Faith of a Physicist (Theology & the Sciences) [Paperback]

J. C. Polkinghorne (Author)

Book Description

Series: Theology & the Sciences | Publication Date: February 1, 1996

"It has become fashionable to write books with titles such as Religion in an Age of Science (Barbour), Theology for a Scientific Age (Peacocke), or Theology in the Age of Scientific Reasoning (Murphy). They signify the recognition that the interaction between science and religious reflection is not limited to those topics (such as cosmic history) concerning which the two disciplines offer complementary insights. It involves also an engagement with habits of thought which are natural in a culture greatly influenced by the success of science. To take this stance is not to submit to slavery to the spirit of the age, but simply to acknowledge that we view things from where we stand, with all the opportunities and limitations inherent in that particular perspective. . . . My concern is to explore to what extent we can use the search for motivated understanding, so congenial to the scientific mind, as a route to being able to make the substance of Christian orthodoxy our own. Of course, there are some revisions called for in the process, but I do not find that a trinitarian and incarnational theology needs to be abandoned in favour of a toned-down theology of a Cosmic Mind and an inspired teacher, alleged to be more accessible to the modern mind. A scientist expects a fundamental theory to be tough, surprising and exciting. "Throughout, my aim will be to seek an understanding based on a careful assessment of phenomena as the guide to reality. Just as I cannot regard science as merely an instrumentally successful manner of speaking which serves to get things done, so I cannot regard theology as merely concerned with a collection of stories which motivate an attitude to life. It must have its anchorage in the way things actually are, and the way they happen. . . . A bottom-up thinker is bound to ask, What makes you think this story is a verisimilitudinous account of Reality? The anchorage of Christianity in history is to be welcomed, despite its hazards. For me, the Bible is neither an inerrant account of propositional truth nor a compendium of timeless symbols, but a historically conditioned account of certain significant encounters and experiences. Read in that way, I believe it can provide the basis for a Christian belief with is certainly revised in the light of our twentieth-century insights but which is recognizably contained within an envelope of understanding in continuity with the developing doctrine of the Church throughout the centuries." - from the introduction

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

As an Anglican priest and a theoretical physicist, John Polkinghorne writes for critical thinkers, specifically those who find it difficult to embrace religious belief but cannot reject it entirely. Polkinghorne considers most theologians to be "top-down thinkers"--that is, they begin with faith and subsequently search for evidence of truth. As a scientist, Polkinghorne considers himself to be a "bottom-up thinker" by beginning with tangible evidence to arrive at definitive conclusions. Polkinghorne asks of every Christian belief, "What is the evidence that makes you think this might be true?" His entire treatise is based on the Nicene Creed, which he feels provides a sensible theological outline for religious belief. Moving through the creed, Polkinghorne discusses the nature of humanity, knowledge of God, the act of creation, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and Trinitarian theology. He looks at each topic in light of contemporary scientific understanding and shows how traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs are as relevant today as they were when the Nicene Creed was written in the fourth century. With its complex terms and theories, this book will most likely not appeal to the average reader, but it is a relevant addition to scientific and theological collections. Patty O'Connell --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers (February 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800629701
• ISBN-13: 978-0800629700
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #521,625 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can I Give This Six Stars?, December 14, 1999

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Pamela B. Garrud "seeker963" (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Faith of a Physicist (Theology & the Sciences) (Paperback)

I agree that the materialist, the atheist and the strict fundamentalist will find much to dispute about this book. The latter being said, Polkinghorne is actually far more orthodox in his theology than many modern academic theologians. For believing Christians who are uncomfortable rejecting either orthodox science or orthodox Christianity, this book provides many fascinating insights. If you need to believe that God does not exist or that he created the world in six 24-hour days, you won't be happy with this book. A final caveat. The reading is challenging. However, Polkinghorne provides a short glossary of scientific and theological terms. This book is more accessible to the general reader than his most recent work "Belief in God in an Age of Science."

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "seas too deep for simple knowledge", January 26, 2004

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Wesley L. Janssen (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Faith of a Physicist (Hardcover)

