Religion and science Books

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Book SynopsisOver the last thirty years, humanity has discovered thousands of planets outside of our solar system. The discovery of extraterrestrial life could be imminent. This book explains how such a discovery might impact Islamic theology. It is the foundational reference on the subject, comprising a variety of different insights from both Sunni and Shi'i positions, from different Muslim contexts, and with chapters that compare and contrast Islamic perspectives with Christianity. Together, they address some of our biggest questions through an Islamic lens: What makes humans unique in the cosmos? What are the ethics of dealing with other sentient beings? And how universal is salvation? Given the accelerating advances in exoplanet research and astrobiology, the book is at the frontier of science and Islamic thought. Contributors include a range of leading experts from Muslim theologians, scholars of comparative religion and philosophers, to historians, social scientists and natural scientists.

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Book SynopsisIn Understanding Religion through Artificial Intelligence, Justin E. Lane looks at the reasons why humans feel they are part of a religious group, despite often being removed from other group members by vast distances or multiple generations. To achieve this, Lane offers a new perspective that integrates religious studies with psychology, anthropology, and data science, as well as with research at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence (AI).After providing a critical analysis of approaches to religion and social cohesion, Lane proposes a new model for religious studies, which he calls the Information Identity System. This model focuses on the idea of conceptual ties: links between an individual's self-concept and the ancient beliefs of their religious group. Lane explores this idea through real-world examples, ranging from the rise in global Pentecostalism, to religious extremism and self-radicalization, to the effect of 9/11 on sermons. Lane uses this lens to show how we can Trade ReviewThroughout the book … Lane provides directions for future research … This book has significant inter-disciplinary implications as it widens the scope of the social sciences … it enriches the study of religion by reframing how the subject is approached scientifically and intrigues non-academic minds on how AI could facilitate our understanding of human religiosity. * Reading Religion *If you study religion, Justin E. Lane’s book will explain how AI is changing what’s possible in that endeavor. If you work in AI and computer simulation, you’ll discover how those tools can be deployed to deepen our understanding of religion. Either way, you’ve been warned: you’ll never look at AI or religion the same way again. * Wesley J Wildman, Professor of Philosophy, Theology, and Ethics, Boston University, USA *Justin E. Lane’s new book is the most comprehensive and clear introduction to the use of artificial intelligence in the computational science of religion currently available. Both lay readers and experts will benefit from his careful explanations of the various methodologies at work in this rapidly growing field, and his vivid descriptions of the ways in which they are informing our understanding of phenomena such as religious extremism and conflict. * F. LeRon Shults, Director, Social Simulation Research Group, University of Agder, Norway *Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. Religions Old and New 3. Bonding and Belief 4. Identity and Extremism 5. Artificial Intelligence and Religions in silico 6. From AI in silico, to AI in situ: Creating AI gurus, Birds eye views of Christianity, and using MAAI to study Social Stability 7. Schisms and Sacred Values 8. The Future of Religion References Index

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Book SynopsisFrom the shadow of the Kantian critique it to the Oxford debates over Darwinism that shook the discipline to the core, and from the death of God to the rise of new Evangelical movements, 19th-century theology was fundamentally reshaped by both internal struggles and external developments.

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Book SynopsisWhether as a historian finding solutions to unresolved problems or as a scientist finding the causes for events and actions, Luther Martin's primary focus has been to get to the roots of the religious impulse in human existence. This collection of essays from scholars of his own generation and from his best students cover the three major strands of his work: the Greco-Roman world, cognitive science approaches to explaining religious phenomena and methodological issues in the academic study of religions. The contributions build on the work of Luther Martin and further the ongoing discussion and debate within these areas of religious studies.Table of Contents1. Ancient and Modern Approaches to the Representation of Supernatural Beings: Dio Chrisostom (Oration 12) and Dan Sperber (Explaining Culture) Compared Roger Beck, University of Toronto 2. Gnosis in European Religious History Ulrich Berner, University of Bayreuth 3. The First Shall be the Last: The Gospel of Mark after the First Century Willi Braun, University of Alberta 4. Comparative Religion Scholars in Debate: Theology vs History in Letters Addressed to Ugo Bianchi Casadio Giovanni, University of Salerno 5. Why did Greek and Romans Pray Aloud? Anthropomorphism, 'Dumb Gods' and Human Cognition Chalupa Ales, Masaryk University 6. Reflections on the Origins of Religious Thought and Behavior Armin W. Geertz, Aarhus University 7. Why is it Better to be a Plant than an Animal? Cognitive Poetics and Ascetic Ideals in the Book of Thomas the Contender (Nhc II, 7) Ingvild Saelid Gilhus, University of Bergen 8. Miracles, Memory and Meaning: A Cognitive Approach to Roman Myths Alison B. Griffith, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 9. 'Whatever Story Sings, the Arena Displays for you': Performance, Narrative and Myth in Graeco-Roman Discourse Gerhard van den Heever, University of South Africa 10. Religion and Violence: A Psychoanalytic Inquiry Marsha Aileen Hewitt, University of Toronto 11. Disciplinary Clans Steven M. Hrotic, Independent Scholar 12. The Social Capital of Religious Communities in the Age of Globalization Hans G. Kippenberg, Max-Weber College 13. Towards a Cognitive Historiography: Frequently Posed Objections Anders Lisdorf, Independent Scholar 14. How Science and Religion are More Like Theology and Commonsense Explanations than they are Like Each Other: A Cognitive Account Robert N. McCauley, Emory University 15. the Transmission of Hsitorical Cognition William W. McCorkle Jr., Tiffin University 16. Religion before 'Religion'? Russell T. McCutcheon, University of Alabama 17. The Discourse of a Myth: Diodorus Siculus and the Egyptian Theologoumena during the Hellenistic Age Panayotis Pachis 18. The History of Religions and Evolutionary Models: Some Reflections on Framing a Mediating Vocabulary William E. Paden, University of Vermont 19. Religion and Modern Culture Ioannis S. Petrou, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki 20. Do Relics Do? Making a Place for 'Presence' in the Comparative Study of Relics Douglas Robinson, Independent Scholar 21. Mithras in the Magical Papyri: Religio-Historical Reflections on Various Magical Texts Ennio Sanzi, Independent Scholar 22. The Use of Egyptian Tradition in Alexandria of the Hellenistic and Roman Periods: Self-display and Identity of Rulers, Ideology and Further Political Propaganda Kyriakos, Savvopoulos, Alexandria Center for Hellenistic Studies 23. Buddhist Hymns and Medieval Plainsong: Some Reflections on the Links between Neuroscience, Music and Religion Kevin Trainor and Anne Clark, Independent Scholars 24. Citations of Biblical Texts in Greek, Jewish and Christian Inscriptions of Late Antiquity: A case of Religious Demarcation Ecaterini, Tsalampouni, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki 25. Memorable Religions: Transmission, Codification and Change in Divergent Melanesian Contexts Harvey Whitehouse, Magdalen College, Oxford 26. Recovering 'Religious Experience' in the Explanation of Religion Donald Wiebe 27. Can the Study of Religion be Scientific? Dimitris Xygalatas, Aarhus University Hospital

