Science & Religion: An Introduction

Rating:
Summary: An inadequate work
Review: Alister McGrath has an impressive corpus of writings that deal with a host of issues that confront Christian theology today. He clearly knows a great deal - more than I ever hope to! - yet it may be this very fact that made this book disappointing. He knows a great deal, but it doesn't go as deep as it could.

It may be that McGrath has tackled a topic that is hopelessly broad. After all, what is "science" and "religion"? This book illustrates this problem in that he almost exclusively focuses on Christianity. This is sufficient and worthy of a book, but the title is misleading: whenever he does address other religions, albeit obliquely, McGrath has little to say that is helpful. Meanwhile, McGrath takes numerous interesting but meandering paths in this work that left me wondering exactly what his point was.

If I were to recommend this book, it is useful as a point of contact to move to other authors who have written more deeply on particular aspects of the interface between Christianity and science. Perhaps that was his intent, and indeed he admits this is an introductory work. Unfortunately it comes off seeming sloppy and unsatisfying, especially considering that McGrath is capable of so much more.

In addition, there were woefully numerous spelling errors, and even a page where the font changed! I won't pin this on McGrath, but on the editors. I will say, however, that his writing was at times awkward and imprecise. I would have suggested he give it another read before publication.

In the end, this gets three stars for still being able to teach me something, but certainly not enough for me to consider McGrath to have made a significant contribution to the very significant issues of science and Christian faith.

Rating:
Summary: An inadequate work
Review: Alister McGrath has an impressive corpus of writings that deal with a host of issues that confront Christian theology today. He clearly knows a great deal - more than I ever hope to! - yet it may be this very fact that made this book disappointing. He knows a great deal, but it doesn't go as deep as it could.

It may be that McGrath has tackled a topic that is hopelessly broad. After all, what is "science" and "religion"? This book illustrates this problem in that he almost exclusively focuses on Christianity. This is sufficient and worthy of a book, but the title is misleading: whenever he does address other religions, albeit obliquely, McGrath has little to say that is helpful. Meanwhile, McGrath takes numerous interesting but meandering paths in this work that left me wondering exactly what his point was.

If I were to recommend this book, it is useful as a point of contact to move to other authors who have written more deeply on particular aspects of the interface between Christianity and science. Perhaps that was his intent, and indeed he admits this is an introductory work. Unfortunately it comes off seeming sloppy and unsatisfying, especially considering that McGrath is capable of so much more.

In addition, there were woefully numerous spelling errors, and even a page where the font changed! I won't pin this on McGrath, but on the editors. I will say, however, that his writing was at times awkward and imprecise. I would have suggested he give it another read before publication.

In the end, this gets three stars for still being able to teach me something, but certainly not enough for me to consider McGrath to have made a significant contribution to the very significant issues of science and Christian faith.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent introduction to the science/religion debate
Review: Alister Mcgrath has the remarkable gift of taking complex ideas and putting them on the lower shelf for the novice to handle. Like his Studies in Doctrine, McGrath has done the same here in framing the debate between faith and scientific reasoning with accessible prose. This is particularly recommended for those who sense the conflict between science and religion within the popular culture but who know that the God of the Bible is the same as the God of Creation. Thankfully, McGrath presents the issues for the non-specialist with breadth and fairness. As a trained molecular biologist and historical theologian, McGrath is perfectly suited to present this material.

For the Christian, the central issue is the question of whether or not empirical, scientific data can ever justify a move away from a long-held, literal interpretation of the text. Copernicus and Galileo, far from suggesting that humanity was somehow no longer the center of God's attention in the universe, were instead showing that a more figurative or allegorical interpretation was required concerning geocentric biblical texts. Is God really telling us literally that the "sun rises" or is this simply divine accomodation to the limitations of authors in the biblical period who were not familiar with the insights of modern science?

McGrath's historical survey is the best part of the book. He covers every major issue including Newton's mechanistic universe, Descartes' mathematical idealism, Darwin's quest for biological uniformitarianism, and Michael Polyani's postmodern understanding of personal commitment in scientific endeavor. McGrath convincingly shows that philosophy is just as important to science as it is to theology. He also includes a helpful critical section of Lynn White's influential essay concerning Christianity's role in the modern ecological crisis.

McGrath offers a summary of various approaches to finding harmony between science and religion. For example, the complementarity we find between the paradoxical joining of the divine and human natures in Jesus Christ can give us insight into the paradoxical joining of wave theory and particle theory in explaining the characteristics of light.

McGrath finishes his work by examining some particular issues by detailing useful biographical material, from Charles Darwin to Thomas Torrance. Regarding Torrance, it is quite easy to tell that McGrath tends to follow Torrance's "critical realism" as providing the most adequate solution to the tension between science and religion (McGrath fully develops his own ideas in a separate three-volume series, "Nature", "Theory" and "Reality").

The only reason I can not give five stars to this book is because McGrath fails to provide adequate footnotes for the material he quotes. Thankfully, he does provide an excellent biography at the end of every chapter for further study, but it is really frustrating when you want to research a quote and you simply do not know where to look.

As an aside, the only other limitation is the McGrath does not really address any non-Christian religious perspectives. On the other hand, history shows that the science/religion debate has had the most impact on Christianity, so it is not surprising to be so focused on the Christian dilemma.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Alister McGrath has written an excellent book providing background information for anyone seeking to understand the relationship between science and religion. The book is valuable because McGrath provides historical background to the issue as well as discussing some issues topically. He then provides "case studies" as well as brief discussion of particular authors who are important in this field such as Barbour, de Chardin and Panenberg.

I do have some small criticisms. First, McGrath's discussion of Fundamentalism seems somewhat unfair and focuses on the worst parts of the movement. Second, some of the bigrpahical studies are a little too short (probably inevitable in a survey work). Third, McGrath only mentions the work of Stanley Jaki once. I think Jaki deserved a separate section, along with other prominent writers on the subject.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Alister McGrath has written an excellent book providing background information for anyone seeking to understand the relationship between science and religion. The book is valuable because McGrath provides historical background to the issue as well as discussing some issues topically. He then provides "case studies" as well as brief discussion of particular authors who are important in this field such as Barbour, de Chardin and Panenberg.

I do have some small criticisms. First, McGrath's discussion of Fundamentalism seems somewhat unfair and focuses on the worst parts of the movement. Second, some of the bigrpahical studies are a little too short (probably inevitable in a survey work). Third, McGrath only mentions the work of Stanley Jaki once. I think Jaki deserved a separate section, along with other prominent writers on the subject.

Rating:
Summary: Good overview
Review: Most books on science and religion are either anti-religion (wanting to throw out historic Christianity) or anti-science (wanting to throw out the evidence for evolution, the age of the earth and the universe, etc.).

This one is neither, and that's what makes it a good book. McGrath has a virtue that is somewhat uncommon among conservative religious writers, and that is his profound respect for people and opinions with which he disagrees. Thus, he gives a fair presentation of ideas other than his own.

I'm amused that another reviewer thought McGrath was too critical of fundamentalists. Other critics think McGrath *is* a fundamentalist!

But to clear the air a little, McGrath uses the word "fundamentalist" to describe, not merely conservative doctrines, but a particular sociology that involves eagerness to be separate from everyone with whom one disagrees even slightly. McGrath is conservative but not, in that sense, fundamentalist.