Belief in God in an Age of Science Paperback – February 8, 2003
by John Polkinghorne (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 54 ratings
Part of: The Terry Lectures (18 Books)
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258 pages
February 8, 2003
John Polkinghorne is a major figure in today’s debates over the compatibility of science and religion. Internationally known as both a theoretical physicist and a theologian—the only ordained member of the Royal Society—Polkinghorne brings unique qualifications to his inquiry into the possibilities of believing in God in an age of science. In this thought-provoking book, the author focuses on the collegiality between science and theology, contending that these "intellectual cousins" are both concerned with interpreted experience and with the quest for truth about reality. He argues eloquently that scientific and theological inquiries are parallel.
The book begins with a discussion of what belief in God can mean in our times. Polkinghorne explores a new natural theology and emphasizes the importance of moral and aesthetic experience and the human intuition of value and hope. In other chapters, he compares science’s struggle to understand the nature of light with Christian theology’s struggle to understand the nature of Christ. He addresses the question, Does God act in the physical world? And he extends his ideas about the role of chaos theory, surveys the prospects for future dialogue between scientific and theological thinkers, and defends a critical realist understanding of the activities of both disciplines. Polkinghorne concludes with a consideration of the nature of mathematical truths and the links between the complementary realities of physical and mental experience.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Polkinghorne articulates a faith strengthened, not threatened, by the latest scientific research. Whether puzzling over the curious fit between the laws of physics and the requirements for life or tracing the similarities between the methods of the scientist and those of the theologian, Polkinghorne reasons with rare sophistication. . . . This book . . . holds rare promise for healing the secular-religious fissures in our fractured culture.”—Bryce Christensen, Booklist
"[This book is] short, accessible and authoritative. . . . It’s richly stimulating stuff."—Carlin Romano, Philadelphia Inquirer
"Polkinghorne is sound and scholarly."―The Globe and Mail
"Polkinghorne is clear that, by projecting on science his belief in God, he is following just one possible path in the human quest for meaning. This gives his book a feeling of mutual exploration that drew me in as a reader."—David K. Nartonis, Christian Science Monitor
"This book will certainly be of interest to theologians and scientists."—Publisher’s Weekly
“A new dialog between religion and science has begun, . . . and in that conversation Polkinghorne holds a special place.”—Library Journal
"A few major authors have helped convince readers that science and religion might have more in common than meets the eye, John Polkinghorne perhaps foremost among them."—Publishers Weekly
“An elegant, brief foray into the intersections of theology and science. While God-and-science appears to be a bandwagon, with a recent spate of books on this topic, few scientists or theologians could address its ramifications as gracefully as Polkinghorne of both subjects: a theoretical physicist of some renown, he is also an ordained clergyman and past president of Queens College. If you read one book on science and religion, this should be it.”—Kirkus Reviews
"Polkinghorne finds faith strengthened by means of open dialogue between it and science, in which, for instance, chaos theory invites reflection on divine providence."―Booklist (From Booklist's Top 10 Books in Religion)
"A sophisticated, scientifically informed outlook, which is nonetheless animated by a firm, rationally supported religious faith. . . . Theologians and scientists alike will find food for thought here, and philosophers should take heed—for John Polkinghorne's intermarriage of scientific and theological insight may well presage a new 'post-secular' stage in Western thought."—Patrick Glynn, National Review
"Polkinghorne has a clear, focused style, and offers much to the reader seeking a synthesis of science with the tenets of established religion."―Jerome Groopman, Spirit and Science
"This book . . . presents many interesting arguments on the topics of theology and science . . . the book presents an interesting and thought provoking discussion of the relationship between religion and science."—Virginia Quarterly Review
"Belief in God in an Age of Science offers a scholarly presentation that should nevertheless have broad appeal, as Polkinghorne wields technical, scientific and theological terms with alacrity and eloquence without losing sight of the larger lay audience he clearly hopes to reach."―Edward B. Davis, American Scientist