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Book SynopsisIn the ongoing debate about evolution, science and faith face off. But the truth is both sides are right and wrong. In one corner: Atheists like Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and Jerry Coyne. They insist evolution happens by blind random accident. Their devout adherence to Neo-Darwinism omits the latest science, glossing over crucial questions and fascinating details. In the other corner: Intelligent Design advocates like William Dembski, Stephen Meyer, and Michael Behe. Many defy scientific consensus, maintaining that evolution is a fraud and rejecting common ancestry outright. There is a third way. Evolution 2.0 proves that, while evolution is not a hoax, neither is it random nor accidental. Changes are targeted, adaptive, and aware. You'll discover: How organisms re-engineer their genetic destiny in real time Amazing systems living things use to re-design themselves Every cell is armed with machinery for editing its own DNA The five amazing tools organisms use to alter their genetics 70 years of scientific discoveries--of which the public has heard virtually nothing! Perry Marshall approached evolution with skepticism for religious reasons. As an engineer, he rejected the concept of organisms randomly evolving. But an epiphany--that DNA is code, much like data in our digital age--sparked a 10-year journey of in-depth research into more than 70 years of under-reported evolutionary science. This led to a new understanding of evolution--an evolution 2.0 that not only furthers technology and medicine, but fuels our sense of wonder at life itself. This book will open your eyes and transform your thinking about evolution and God. You'll gain a deeper appreciation for our place in the universe. You'll see the world around you as you've never seen it before. Evolution 2.0 pinpoints the central mystery of biology, offering a multimillion dollar technology prize at naturalcode.org to the first person who can solve it.Trade Review"Marshall writes in a practical style so that all of his readers can come to understand evolution and can make a thoughtful conclusion on a controversial topic. Recommended for ... students of biology, history of science, and religious studies, as well as researchers and scholars." --Library Journal "Standing on the knife-edge between traditional evolutionary theory and Intelligent Design, this book will inflame both dogmatic Darwinists and Creationists. It's irritating to both because it's friendly to the idea of evolution itself, and because it judges Darwinism too close-minded and reductive... While most scientists submit to self-censorship and dare not question cherished assumptions, the boldest scientists like Albert Einstein, Francis Crick and Stephen Hawking never feared such taboos. Whether agnostics, atheists or believers, they never shrank back from big questions or unconventional solutions. Evolution and design are not either-or, but both-and." --Jean-Claude Perez, author, Codex Biogenesis and retired IBM Biomathematics and Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Researcher "Marshall is making an invaluable contribution toward more open and honest discussion on the subject of evolution versus creation. The book is well written, often witty, and is extremely thought provoking... It is amazing that this 'non-biologist' has analyzed life phenomena at the cellular and molecular levels to such depth and width by applying information gained by cutting-edge methods in the life sciences!" --Dr. Kwang Jeon, Editor, International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology, and Professor Emeritus, Department of Biochemistry, University of Tennessee "Any person of faith who cares about how creation reveals God--and how evolution is actually a devastating arsenal of evidence against atheism--should add Evolution 2.0 to the extreme tippy-top of their reading list. Evolution 2.0 is equally shocking to both atheists and Christians, a genuine eye-opener in a category of its own." --D. Bnonn Tenant, ThinkingMatters.org.nz "A very readable book and a devastating attack on the neo-Darwinist orthodoxy that evolution is nothing but natural selection acting on random variation." --Peter Saunders, co-director, Institute of Science in Society, and Emeritus professor of Applied Mathematics, King's College, London "With considerable wit and amazing insight, Marshall delivers a compelling and forceful synthesis that sets a new standard for discussions about the relationship between science and faith. The result is no less than astonishing." --Mark McMenamin, Professor of Geology, Mount Holyoke College "The book is wonderfully thought-provoking, as Perry brings a fresh perspective to the increasingly arid (and acrimonious) debate between Intelligent Design and methodological naturalism." --Crofton Brierley, MS Biochemistry, Oxford University, former department head, Marconi Optical "A remarkable and useful resume of the state-of-the-art of this great problem of science." --Stuart Pivar, author, Lifecode and On The Origin of Form, and cofounder, New York Academy of Art "I am committed to Young Earth Creationism, and thus cannot agree with some of Perry's conclusions. However, I highly recommend this book to any skeptic who is committed to a purely materialistic paradigm. The science presented here - from the latest research to the most engaging minds on this subject--make this the one book you should read." --Ray Glinski, MS in Biochemistry, Pastor at Grace Church of DuPage "Evolution 2.0 is a modern philosophical marvel unlike anything I have read in my years of study. It allowed me to put down my guard. The author was not compelling me to believe in an ideology, but rather taking me alongside his journey of self-discovery. I came into this book hesitant. As a staunch creationist I found myself trying to fight with Marshall early on, but his arguments and presentation were flawless and compelling. It was refreshing to see someone examine both sides honestly." --Marie Sarantakis, Comparative Religion Scholar, Carthage College "Armed with computer science and electrical engineering, Perry fights an uphill battle to unite the space between those who believe evolution is random and those who believe species are designed by God, who in some cases deny evolution itself... Judge this book by the science within its pages--and enjoy the story." --Andras Pellionisz, Biophysicist, Founder of Fractogene; PhD, Computer Technology, PhD, Biology, PhD, Physics "Sometimes the only way a puzzle gets solved is when someone looks at it with fresh eyes. Perry Marshall is an engineer who started to investigate biology. His book could signal a paradigm shift in the battle between Darwinian evolution and creation/ID. Maybe the war is over. Respond, criticize and debate it ... just don't dismiss it." --Justin Brierley, host, Unbelievable? radio program and podcast "Evolution 2.0 is clearly the best book I have read on the topic. It helped me far better understand the fallacy of random mutations and how they are really introduced. This is something I was never taught in genetics in undergrad or medical school." --Joseph Mercola, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of The No-Grain Diet and Effortless Healing

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Book SynopsisDavid P. Barash is professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Washington and has received numerous grants and awards. A Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed technical articles, published op-eds in The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times, contributed to The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Harvard Business Review, The History News Network, Psychology Today, among other publications, and has written, co-authored, and edited more than forty books. He lives in Goleta, California with his wife, four cats, three dogs and a horse.

