M021022.TXT Author copy. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Stacey E. Ake, Ph.D., Ph.D. Editor, Metanexus Online Metanexus Institute for Religion & Science 3624 Market Street Suite 301 Philadelphia, PA 19104 cell: 215.601.0036 voice: 215.789.2203 fax: 215.789.2222 email: ake@metanexus.net url: http://www.metanexus.net ------ Forwarded Message From: Stacey Ake Reply-To: Commentaries and Book Reviews Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 17:49:25 -0400 To: VIEWS@LISTSERV.METANEXUS.NET Subject: [VIEWS] Pathways & Crossroads: Reviews of Books by Peacocke & Barbour: John W. Burgeson Metanexus: Views. 2002.10.22. 1544 words "All models are limited and partial, and none gives a complete or adequate picture of reality. The world is diverse, and differing aspects of it may be better represented by one model than another. . . the use of diverse models can keep us from the idolatry that occurs when we take any one model of God too literally. Only in worship can we acknowledge the mystery of God and the pretensions of any system of thought claiming to have mapped out God's ways." Thus writes Ian Barbour in his book WHEN SCIENCE MEETS RELIGION, Enemies, Strangers or Partners?, which is one of two books being reviewed today by John W. Burgeson. For, in today's column, Burgeson not only reviews Barbour's book but also reviews PATHS FROM SCIENCE TOWARDS GOD: The End of all our Exploring, by Arthur Peacocke. It is, in fact, a week of book reviews here at Metanexus, starting with yesterday's review of another book addressing the nature of models (and metaphors) in the science religion dialogue, namely, NEW MAPS FOR OLD: Explorations in Science and Religion, edited by Mary Gerhart and Allan Melvin Russell and review by Matthew A. Fisher. So, sit back, scroll down the screen, and begin your list of books to acquire for future holiday or winter reading! Today's author, John W. Burgeson, retired physicist and retired IBMer, is a Stephen Minister at the First Presbyterian Church of Durango, CO, and, as he says, more about "science/theology, quantum mechanics, baseball, ethics, humor, cars, and philosophy" can be found by consulting his "eclectic website" at . Today's review of Arthur Peacocke's PATHS FROM SCIENCE TOWARDS GOD: The End of all our Exploring appeared in the ASA (American Scientific Affiliation) journal PERSPECTIVES ON SCIENCE AND CHRISTIAN FAITH 54, no. 3 (September 2002): 196, and the review of WHEN SCIENCE MEETS RELIGION, Enemies, Strangers or Partners? by Ian G. Barbour appeared in Vol 54, no. 2 (June 2002): 128. Enjoy! -- Stacey E. Ake =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Subject: Pathways & Crossroads: Reviews of Books by Peacocke & Barbour From: John W. Burgeson Email: PATHS FROM SCIENCE TOWARDS GOD, The End of all our Exploring, by Arthur Peacocke, New York, NY: Oneworld publications, 2001. 198 pages, Index, Bibliography, Glossary, Notes. Softcover, $16.95. Arthur Peacocke, theologian and biochemist, promises in this slim volume to reunite science and religion, which he terms "worlds at war." Dr. Peacocke has published over 200 papers and twelve books on this, and similar subjects, and received, in 1995, the Templeton Foundation Prize for his best-known work, THEOLOGY FOR A SCIENTIFIC AGE. He is currently Director of the Ian Ramsey Centre for the Study of Science and Religion at Oxford University. Arthur Peacocke has a view of Christianity that differs greatly from more conventional (classical) views. On page 31, he rejects the notion of "faith seeking understanding," which for many of us in the ASA (American Scientific Affiliation) has been exactly what we thought we were about, and argues "I would urge that the only defensible theology is one that consists of understanding seeking faith ... in which 'understanding' must include that of the natural and human worlds which the sciences ... have unveiled." He (properly, I think) suggests that the IBE (inference to the best explanation) principle must be, in all investigations, scientific or religious, the "rule of the game." But then he makes other assumptions. On page 34, he writes that "...there is no evidence for any existing entities other than those emerging from the natural world." He "damns with faint praise" the scriptures (page 35), writing, "It (the Bible) remains an irreplaceable resource in our exploration towards God. Yet...." Peacocke rejects classical theism, following the arguments of Hume. Miracles do not (and did not) happen, much of what the gospels report as the sayings of Jesus are to problematical to accept (particularly those in the gospel of John), and if one is "scientifically educated," one understands all this - for such a person (page 57) "... it is incoherent ever to accept the presupposition that God intervenes in the created processes of the world ... A God who intervenes could only be regarded ... as being a kind of semi-magical arbitrary Great Fixer or occasional Meddler ... ." Peacocke calls himself a panentheist, carefully differentiating that position from pantheism, and contrasting it with what he terms "supernatural theism," or what most persons understand as classical theism, of which Christianity is a major part. He also uses the term "theistic naturalism" to describe his stance, as does David Ray Griffin, also a self-described panentheist. Griffin examines the religion/science question in a much more detailed manner than Peacocke in his book RELIGION AND SCIENTIFIC NATURALISM. Still another modern panentheistic writer is Marcus Borg, who, in THE MEANING OF JESUS, debates