"Polkinghorne’s mastery of science and theology makes for some startlingly original and arresting insights and analogies. . . . Polkinghorne’s book is full of . . . startling insights and observations. . . . The reader who invests the time and effort will find Belief in God in an Age of Science intellectually exciting and profoundly rewarding on the spiritual level."—James C. Roberts, Human Events
"This book represents a concise reformulation of [Polkinghorne's] most recent Terry Lectures and provides a much-needed summation to his work as a whole. . . . Its prose is dense and its arguments intellectually challenging. . . . Polkinghorne's analysis is welcome. . . . [His] work offers an important reminder, . . . that underlying all scientific endeavor is the inescapable presence of social values."—Steven W. Hook, Crisis
"Polkinghorne [presents] a polished and logically coherent argument."—Freeman J. Dyson, New York Review
"Any individual actively involved in the pursuit of knowledge and truth would do well to read and understand the arguments and challenges presented within the pages of this book."―Clyde L. Webster, Seminary Studies
"Those who wish to better understand the continuing debate about the compatibility of science and religion should begin here."—William C. Graham, National Catholic Reporter
"A very impressive, intelligent, and lucid exploration into the relationship between science and religion."—Santiago Sia, Religion and the Arts
"Polkinghorne . . . is first and foremost a professional scientist, as he admits, and only secondarily a theologian. Yet his appeal for the need for more intense interdisciplinary work is a point well taken."—Barry Whitney, Religious Studies Review
Selected by American Library Association's Booklist as one of the Top Ten Books in Religion in 1998
Winner of the 1999 Prize for Outstanding Books in Theology and the Natural Sciences given by the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences
Selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the Best Books of 1998
Shortlisted for a 2000 TORGI (Talking Book of the Year) Award, sponsored by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind
Winner of a 1999 Christianity Today Book Award
"In this lucid and honest work, John Polkinghorne states clearly where and why he agrees or disagrees with other contemporary writers. He presents a serious defense of a world view that must be considered seriously even by atheists."—Owen Gingerich, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
From the Publisher
Selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the Best Books in Religion of 1998
Selected by Booklist as one of the Top Ten Books in Religion in 1998
From the Inside Flap
"Polkinghorne [presents] a polished and logically coherent argument."—Freeman J. Dyson, New York Review of Books; "Short, accessible, and authoritative."—Carlin Romano, Philadelphia Inquirer; "This book should be widely read."—Colin Tudge, New Statesman and Society; "If you read one book on science and religion, this should be it."—Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
John Polkinghorne, K.B.E., F.R.S., is past President and now Fellow of Queens’ College, Cambridge, and Canon Theologian of Liverpool, England. He is the winner of the 2002 Templeton Prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities. Among his many other books are Faith, Science, and Understanding and The God of Hope and the End of the World, both published by Yale University Press.
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Product details
Publisher : Yale University Press; Revised ed. edition (February 8, 2003)
Language : English
Paperback : 258 pages
ISBN-10 : 0300099495
ISBN-13 : 978-0300099492
Item Weight : 5.9 ounces
Dimensions : 7.92 x 4.98 x 0.45 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #925,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#1,519 in Science & Religion (Books)
#1,834 in Religion & Philosophy (Books)
#4,778 in History & Philosophy of Science (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.3 out of 5 stars 54 ratings
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science and theology physical world science and religion adequately construed generously and adequately partners in a common unique status common quest unity of knowledge laws of nature belief in god religious experience human experience critical realism physicist and theologian within humanity accommodate such thoughts accounts will seek alternative interpretation appearances will mislead
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M Campbell
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2018
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As a layman reading and learning it was difficult to follow ALL aspects of Polkinghorne's writing but the aspects I did understand were very enlightening and I feel like I have a better embrace of my faith and less scepticism of science. I am a recent convert to old age evolutionary thought after 40 years of following hard after young earth creationist theory, and I am trying to understand.
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Michael David Newton
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant Christian speaking.