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Book SynopsisThis book contains new critical editions of the Latin texts of Robert Grosseteste's 13th century treatise on free will, De libero arbitrio, with complete English translations. Included is a substantial study of the texts, their place in Grosseteste's body of works, doctrinal content, employment by later thinkers, and manuscript sources.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Sigla and Abbreviations Introduction De libero arbitrio, earlier recension De libero arbitrio, later recension Appendix: Richard Rufus of Cornwall on the Problem of a Plurality of Eternal Beings Index Sacrae Scripturae Index Auctorum Operumque Antiquorum Index of Modern Works and Authors Index Doctrinalis Index to the Introduction

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Book SynopsisThis is the first great commentary in the Western European tradition of expounding Aristotle's Metaphysics. Rufus addresses questions such as 'what is truth?' `what is matter?', 'what are numbers?', `how do corruptible and incorruptible substances differ?', and `how do sensible objects act on the soul?'.Table of ContentsAbbreviations Introduction Scriptum in Metaphysicam Aristotelis Proem Liber I Liber II Liber III Liber IV Liber V Liber VI Indices

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Book SynopsisExplores the overlap and shift between theistic and naturalistic science through a parallel study of two major scientific figures: James Clerk Maxwell, a devout Christian physicist, and Thomas Henry Huxley, the iconoclast biologist who coined the word agnostic.Trade Review"An innovative perspective on late nineteenth-century British science. Stanley provides a nuanced, sensitive, and firmly grounded understanding of both Huxley and Maxwell, and one that not only undermines the conflict thesis but also provides the reader with a deeper understanding of the interrelations between science and religion. An impressive achievement!" (Geoffrey Cantor, University of Leeds)"

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Book SynopsisWhen Pope Francis recently answered Who am I to judge? when asked about homosexuality, he ushered in a new era for the Catholic church. A decade ago, it would have been unthinkable for a pope to express tolerance for homosexuality. Yet shifts of this kind are actually common in the history of Christian groups. Within the United States, Christian leaders have regularly revised their teachings to match the beliefs and opinions gaining support among their members and larger society. Mark A. Smith provocatively argues that religion is not nearly the unchanging conservative influence in American politics that we have come to think it is. In fact, in the long run, religion is best understood as responding to changing political and cultural values rather than shaping them. Smith makes his case by charting five contentious issues in America's history: slavery, divorce, homosexuality, abortion, and women's rights. For each, he shows how the political views of even the most conservative Christians evolved in the same direction as the rest of society-perhaps not as swiftly, but always on the same arc. During periods of cultural transition, Christian leaders do resist prevailing values and behaviors, but those same leaders inevitably acquiesce-often by reinterpreting the Bible-if their positions become no longer tenable. Secular ideas and influences thereby shape the ways Christians read and interpret their scriptures. So powerful are the cultural and societal norms surrounding us that Christians in America today hold more in common morally and politically with their atheist neighbors than with the Christians of earlier centuries. In fact, the strongest predictors of people's moral beliefs are not their religious commitments or lack thereof but rather when and where they were born. A thoroughly researched and ultimately hopeful book on the prospects for political harmony, Secular Faith demonstrates how, over the long run, boundaries of secular and religious cultures converge.

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Book SynopsisDuring the Victorian period, the practice of science shifted from a religious context to a naturalistic one. It is generally assumed that this shift occurred because naturalistic science was distinct from and superior to theistic science. Yet as Huxley's Church and Maxwell's Demon reveals, most of the methodological values underlying scientific practice were virtually identical for the theists and the naturalists: each agreed on the importance of the uniformity of natural laws, the use of hypothesis and theory, the moral value of science, and intellectual freedom. But if scientific naturalism did not rise to dominance because of its methodological superiority, then how did it triumph? Matthew Stanley explores the overlap and shift between theistic and naturalistic science through a parallel study of two major scientific figures: James Clerk Maxwell, a devout Christian physicist, and Thomas Henry Huxley, the iconoclast biologist who coined the word agnostic. Both were deeply engaged in the methodological, institutional, and political issues that were crucial to the theistic-naturalistic transformation. What Stanley's analysis of these figures reveals is that the scientific naturalists executed a number of strategies over a generation to gain control of the institutions of scientific education and to reimagine the history of their discipline. Rather than a sudden revolution, the similarity between theistic and naturalistic science allowed for a relatively smooth transition in practice from the old guard to the new.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"God, Science, and Self advances contemporary work in Islamic thought and religious studies by introducing a hermeneutics of modernity that has the potential to reshape analyses of modern thought and its relation to religious reflection." Randi Rashkover, College of William & Mary and author of Nature and Norm: Judaism, Christianity, and the Theopolitical Problem"God, Science, and Self broadens the study of Iqbal in particular, and modern Islamic thought in general, demonstrating a modern, anti-colonial project that deserves to be revisited in the current context." Abdulkader Tayob, University of Cape Town“A powerful and philosophically robust exploration of Muhammad Iqbal’s masterpiece Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam.” Journal of World Philosophies

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"God, Science, and Self advances contemporary work in Islamic thought and religious studies by introducing a hermeneutics of modernity that has the potential to reshape analyses of modern thought and its relation to religious reflection." Randi Rashkover, College of William & Mary and author of Nature and Norm: Judaism, Christianity, and the Theopolitical Problem"God, Science, and Self broadens the study of Iqbal in particular, and modern Islamic thought in general, demonstrating a modern, anti-colonial project that deserves to be revisited in the current context." Abdulkader Tayob, University of Cape Town“A powerful and philosophically robust exploration of Muhammad Iqbal’s masterpiece Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam.” Journal of World Philosophies

