The Science of God [Paperback]

McGrath (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 21, 2004

This book is a clear, concise guide to Alister McGrath’s groundbreaking three-volume work A Scientific Theology, today’s most talked-about new approach to systematic theology. In those recently published and already acclaimed volumes, McGrath exploits the theological potential of the natural sciences as dialogue partners for Christian thought.

The Science of God offers an ideal starting point for anyone wishing to engage in this new vision for theology. McGrath himself here summarizes his major project and sketches out its implications for many aspects of Christian doctrine. He then explores in an accessible manner all of the major themes of his three-volume work, including the legitimacy of a scientific theology, the purpose and place of natural theology, the foundations of theological realism, the failure of classic foundationalism, the nature of revelation, and the place of metaphysics in theology.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 345 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (June 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802828159
• ISBN-13: 978-0802828156
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,059,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alister E. McGrath is a historian, biochemist, and Christian theologian born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A longtime professor at Oxford University, he now holds the chair in theology, ministry, and education at the University of London. He is the author of several books on theology and history, including Christianity's Dangerous Idea, In the Beginning, and The Twilight of Atheism. He lives in Oxford, England, and lectures regularly in the United States.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a Landmark, but Worth Reading, August 20, 2005

By 

Steve Jackson "stevejackson100atyahoocom" (New England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Science of God (Paperback)

Alister McGrath recently completed his three-volume work A SCIENTIFIC THEOLOGY (ST). The series focuses on the relationship to religion and science, particularly at the methodological level. Now Prof. McGrath has come out with THE SCIENCE OF GOD, a smaller work that summarizes the findings of his larger series.

I've reviewed ST so I won't go into great detail. If you are interested in ST, I would start with THE SCIENCE OF GOD. If you've read the full series, it's also worth reading. ST was long on case studies but short on argument, so reading SG helps you follow the thread of Prof. McGrath's arguments much better.

As I've mentioned in previous reviews, Prof. McGrath is always a pleasure to read, but the quality of his work suffers because he publishes so much. Even in this work, there is too much repetition. Within the space of thirteen pages we are introduced to T. F. Torrance's "landmark work THEOLOGICAL SCIENCE (1969), "1969 landmark work THEOLOGICAL SCIENCE," and "landmark 1969 work THEOLOGICAL SCIENCE."

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Could be better, May 7, 2006

By 

Glen Stancik (NC, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Science of God (Paperback)

McGrath is his inimitable self in this book. He never fails to impress with his intellect, his global knowledge, his ability to explain, and his eloquence. On the other hand, I was surprised at the amount of repetition in the book. From time to time I thought I was having d?j? vue. I enjoyed the read for the most part, but some of the material could have been left out and his arguments would have seemed tighter. He evidently admires Thomas Torrance immensely, since he repeatedly mentioned his name, but I can't recall anything Torrance actually said.
His choice of the scientific method as ancilla theologiae is a good one for several reasons. First of all, as he says, it is the closest thing we have to an objective and culturally inert system of inquiry. Secondly, it goes far to disarm the religio/scientific conflict by making friends of enemies. Not that religion and science are enemies at all, but as Hamlet says, "thinking makes it so." Adopting the methods of the natural sciences also gives him a great advantage when navigating between the currents of modernism and postmodernism. It gives him a "third way."
This introductory version has wetted my appetite for the mother tome(s), but I wonder if his choice for a grid such as the natural sciences may not in the end prove to be as limiting in some ways as it is helpful. I get the feeling that he wants so much for the marriage of natural science and theology to work that the marriage bed may end up being the proverbial procrustean one.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anticipated My Questions, August 23, 2009

By 

G. Kyle Essary (Melaka, Malaysia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Science of God (Paperback)

First, you should know that this book "summarizes" a larger, three-volume Scientific Theology. Whereas that collection is full of research and prospects, it lacks the coherence of thoughts present in this shorter volume. This work (although repetitive at times) shows the flow of McGrath's thought better than the trilogy. As such, I suggest it be read alongside the others.

This is in some respects, yet is not, a book dealing with the tired myth of the science and religion conflict. Someone so educated as McGrath in the two fields would not come to such a shallow conclusion. Whereas it briefly deals with this topic, it offers much more by presenting a scientific approach for thinking through theological issues. It relies heavily on two ideals that offer a wide array of possibilities within theology: Alisdair Macintyre's "tradition-mediated rationalities" and Roy Bhaksar's "critical realism." In our post-Enlightenment world, both give interesting possibilities for the future of theological thought. He takes the prospects of his mentor, T.F. Torrance and builds upon them in light of further philosophical and theological advancements over the past twenty five years.

Personally, it was amusing as to how the book seemed to anticipate my questions. Early on, I kept asking, "Natural theology, yes...but what about Barth's critique?" Of course, he deals with Barth in detail. I thought, "I agree that critical realism is the way to go, but how does one adequately respond to Don Cupitt and the anti-realists?" Of course, he deals quickly and sufficiently with Cupitt showing the underlying assumptions that undercut his entire project substantially. Later it was "but what about the analogia entis?" Of course, he dealt with this. Further on, in regards to the discussion on metaphysics I thought, "What about the Lutheranism that McGrath knows so well? Will he deal with Jungel's metaphysical critiques?" Of course, he concluded the meat of the volume with a discussion of Jungel's critique of metaphysical assumptions.

I enjoyed the conclusion of the book because it didn't merely summarize thoughts, but projected future possibilities for the project. It left the reader thinking through possibilities as well. How would one use this project to think through the development of Trinitarian theologies? How could one use this project to assess the value of different ideals for a more robust orthodoxy? The options seem endless.

In summary, I recommend this volume for those who love the natural sciences, theology and the possible integration between their fields of knowledge. As always, McGrath was a pleasure to read.