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2018
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The writer is a Fellow of the Royal Society, The highest honour Britain gives to scientists. He uses VERY difficult words. He is more accessible via his presentations on U tube.
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Fred101
5.0 out of 5 stars Intellectually satisfying
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2001
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As a Christian with an undergraduate exposure to theology and a Ph.D. in physics (and a continuing interest in both), I am offended by the lack of intellectual integrity shown by so many authors who address science/theology issues. Whether from the "creationist" side (which seems to be the principal voice being heard from the Christian viewpoint) or the secular-humanist side (which has been the principal voice being heard from the scientific community) the "discussion" (if you can call it that) is all too often characterized by a circular kind of reasoning which begins with a particular world-view and then, by entertaining nothing but "evidence" congenial to that viewpoint, proceeds to arrive at the pre-held viewpoint as the only "logical" conclusion. Equally insidious are the "post modernists" and "subjectivists" who essentially question the point in seeking "truth" of any kind since they regard our perception of "reality" to be hopelessly distorted by our individual and societal agendas, or those who try to compartmentalize faith and reason as equally legitimate but incompatible activities -- as if the reality of faith is somehow different from the reality of the physical universe.
Polkinghorne is a refreshing change from this usual dismal discourse. If you are seeking confirmation that a first-rate scientific mind can exist in company with an unapologetically orthodox Christian faith, this book should do the trick. This is not to say that all readers will agree with all of Polkinghorne's stances. Those of the "Biblical literalist" stripe will undoubtedly be offended that Polkinghorne tolerates no traffic in the Creationist agenda. Secularists will be offended that Polkinghorne unabashedly holds that the revelation of God through scripture and the experience of the Church are expressions of a legitimate reality. Many Christians will be offended that Polkinghorne isn't dogmatic that the Christian faith has a "lock" on theological truth and that he is willing to accept that the other great world religions also have something to contribute to the dialogue. On the other hand, non-Christian religious may well be offended that Polkinghorne is not prepared to negotiate the truth of primary Christian doctrines, such as that of the incarnation. And anyone looking for a "light read" or pat answers will become quickly discouraged -- this is the kind of book you have to read carefully, with the brain fully engaged and open. The satisfaction comes not from achieving closure, but from being engaged with interesting and meaningful questions.
Polkinghorne skilfully and credibly notes how the insights and discoveries of modern physical science have, contrary to the expectations of the 19th century scientific community, become more, rather than less amicable to a theistic worldview. He regards this, not as "proof" of the latter, but rather as a demonstration of his principal thesis: that there is a cosmic reality in the search for which both science and theology are fellow travelers. Science, using tools of experiment and quantification seeks to comprehend the mechanism by which the universe operates. Theology, using the insights of revelation and experience seeks to understand the author of the mechanism and His ongoing purposes. But there is only one reality -- the reality of theology must ultimately be congruent with the reality of science, and vice versa.
Another prevailing theme is that a true seeker of truth must be prepared to accept the tentativeness of our current state of knowledge on any subject -- reality is complex, and our understanding will always be incomplete. At the same time, Polkinghorne believes passionately that reality is accessible to our intellect (which is in itself a pregnant truth to ponder) and he convincingly demonstrates how the journey of truth discovery (allowing for the occasional mis-step along the way) inevitably enlarges rather than overthrows the prior reality. Just as physicists were challenged in the early 20th century to integrate the new realities of relativity and quantum mechanics into the durably functional framework of classical Newtonian physics, so too the early Christian church was challenged to integrate the new reality of the risen Christ and the tangible activity of the Holy Spirit into the durable truth of traditional monotheistic Judaism, resulting ultimately in the Trinitarian formulation. In neither case was the new synthesis achieved by an instant and tidy process (or without controversy surviving even to the present), but this should not be perceived as an embarassment in either case, but rather as a testament to the integrity of the process -- "orthodoxy", whether in science or theology, is the end result of surviving controversy and challenge. In science, the hallmarks of an ultimately acceptable theory are not only that it encompasses all available information, but also that it is fruitful in suggesting new areas of insight, and also conforms to a certain aesthetic of "elegance". The requirements for achieving theological orthodoxy are, in fact, not all that different. Polkinghorne believes that, in both cases, the process does indeed help us to ever more closely apprehend the reality which is our objective.