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA pleasure to read. Buddhadharma Stimulating. Nature An excellent presentation of what can happen when intelligent, open minds sit down together with the goal of mutual understanding and betterment. -- Sameet Kumar PsyCritiquesTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. How Real Are the Elementary Particles? 2. The Emergence of Complexity; and an Interview with Matthieu Ricard 3. Toward the Complexity of Life 4. How Life Unfolds; and an Interview with Richard Gere 5. The Magic of the Human Genome and Its Ethical Problems; and an Interview with His Holiness the Karmapa 6. From Consciousness to Ethics 7. Last Words About the Mind and Life Institute Notes Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA pleasure to read. Buddhadharma Stimulating. Nature An excellent presentation of what can happen when intelligent, open minds sit down together with the goal of mutual understanding and betterment. -- Sameet Kumar PsyCritiquesTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. How Real Are the Elementary Particles? 2. The Emergence of Complexity; and an Interview with Matthieu Ricard 3. Toward the Complexity of Life 4. How Life Unfolds; and an Interview with Richard Gere 5. The Magic of the Human Genome and Its Ethical Problems; and an Interview with His Holiness the Karmapa 6. From Consciousness to Ethics 7. Last Words About the Mind and Life Institute Notes Index

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Book SynopsisNoted ecotheologian and feminist philosopher of religion Catherine Keller reads the feedback loop of political and ecological depredation as secularized apocalypse. She calls for dissolving the opposition between the religious and the secular in favor of a broad planetary movement for social and ecological justice.Trade ReviewHow is a political theology of the earth distinctive? It resists the hegemony of those theologies (and post-theologies) organized around divine omnipotence, absolute sovereignty, and human dominion over the earth. Doing so, it can now mine rich veins in traditions that explore liveliness beyond the human and human entanglements with a multifaceted, morphing earth. In this inspiring book Keller calls upon eco-activists to explore the spiritual affinities between us, as we foment energies needed to respond to the Anthropocene. An indispensable book for today! -- William E. Connolly, author of Facing the Planetary: Entangled Humanism and the Politics of SwarmingIn this brilliant, wonderfully evocative, and beautifully written book, one of the very best theologians in the world today engages seculareligious currents in political theology to remarkable effect. Her theology of divine entanglement counters a political theology of the exception in a thoroughgoing way: anthropic exceptionalism, for example, comes completely undone. Its apophatic dimensions, meanwhile, steer clear of the certainties of optimism or despair to offer a hope without guarantees in the face of climate crisis. No one can question the way social justice and ecological sustainability are inextricably linked after reading Keller’s political theology of the earth. -- Kathryn Tanner, author of Christianity and the New Spirit of CapitalismThe political, the earth, their theology, encapsulated in a meditation mindful of the unmined mind-bending darkness of the deep, a calming call to think, an urgent call to act in the face of the darkness of planetary peril, all in a lyrical, profoundly theological—make that theopoetic—voice. What else is that than a new book by Catherine Keller? What more could we ask for? -- John D. Caputo, coauthor of After the Death of GodInto this contracted spacetime of racist convulsion, ecological disaster, and nuclear machismo, Keller drops a political theology that both introduces and breaks open the field. Framed as a transdisciplinary triptych, Political Theology of the Earth summons an enraged, counter-creative swarm to counter the politics of exception with multifarious practices of inception. -- Mary-Jane Rubenstein, author of Pantheologies: Gods, Worlds, MonstersWith marvelous economy and scholarly brilliance, Catherine Keller offers here the beauty and complexity of her practical wisdom. It is no easy thing to guide others into uncertainty and unsaying as modes of theological and political understanding, let alone an activism that takes seriously the truly vulnerable in and of the earth. This book is an indispensable introduction to political theology, one in which our understanding of divinity can be neither reduced to human politicking nor exempted from the urgent crises of our time. -- Laurel C. Schneider, author of Beyond Monotheism: A Theology of MultiplicityIn Political Theology of the Earth, Catherine Keller, one of the most brilliant and creative theologians alive, opposes the more traditional notion of political theology as dealing with the sovereign exception with her alternative political theology of a messianic ecosocial inception. In doing so, she takes the next step of integrating the important discourses of political theology with the critical ecological situation of the planet. More profoundly, she does this as a theologian, even though most scholars who write about political theology tend to be non-theologians. This is one of the most important works I have read. -- Clayton Crockett, author of Radical Political TheologyPerhaps only Catherine Keller could publish a work of political, theology, process theology, and eco-theology that is also highly readable. Keller is our era’s poet theologian, modeling a way to push through academic jargon and out the other side with prose that pops. For this reason alone, it’s worth picking up this book. . . . Keller makes one of the most compelling cases yet for a progressive theology that doesn’t recede with the overtaking of secularity but is more precisely revealed in the undertaking of it. -- Clint Schnekloth * The Christian Century *Keller's political theology of the Earth is breathtaking in the scope of the resources it draws upon and the depths of its analysis...Just read it, and when you fail, enfold yourself into the cosmic process and read it again. That's certainly what I'm going to do. -- Marian Ronan * National Catholic Reporter *[A] galvanizing new book... -- Marion Ronan, New York Theological Seminary * National Catholic Reporter *Keller argues that there is a way of thinking with the resources of Christianity that allows one to hope. * Reading Religion *Recommended. * Choice *[Political Theology of the Earth] calls upon eco-activists to explore the spiritual affinities between us in order to respond to the emergencies of the Anthropocene. This is surely an evocative and thought-provoking book particularly in the current times when the globe faces threats and ideological warfare of various kinds be it terrorism, racism, casteism and gender violence or popular resistance against tyrannical governments among such others. * Aigne Journal *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsBeginning1. Political: Sovereign Exception or Collective Inception2. Earth: Climate of Closure, Matter of Disclosure3. Theology: “Unknow Better Now”Apophatic AfterwordNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a new direction for scholarship on science and religion that centers social, political, and ecological concerns. Featuring a diverse array of contributors, it draws on three vital schools of thought: critical race theory, feminist and queer theory, and postcolonial theory.Trade ReviewCritical Approaches to Science and Religion is a marvelous advance of interdisciplinary scholarship that charts foundational themes for interpreting the cultural dimensions of science and religion. The authors elucidate epistemological tensions and methodological resonances to inform future scholarship. This is essential reading for scholars across multiple disciplines. -- Sylvester A. Johnson, coeditor of Religion and US Empire: Critical New HistoriesI will return repeatedly to this volume to think with these diverse authors. Their disciplinary languages are not mine although they attentively converse with my discipline of Critical Indigenous Studies, among others. I am eager for vital conversations that I and others will have with these ideas that feed my radical hope for the implosion of the white and settler supremacist worldview. In order to live better with one another in this world, we need this conversation. -- Kim TallBear, author of Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic ScienceWith its inclusion of vital perspectives from critical race theory, feminist and queer theory, and postcolonial and Indigenous studies, this volume transforms the conversation about religion and science by making issues of difference central to these discussions. These essays are invaluable. -- Randall Styers, author of Making Magic: Religion, Magic, and Science in the Modern WorldA joyful intellectual exercise. I highly recommend this book. You likely won’t agree with all of it—perhaps even none of it. But you will nevertheless be changed by the experience of reading it. * Reviews in Science, Religion, and Theology *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction, by Myrna Perez Sheldon, Terence Keel, and Ahmed RagabPart I. ValuesIntroduction, by Terence Keel, Ahmed Ragab, and Myrna Perez Sheldon1. Scripture of False Smiles: Scholarship and Lying with Erving Goffman, by Kathryn Lofton2. Nihilism, Race, and the Critical Study of Science and Religion, by Terence Keel3. A Feminist Theology of Abortion, by Myrna Perez Sheldon4. Can Originalism Save Bioethics?, by Osagie K. ObasogiePart II. BoundariesIntroduction, by Myrna Perez Sheldon, Terence Keel, and Ahmed Ragab5. Spiriting the Johnstons: Producing Science and Religion Under Settler Colonial Rule, by Tisa Wenger6. Dark Gods in the Age of Light: The Lightbulb, the Japanese Deification of Thomas Edison, and the Entangled Constructions of Religion and Science, by Jason Ānanda Josephson Storm7. Questioning the Sacred Cow: Science, Religion, and Race in the United States and India, by Cassie Adcock8. “And God Knows Best”: Knowledge, Expertise, and Trust in the Postcolonial Web-Sphere, by Ahmed RagabPart III. NarrativesIntroduction, by Ahmed Ragab, Terence Keel, and Myrna Perez Sheldon9. Secular Grace in the Age of Environmentalism, by Erika Lorraine Milam10. Performing Polygenism: Science, Religion, and Race in the Enlightenment, by Suman Seth11. Out of Africa: Where Faith, Race, and Science Collide, by Joseph Graves Jr.Part IV. CoherenceIntroduction, by Ahmed Ragab, Terence Keel, and Myrna Perez Sheldon12. Kānaka Maoli Voyaging Technology and Geography Beyond Colonial Difference, by Eli Nelson13. Speculation Is Not a Metaphor: More than Varieties of Cryobiological Experience, by Joanna Radin14. Maroon Science: Knowledge, Secrecy, and Crime in Jamaica, by Katharine Gerbner15. Obeah Simplified? Scientism, Magic, and the Problem of Universals, by J. Brent CrossonConclusion, by Myrna Perez Sheldon, Terence Keel, and Ahmed RagabIndex