this theological view with a fellow scholar, N.T. Wright, a conservative. But this review is about Peacock's book. Is it worth reading? I think it is. As a "supernatural theist" myself, I learned from this book, which will be a "keeper" in my library, much about panentheism, and where it necessarily leads. It does not, I believe, lead to a rejection of the Christian faith, but it does point to a vastly different, and weaker, version of that faith, one, for example, in which petitionary prayer is a whistle while crossing the graveyard, and a god (God?) who is strangely impotent. But read this book for yourself; at least check it out from the library. It's worth that much anyway. Panentheism is alive and well in theological and scientific dialog today, and we ignore it at our peril. WHEN SCIENCE MEETS RELIGION, Enemies, Strangers or Partners? by Ian G. Barbour. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 2000. 204 pages, index, notes. Paperback; $16.00. ISBN 0-06-060381-X. In 1991, Ian Barbour published Religion in an Age of Science: The Gifford lectures, 1989-1991, Volume 1. So well received was this book for persons concerned with science/religion boundary issues that he issued a revised, retitled and expanded edition of it, Religion and Science, Historical and Contemporary Issues, in 1997. The second of these holds a place of prominence on my own library shelf. Religion and Science is a difficult read, however, and its 366 pages (of very small text) have discouraged many from learning from it. Partly for this reason, and partly because, I believe, Barbour has found more articulate methods of conveying his thoughts, this new book has appeared. When Science Meets Religion is Barbour's attempt to summarize and make clearer his arguments on a somewhat less scholarly level. He has succeeded admirably. Ian Barbour is retired from Carleton College where he was both a professor of physics and a professor of religion. Among his other well-known publications are Ethics in an Age of Technology and Myths, Models and Paradigms. He was the recipient of the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in 1999. Those who have read my book reviews in PERSPECTIVES before know that I often refer to significant publications as "keepers." This one is beyond that designation. For all ASA members, who are presumably interested in science/faith issues, this book is a requirement. I cannot recommend it too highly. Barbour's masterpiece can be described best structurally. He posits four wholly separate ways of thinking about science and religion, Conflict, Independence, Dialogue and Integration. In chapter 1 he discusses each of these. In chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5, he considers four areas of study which each view must necessarily consider, astronomy/creation, quantum physics, evolution and genetics. In each chapter he discusses each model, so one can visualize this book as setting forth, in clear and persuasive prose, each of the four ways of viewing science/religion for each of the four issues, a very neat 4 x 4 matrix. It may be of interest to those familiar with his earlier works that his previous subcategory, "nature-centered spirituality," is omitted entirely in this volume. It is not clear if he has abandoned it or has left it out for reasons of space. Barbour treats fairly the claims of the Conflict model, but argues against it. He accepts some of the insights of the Independence model, but, in the end, casts his lot with the proponents of Dialogue and Integration. In a concluding chapter, God and Nature, having argued that both the Conflict and the Independence models are unsatisfactory, Barbour discusses how God's actions in this world can be seen as consistent with a universe of apparent causality. Here he treats the models of Murphy, Polkinghorne, Whitehead and others; having done so, he leaves the evaluation of these models to the reader. His conclusion appears on page 180: "All models are limited and partial, and none gives a complete or adequate picture of reality. The world is diverse, and differing aspects of it may be better represented by one model than another. . . the use of diverse models can keep us from the idolatry that occurs when we take any one model of God too literally. Only in worship can we acknowledge the mystery of God and the pretensions of any system of thought claiming to have mapped out God's ways." $16.00 for this book may well be the best book money you have ever spent. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= This publication is hosted by Metanexus Online . The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Metanexus or its sponsors. To comment on this message, go to the browser-based forum at the bottom of all postings in the magazine section of our web site. Metanexus welcomes submissions between 1000 to 3000 words of essays and book reviews that seek to explore and interpret science and religion in original and insightful ways for a general educated audience. Previous columns give a good indication of the topical range and tone for acceptable essays. Please send all inquiries and submissions to Dr. Stacey Ake, Associate Editor of Metanexus at . Copyright notice: Columns may be forwarded, quoted, or republished in full with attribution to the author of the column and "Metanexus: The Online Forum on Religion and Science ". Republication for commercial purposes in print or electronic format requires the permission of the author. Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 by William Grassie. ------ End of Forwarded Message