of the languages used in each field, and recognize common elements and possibilities of mutual enrichment.
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Notes
- 1.
Ian Barbour, Issues in Science and Religion. (N.Y.: Harper and Row, 1966); Religion in an Age of Science. (London: SCM Press, 1990)
- 2.
Quoted from Barbour, Issues, p. 58.
- 3.
Ibid., p. 83.
- 4.
Philip Luscombe, Groundwork of Science and Religion. (Peterborough: Epworth Press, 2000), p. 171.
- 5.
E.g., R. Dawkins The Blind Watchmaker (1986), The God Delusion (2006) et al.
- 6.
Barbour, Issues, p. 7.
- 7.
Interview with John Polkinghorne, former Cambridge professor on Science and Religion. Zenit News Agency, 29/4/2002, ZE020429.
- 8.
As quoted by Barbour, Issues, p. 414.
- 9.
As quoted by Luscombe, Groundwork, p. 173.
- 10.
Barbour, Issues, p. 4
- 11.
As quoted in Daniel Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding. An Introduction to Christian Theology. 3rd Ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmanns, 2014), p. 117
- 12.
Such, e.g., is the position of Hans Küng, The Beginning of All Thing. Science and Religion. Tr. J. Bowden. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmanns, 2007), see pp. 36–42
- 13.
Migliore, Faith Seeking, p. 118
- 14.
Migliore, Faith Seeking, p. 119
- 15.
Barbour, Issues, p. 3.
- 16.
Luscombe, Groundwork, p. 125
- 17.
Ibid., p. 177
- 18.
Ibid.
- 19.
Barbour, Issues, p. 3.
- 20.
Ibid.
- 21.
As quoted by Luscombe, Groundwork, p. 196.
- 22.
Ibid. p. 176
- 23.
E.g., I. Barbour, Issues, p. 415.
References
Barbour I (1966) Issues in science and religion. Harper and Row, New York
Barbour I (1990) Religion in an age of science. SCM Press, London
Dawkins R (1986) The blind watchmaker. Norton & Company. isbn:0-393-31570-3
Dawkins R (1990) The god delusion. Bantam Books. isbn:0-618-68000-4
Küng H (2007) The beginning of all things. Science and Religion. Tr. J. Bowden. Grand Rapids: Eerdmanns
Luscombe P (2000) Groundwork of science and religion. Epworth Press, Peterborough
Migliore D (2014) Faith seeking understanding. An introduction to Christian theology, 3rd edn. Eerdmanns, Grand Rapids
Polkinghorne J (2002) Broadcast on 29 April 2002. Zenit News Agency ZE020429
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Sabra, G. (2018). Christianity and Science: From Conflict and Divorce to Mutual Influence and Enrichment. In: Baydoun, E., Hillman, J. (eds) Universities in Arab Countries: An Urgent Need for Change. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73111-7_11
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