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a new direction for scholarship on science and religion that centers social, political, and ecological concerns. Featuring a diverse array of contributors, it draws on three vital schools of thought: critical race theory, feminist and queer theory, and postcolonial theory.Trade ReviewCritical Approaches to Science and Religion is a marvelous advance of interdisciplinary scholarship that charts foundational themes for interpreting the cultural dimensions of science and religion. The authors elucidate epistemological tensions and methodological resonances to inform future scholarship. This is essential reading for scholars across multiple disciplines. -- Sylvester A. Johnson, coeditor of Religion and US Empire: Critical New HistoriesI will return repeatedly to this volume to think with these diverse authors. Their disciplinary languages are not mine although they attentively converse with my discipline of Critical Indigenous Studies, among others. I am eager for vital conversations that I and others will have with these ideas that feed my radical hope for the implosion of the white and settler supremacist worldview. In order to live better with one another in this world, we need this conversation. -- Kim TallBear, author of Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic ScienceWith its inclusion of vital perspectives from critical race theory, feminist and queer theory, and postcolonial and Indigenous studies, this volume transforms the conversation about religion and science by making issues of difference central to these discussions. These essays are invaluable. -- Randall Styers, author of Making Magic: Religion, Magic, and Science in the Modern WorldA joyful intellectual exercise. I highly recommend this book. You likely won’t agree with all of it—perhaps even none of it. But you will nevertheless be changed by the experience of reading it. * Reviews in Science, Religion, and Theology *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction, by Myrna Perez Sheldon, Terence Keel, and Ahmed RagabPart I. ValuesIntroduction, by Terence Keel, Ahmed Ragab, and Myrna Perez Sheldon1. Scripture of False Smiles: Scholarship and Lying with Erving Goffman, by Kathryn Lofton2. Nihilism, Race, and the Critical Study of Science and Religion, by Terence Keel3. A Feminist Theology of Abortion, by Myrna Perez Sheldon4. Can Originalism Save Bioethics?, by Osagie K. ObasogiePart II. BoundariesIntroduction, by Myrna Perez Sheldon, Terence Keel, and Ahmed Ragab5. Spiriting the Johnstons: Producing Science and Religion Under Settler Colonial Rule, by Tisa Wenger6. Dark Gods in the Age of Light: The Lightbulb, the Japanese Deification of Thomas Edison, and the Entangled Constructions of Religion and Science, by Jason Ānanda Josephson Storm7. Questioning the Sacred Cow: Science, Religion, and Race in the United States and India, by Cassie Adcock8. “And God Knows Best”: Knowledge, Expertise, and Trust in the Postcolonial Web-Sphere, by Ahmed RagabPart III. NarrativesIntroduction, by Ahmed Ragab, Terence Keel, and Myrna Perez Sheldon9. Secular Grace in the Age of Environmentalism, by Erika Lorraine Milam10. Performing Polygenism: Science, Religion, and Race in the Enlightenment, by Suman Seth11. Out of Africa: Where Faith, Race, and Science Collide, by Joseph Graves Jr.Part IV. CoherenceIntroduction, by Ahmed Ragab, Terence Keel, and Myrna Perez Sheldon12. Kānaka Maoli Voyaging Technology and Geography Beyond Colonial Difference, by Eli Nelson13. Speculation Is Not a Metaphor: More than Varieties of Cryobiological Experience, by Joanna Radin14. Maroon Science: Knowledge, Secrecy, and Crime in Jamaica, by Katharine Gerbner15. Obeah Simplified? Scientism, Magic, and the Problem of Universals, by J. Brent CrossonConclusion, by Myrna Perez Sheldon, Terence Keel, and Ahmed RagabIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A wonderfully well-conceived and integrated collection that advances almost single handedly the discussion of religion and extinction. These rigorous essays by leading scholars are painful but vital reading as they direct our attention again and again to specific species, including our own. Certain to be of interest across the environmental humanities, this volume in its methodological variety and thematic diversity will shape the field."—Peter Manley Scott, University of Manchester"The solutions to the problems of climate change, loss of places, and mass extinction cannot be found in better science and greener technology alone. As the essays in this volume so clearly argue, we must also address our basic desires, dreams, hopes, and despairs, in order to stay connected to the earth and fellow earthlings, and in order to work toward healing our planetary ills."—Whitney Bauman, Florida International University