One may point to Polkinghorne's credentials as a theoretical physicist or an Anglican cleric, but in his writings we find that he is also a philosopher, theologian, and student of the humanities (art, history, comparative religion), although he is quick to label himself an "amateur" in these areas. A thoughtful reading of "The Faith of a Physicist" will be particularly valuable to philosophical materialists whose "skepticism" of Christian theism should itself be exposed to skeptical consideration. As Polkinghorne explains, dismissals of theism are often couched in convenient but ignorantly simplistic characterizations: "Scientists who are hostile to religion tend to make remarks such as 'Unlike science, religion is based on unquestioning certainties' [Wolpert]. They thereby betray their lack of acquaintance with the practice of religion. Periods of doubt and perplexity have a well-documented role in spiritual development . . . Religion has long known that ultimately every human image of God proves to be an inadequate idol."
Considering metaphysic's classic poles of dualism versus monism, the author is inclined to reject each in preference to a "dual-aspect monism." In this he is not particularly controversial, nor in his interpretations of quantum theory in terms of its philosophical implications. Polkinghorne's biblical exegesis will be controversial on certain points (whose isn't?). Although he is sometimes accused of being a process theologian, it seems clear that he is not. His theology is ultimately rather classical, including certain elements of process ("There are aspects of Whitehead's thought from which one can benefit without accepting it in its entirety") and what he calls a "tinge of deism" (recognizing that the cosmos was indeed "wound-up"). If the reader thinks that one must either demand that Christian scripture is inerrant or reject it as being errant, then Polkinghorne will offer him/her no satisfaction. In fact, all readers will be rather challenged.
(Regarding dual-aspect monism and David Bohm's metaphysics arising from his interpretation of quantum theory): "My instinct as a bottom-up thinker is to be wary of such grandiosities of philosophical fancy. Instead, I would want to follow the flight of such straws in a metaphysical wind as our understanding of the physical world provides. My own tentative ideas have been woven round two concepts: complementarity and openness." In other words, something like the particle-wave duality and something like the ordered-disorder of the so-called chaos theory.
(Regarding Stephen Hawking's suggestion that his "no boundaries" model displaces the need of a creator): ". . . theology is concerned with ontological origin and not with temporal beginning. The idea of creation has no special stake in a datable start to the universe. If Hawking is right, and quantum effects mean that the cosmos as we know it is like a kind of fuzzy spacetime egg, without a singular point at which it all began, that is scientifically very interesting, but theologically insignificant. When he poses the question, 'But if the universe is really completely self-contained, having no boundary, or edge, it would have neither beginning nor end: it would simply be. What place, then, for a creator?' it would be theologically naïve to give any answer other than: 'Every place - as the sustainer of the self-contained spacetime egg and as the ordainer of its quantum laws.' God is not a God of the edges, with a vested interest in boundaries."
Polkinghorne uses statements of faith taken from the Nicene Creed as a springboard for his apologetic. He offers a "non-literalist" defense of the doctrine of divine creation that assumes a general correctness to present cosmological and evolutionary theories but also finds them to be unexplained apart from the Divine action of an intelligent will. While questions certainly remain unanswered within the theistic view, the materialistic alternative is seen to provide no ultimate answers at all. He offers a defense of Christianity's doctrine of "eschatological destiny" which sees the "optimistic arrow of time" (Davies term for complexity in spite of entropy) and entropy's "pessimistic arrow of time" (second law of thermodynamics) as vectors converging in a significantly unique event. He offers a defense of New Testament uniqueness and reliability (not inerrancy); and a strong defense of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. He argues that, when all is considered, the claimed resurrection of Christ is more credible than any alternate theories that have been proffered but which fail to explain subsequent events. Polkinghorne offers a defense of the doctrines of the Trinity and of eschatology, and concludes with thoughts of alternative views. If you find the last chapter (Alternatives) to be too brief, Sire's "The Universe Next Door" may be of further interest. In the course of the text here, Polkinghorne argues for a bold and far reaching teleology including, but not restricted to, physical theory, embracing "the natural theology of the arts". He argues also for a boldness in defending the authenticity of the canonical Christian gospel; a boldness not simply based in unquestioning fideism but arising from the best documentation of ancient history and human experience. In sum, it makes for a difficult but fascinating read.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heavy duty science and theology - tough & worthwhile read.ea, August 2, 1999

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D. E. Puckle - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Faith of a Physicist (Theology & the Sciences) (Paperback)

This is tough reading. Polkinghorne melds science and theology, specifically Christian, in a commentary on the Nicene Creed. Or, rather, he uses phrases from the Nicene Creed to illustrate the compatability of science and belief in God/Jesus Christ. The strict Materialist and the strict Fundamentalist will find much to dispute. Polkinghorne contends, however, that from a "bottom-up" approach (Polkinghorne the scientist) one can defend (Polkinghorne the theologian/priest) a reasonable belief in God. He discusses in detail "how" God can and does interact with His creation in terms that (some/most) scientists may be able to accept. It will be necessary to have a dictionary at hand. He does tend to use very technical language (scientific and theological) without definition. A tough read, but very much worth the time and effort. Multiple readings are encouraged by this reviewer.