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Book SynopsisHuman-caused extinctions have never been so prominent in our political and cultural landscape. Extinction and Religion is a collection of wide-ranging chapters that explore the implications for religious faith and experience as it relates to a sixth mass extinction in Earth's history. Further it seeks to answer the question as to how religious and spiritual practices are shaping responses to the crisis?Edited by Jeremy H. Kidwell and Stefan Skrimshire, this collection aims to set a new postsecular agenda, articulating the questions, challenges, and ways forward for thinking about religion in an age of mass extinction rather than provide responses from world religions in isolation. It covers subjects such as the multitude of challenges posed by mass extinction to beliefs about the future of humanity, death and the afterlife, the integrity of creation, and the relationship between human and nonhuman life. Wide ranging and incisive, Extinction and Religion amply demonstrates the many waTrade Review"A wonderfully well-conceived and integrated collection that advances almost single handedly the discussion of religion and extinction. These rigorous essays by leading scholars are painful but vital reading as they direct our attention again and again to specific species, including our own. Certain to be of interest across the environmental humanities, this volume in its methodological variety and thematic diversity will shape the field."—Peter Manley Scott, University of Manchester"The solutions to the problems of climate change, loss of places, and mass extinction cannot be found in better science and greener technology alone. As the essays in this volume so clearly argue, we must also address our basic desires, dreams, hopes, and despairs, in order to stay connected to the earth and fellow earthlings, and in order to work toward healing our planetary ills."—Whitney Bauman, Florida International University

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Book SynopsisModern Physics and Ancient Faith argues that modern physics is more compatible with the central teachings of Christianity and Judaism than with the atheistic viewpoint of scientific materialism.Trade Review“Written from the viewpoint of an accomplished physicist, this book is an invaluable contribution to the growing interest in the relationship between science and religion. The arguments are rigorously logical and the documentation is excellent.”"Physicist Barr deploys his scientific expertise to challenge the dogmas of materialism and to assert his belief that nothing explains the order of the galaxies better than divine design."—Booklist"Stephen M. Barr's book energizes the reader, since its philosophical positions are well argued, its writing is clear and accessible, and its religious affirmations are provocative for believers and nonbelievers alike...His responses to the cruder materialist arguments are deftly executed and highly convincing, drawing upon history, clarifying often misunderstood theological concepts and discussing the relationship of faith and reason in traditional Catholicism and Protestantism."—Christian Century"Stephen Barr does heroic service with his book Modern Physics and Ancient Faith as a revolutionary insurgent within the intellectual hegemony of modern scientific materialism...Barr's strong and well-written arguments...open up the debate for more fundamental critiques that must necessarily come from outside the paradigm."—Crisis Magazine"Barr's background in theology, apparent in his discussions of Thomas Aquinas, serves him well as he shows that the argument is not between religion and science per se but between religion and scientific materialism, the philosophy that sees as real only what can be measured and observed. Writing in a popular style, Barr makes both modern physics and theology understandable to the lay reader."—Library Journal

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Book SynopsisGalileo''s trial in 1633 before the Roman Inquisition is one of the most frequently mentioned topics in the history of science. Galileo''s encounter with the Catholic Church was not only a major turning point in the history of western culture; it is the paradigm case of the clash between the institutional authority of religion and the authority of scientific reason, a clash that has helped to define the modern era. Blackwell''s new contribution to the Galileo affair concerns the official theological position against Galileo. The centerpiece of his project is the treatise entitled Tractatus syllepticus, written by Melchior Inchofer, S.J., whose judgment of the orthodoxy of Galileo''s Dialogue had been requested earlier by the Holy Office and was then incorporated into the proceedings of the trial. At the time, Inchofer''s judgment against Galileo''s book was both detailed and harsh. That judgment formed the basis for Inchofer''s subsequent Tractatus, the fTrade Review“Though the conduct of Galileo's trial was probably less sinister than Blackwell has suggested, with these two defenses of the Church's condemnation of Copernicanism we have a new, intriguing glimpse behind the scenes.” —The Renaissance Quarterly"Blackwell exposes details of the infamous trial that are not universally known: Galileo's explanation in the first session that he did not know there was a warning against writing the book that brought him to the Inquisition, his premature admission of guilt in the second session, and the misreporting of court proceedings to the cardinal in terms that would resonate with them. . . . Recommended." —Choice“Richard Blackwell’s latest foray into scholarship on the Galileo affair contains detective history, careful scholarship, theological ruminations, and excellent translation work. The most tantalizing piece is chapter 1, titled ‘The Legal Case at Galileo’s Trial: Impasse and Perfidy,’ which pushes a thesis that involves plea bargains, mysterious saboteur(s), and a miscarriage of justice.” —The Sixteenth Century Journal“If the evidence does not support a plot in Galileo’s sense, Blackwell’s account provides a scenario for a spellbinding novel. The story leaves enough latitude for the reader to draw his own conclusions. Although scholars both acquit and condemn the Church, the underlying issue remains: what constitutes a demonstration?” — The Review of Metaphysics“There are many reasons why this 'Galileo affair' is uniquely important in modern history. One is that it is instructive for understanding the interaction between science and religion. Blackwell adds some nuances to the conflictualist thesis. . . . The main theme of Blackwell's book is that of exploring 'behind the scenes at Galileo's trial.'. . . This trial is one of the best-documented episodes emblematic of modernity . . . this book makes a valuable contribution and provides a model for this type of inquiry.” —Journal of Modern History“It was faith against reason, entrenched religious orthodoxy against radically new scientific fact. Richard J. Blackwell (St. Louis, emeritus) is an expert on philosophy but here he diligently presents the complex religious and scientific details of the matter within the historical context of Galileo’s time.” — Bibliotheque d’Humanisme et Renaissance

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Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1988, Jon Roberts's book provided the first comprehensive analytical overview of public dialogue among nineteenth-century American Protestant intellectuals who struggled with the theory of organic evolution. Before the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species in 1859, most American Protestant intellectuals valued science, especially natural history, for supplying data that appeared to be invaluable for defending many major tenets of the Christian worldview. Arguments over the scientific merits of Darwin's theory gave way to discussions of its theological implications. Roberts's book reconstructs the course of that conversation from 1875 to 1900.Trade Review"Jon H. Roberts has scrutinized the response of Protestant apologists to this major challenge to their faith in such painstaking and exhaustive detail that his effort will surely stand as the book of record." —The Journal of American History"While many contemporary historians have become captivated with sociocultural interpretations of the past, Roberts demonstrates the continuing viability of intellectual history. . . . this book offers one of the fairest historical expositions of the anti-Darwinists to be found in scholarly literature." —The Christian Century"Awarded the Brewer prize of the American Society of Church History, this book provides the most detailed account to date of the reaction of American theologians to Darwinism. . . . this study is richly suggestive and a gold mine of information. Roberts deserves praise for a first book of such depth and complexity." —The American Historical Review"Professor Roberts’ thesis is neat, closely argued and convincing, and his scholarship is prodigious." —Journal of American Studies"Essential reading for an understanding of the battle lines drawn between Protestant evolutionists and their opponents in the late twentieth as well as the late nineteenth century." —Journal of the American Academy of Religion". . . . a rich resource for students of American history and culture. . . . an impressive scholarly accomplishment upon which much subsequent research shall be built." —The Journal of Religion"For those with an interest in the creation-evolution controversies, Darwin and the Divine in America is an important and helpful book." —Theology Today"This thoroughly researched book establishes a new standard for discussing connections between evolutionary theory and Protestant thought in nineteenth-century America." —Isis“...Roberts’ award-winning Darwinism and the Divine in America remains a well documented and valuable source for understanding the intellectual and religious concerns raised by Darwin’s transmutation theory in the late nineteenth-century US.” —Religious Studies Review

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Book SynopsisThese research papers explore the creative interaction between evolutionary and molecular biology, philosophy and theology. They aim to support the engagement of constructive theology with the natural sciences and explore philosophical and theological elements in ongoing scientific research.Trade Review“The essays in this volume represent the real cutting edge in discussions between Christianity and biology. They provide a careful, sober assessment of biological story in all its complexity. One can only hope that churchpeople will enter into the debate with the care and reasonableness these authors have shown.” —The Christian Century

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Book SynopsisThe Galileo Affair has been the locus of various and opposing appraisals for centuries: some view it as an historical event emblematic of the obscurantism of the Catholic Church, opposed a priori to the progress of science; others consider it a tragic reciprocal misunderstanding between Galileo, an arrogant and troublesome defender of the Copernican theory, and his theologian adversaries, who were prisoners of a narrow interpretation of scripture. In The Case of Galileo: A Closed Question? Annibale Fantoli presents a wide range of scientific, philosophical, and theological factors that played an important role in Galileo's trial, all set within the historical progression of Galileo's writing and personal interactions with his contemporaries. Fantoli traces the growth in Galileo Galilei's thought and actions as he embraced the new worldview presented in On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, the epoch-making work of the great Polish astronomer Nicolaus CoperTrade Review“This book is an excellent account of the trial and condemnation of Galileo by the Inquisition in 1633. It is a simplified and streamlined version adapted from the erudite book on the topic for which Fantoli is well known and highly respected among scholars. But like the erudite book, this one is well balanced with respect to the contrasts of science vs. religion, Galileo vs. the Catholic Church, history vs. philosophy, and factual detail vs. contemporary relevance.” —Maurice A. Finocchiaro, University of Nevada Las Vegas"Annibale Fantoli has justly earned an international reputation as the outstanding expert on the condemnation of Galileo by the Catholic Church for heresy in 1633, after the publication of his work promoting the concept of terrestrial motions. Among the significant factors Fantoli has explored are differences on philosophical, religious, and political issues among factions within the Church. Yet, for centuries the Catholic Church maintained that contradiction of the validity of certain passages in Scripture was unacceptable, if not heretical. However, as Fantoli notes in The Case of Galileo, the Church slowly began to modify its official stance in the centuries after Galileo. The most significant on the issue of the condemnation of Galileo occurred with a speech by Pope John Paul II several decades ago, in which he celebrated Galileo's achievements and acknowledged the need to further study the errors made by the Church. As Fantoli rightly states, that has not yet been done, and issues on relationships between faith and science may continue to remain significant. This book is an important contribution to discussion of those issues." —Wilbur Applebaum, Illinois Institute of Technology“For readers with a desire to uncover more than the familiar, but inaccurate, narrative of the Galileo case as one of science versus faith, Fantoli thoroughly examines the exact issues Galileo, his allies, and his critics confronted.” —U.S. Catholic“George Coyne has beautifully rendered into English Annibale Fantoli’s original Italian text.” —Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Quarterly“Using original documents, Annibale Fantoli masterfully reconstructs the events in Italy and Catholic Europe at the beginning of the seventeenth century that led to the confrontation between the church and Galileo, a devout Catholic. . . . His book gives a highly-nuanced reading of the cultural and academic environment of the time, including the interwoven issue of the relationship between theology and the newly emerging modern concept of science as a separate academic discipline.” —New Catholic Books and Media“Fantoli provides a simplified version of his scholarly Galileo: For Copernicanism and for the Church . . . for the general reader. . . . Fantoli’s analysis of the ‘burdensome inheritance of the Galileo affair’ is more extensive than his earlier work and pertinent to the continuing struggle between science and religion. The excellence of the prose is a product of the author’s ideas and the translator’s skill.” —Choice“Fantoli, already well-published on Galileo (1564-1642), traces both the complexities of Galileo’s dealings with and condemnation by the Catholic Church of his day, and the successes and failures of more recent papal efforts to finally move beyond what for most people today remains a notorious case of religion attempting to stifle scientific progress. . . . Though books on the Galileo case are extraordinarily abundant, this volume merits attention both by historians and by anyone concerned with how papal bureaucracy may be functional and/or dysfunctional.” —Theological Studies “Annibale Fantoli is the distinguished author of Galileo: For Copernicanism and for the Church (Notre Dame, 1994), and this new book is a revised and abridged edition for the general public. It is one of the best accounts of the life and achievements of Galileo, and it is excellently translated by George V. Coyne, who played a major role in the rehabilitation of Galileo in recent years.” —The Catholic Historical Review“The Case of Galileo offers an accessible overview of the controversy in its time. Written for a popular audience, and based on a more scholarly earlier book (Galileo For Copernicanism and for the Church), Fantoli’s overview of the evidence here will offer interested readers a useful point of entry into the early modern controversy.” —Comitatus“Fantoli’s account is thorough and suitable for those without specific expertise in the history of science . . . [and] his conclusions offer larger lessons. While the Inquisition no longer exists, the Catholic Church’s intransigence on issues such as birth control, for which its official doctrine runs counter to the practices of millions who consider themselves to be Catholic, suggests, for Fantoli, that the Catholic Church must embark on greater dialogue with the whole of contemporary religious and secular thought in order to avoid the same failings that it created in 1616 and 1633.” —European Historical Quarterly

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Book SynopsisAccording to Robert John Russell, one of the foremost scholars on relating Christian theology and science, the topic of time and eternity is central to the relation between God and the world in two ways. First, it involves the notion of the divine eternity as the supratemporal source of creaturely time. Second, it involves the eternity of the eschatological New Creation beginning with the bodily Resurrection of Jesus in relation to creaturely time. The key to Russell''s engagement with these issues, and the purpose of this book, is to explore Wolfhart Pannenberg's treatment of time and eternity in relation to mathematics, physics, and cosmology.Time in Eternity is the first book-length exposition of Russell's unique method for relating Christian theology and the natural sciences, which he calls creative mutual interaction (CMI). This method first calls for a reformulation of theology in light of science and then for the delineation of possible topics for research in scTrade Review"Using his distinctive method of relating science and theology by 'Creative Mutual Interaction,' Robert Russell explores an immense range of contemporary thought about the Big Bang, relativity, quantum physics, creation, and eschatology, leading to many intriguing suggestions for future research. This will be a model for future writers to emulate." —Ian G. Barbour, author of When Science Meets Religion"Time in Eternity bridges the fields of philosophical theology, systematic theology, and the science-religion debate. It makes a distinctive and original contribution to the field of theology and science, as well as being significant for scholars and students in the other two disciplines. The book not only meets high standards for scholarship in this field; it actually sets new standards for future work." —Philip Clayton, Claremont School of Theology"Robert Russell is the world's leading scholar on relating issues surrounding the resurrection of Jesus, such as prolepsis and eschatology, to physics and cosmology, and I imagine this book will be well received throughout the science and religion community and beyond. In Time in Eternity, Russell engages more fully with Pannenberg than ever before. He has also expanded his work on the way physical cosmology can be enhanced by engaging theological issues. This is the most important book on Pannenberg, physics, and eschatology to date." —LeRon Shults, University of Agder “This is a solid work of scholarship that provides a creative and important contribution. The amount of learning, understanding, and depth of research in both theology and physics is impressive. Future scholars interested in God, time, and eternity, or looking for a solid example of theology and science in mutual interaction, will want to study it carefully.” —Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith“This book is impressive for its breadth as well as the author’s solid knowledge in both Pannenberg’s theology and science. . . . In illustrating theological concepts with scientific theories, it makes theology seem more sensible and credible in a scientific age.” —Reviews in Religion and Theology“Time in Eternity is the first book-length exposition of Russell’s approach to the ‘creative mutual interaction’ between theology and the natural sciences. This approach first calls for a reformulation of theology in light of science and then for the delineation of possible topics for research in science drawing on this reformulated theology.” —Interpretation: Journal of Bible and Theology

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Book Synopsis Originating from conferences held at the Gregorian University in Rome and at the University of Notre Dame, these essays assess the continuing relevance of Darwin's work across academic fields.Trade Review“This volume presents the best scholarship available on the present and future developments in evolutionary science and its implications for the humanities. It will reward careful study by evolutionary biologists and social scientists, but also philosophers and theologians—or indeed, by any reflective person seeking to be informed about up-to-date analysis of its three main topics: Nature, Humanity, and God. The editors of this volume are to be congratulated for producing a volume that makes available a rich array of voices from a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. It is a must read for anyone who wishes to be informed about the interpretation of Darwin in the twenty-first century.” —Stephen J. Pope, Boston College"Darwin in the Twenty-First Century aims to present 'new reflections that anticipate the future of scientific and philosophical inquiry about evolution,' rather than giving an overview of all issues discussed in the conference or beyond. The volume focuses on present and future developments within evolutionary science and the impact on, and relation to, the humanities. These are central and the most exciting questions, and the volume gives multiple answers to how the discourse could be shaped in the future, both scientifically and from the perspective of the humanities." —Hille Haker, Loyola University Chicago “Of note to Catholic readers is the implicit growth in the magisterium’s understanding of many evolutionary theory embodied in many of these papers. . . . Also worthy of attention here is the explication of the vibrant (unresolved?) tension within Catholic thinking between the two dominant views of evolution.” —Catholic Library World “This collection of 16 essays was gleaned from a 2009 conference at Notre Dame by the same title. . . Scholars interested in controversies surrounding evolution will be interested and will (no doubt) find this book a goldmine.” —Choice “The essays potently assess the continuing relevance of Darwin’s work from the perspectives of biological science, history, philosophy, and theology. I recommend this book for those who are involved in the ever-proceeding science and theology dialogue.” —Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith“The value of this anthology for upper-level and graduate students is its attention to the areas of intersection between the natural sciences and humanities. For example, the anthology as a whole forces readers to abandon their casual use of terms such as ‘randomness’ and ‘causality.’ What terminology may replace such notions is impossible to determine now, and that means that the future of the science-religion debate will continue to fascinate.” —CatholicBooksReview.org“The essays present a vision of Darwin and the scope of his ideas, not only from the standpoint of the traditional historical discourse, but seeks to create a dialogue with contemporary discussions in biology, philosophy, and theology, focusing above all on the future. . . . This volume is a major contribution in interdisciplinary dialogue, given the broadness of its overall proposal, to build innovative bridges between the sciences and humanities.” —The Quarterly Review of Biology"This volume emerges from a 2009 conference at the University of Notre Dame to mark Charles Darwin's bicentennial. An influential 1959 symposium at the University of Chicago marked the centennial of Darwin's On the Origin of Species and solidified a neo-Darwinian theory that has dominated interdisciplinary discourse on evolution since that time. This book evaluates subsequent changes to Darwinism and how they affect the humanities, especially Catholic theology." —Isis

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