Periodically, I have been fortunate to have encountered a book whose pages offered both insight and on-going intellectual challenge. This is one of those rare finds. I highly recommend this book for the serious inquirer.
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Dianelos Georgoudis
5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing intellectual trip - walking on water.
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 1998
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In this book Polkinghorne tries to show that theology is a rational discipline. The book is intensely honest and filled with intelligent ideas you enjoy thinking about even if at the end you disagree with. Some of them, such as what the Christian dogma of the Fall of Man means within humanity's evolution, took my breath away. The same goes for his proposal on how actually God acts in the world and scientist's model on how He will act to resurrect all souls on the Second Coming. To see a scientist try to make science compatible with religion not to mention Christian mythology is really amazing.
Since Galileo, the Church has been frantically retreating from its claims about nature and about natural theology. Today theology finds itself in the corner and Polkinghorne builds his last line defense on arguments such as the "unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics" in physics, the Anthropic Principle and the physicists' subjective search for beautiful theory. These arguments, even though brilliantly constructed, will not convince anybody who is not convinced already, and are, I think, wrong.
Polkinghorne, being a scientist, is too respectful of science for my taste. I would have enjoyed a more aggressive stand, showing, for example, that human agency, not to mention human consciousness, is difficult to reconcile with the scientific view. Also, he devotes exactly one phrase on the spooky phenomenon of uniform mystical experience that cuts through time and religious denominations. He plays by the rules of science and insists on the losing proposition that theology is rational and therefore should be as convincing and taken as seriously as science. Polkinghorne puts a lot of emphasis on the "unity of knowledge" and tries to unify science and theology and to show that these are aspects of the same search for truth. A better strategy would be to have theology engulf science and explain that science forms only a small (not even a very relevant part) of knowledge. After all, how we should manage our spouse and kids, how to understand pain and failure in life, are matters outside of science and much more relevant to our well-being and to our understanding of the world and its meaning. For literally everybody, this kind of knowledge is more important than scientific knowledge. To a religious person God is everything and knowledge starts with God and passes through layers before reaching at its most basic level knowledge about the physical world.
On the whole, this is a very worthwhile book that is filled with ideas and references to other books. I have not read much on this subject but this book probably shows how far rational theology can go which is not very far - a sobering and important conclusion.
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25 people found this helpful
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Jimi Hendricks
5.0 out of 5 stars A scientist-theologian looks at the intersection
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2014
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John Polkinghorne provides a view from both perspectives. There is no conflict for him between science and religion, particularly Christianity. While he does provide his beliefs, he does not debate other views. He encourages others to join the discussion. While his science is presented in an understandable manner, his impressive and poetic vocabulary had me using the "define" function a lot.
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David
4.0 out of 5 stars Deus sive natura... it is not!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2013
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In this helpful contribution to the Science/Religion debate written for Jane & Joe Public - Polkinghorne (both scientist and theologian) - says that he is not engaged in "an apologetic exercise, trying to make the faith appear acceptable in a scientific age." Equally, he warns against a "scientific takeover bid, offering no more than a religious gloss on a basically naturalistic account." Indeed, he specifically declines to adopt Baruch Spinoza's deus sive natura argument; stating bluntly, "That was Einstein's God, but it is certainly not mine".
He argues that the vast majority of what is done in science is, as he puts it, "the creative interpretation of experience, not rigorous deduction from it." It is not "truth" that it seeks but "verisimilitude" - a philosophical concept that distinguishes between the truth and the falsity of assertions and hypotheses. Absolute truth is as illusive to the scientist as the theologian. That said, though he acknowledges the capacity of science to test its theories against observation, theology too has a reasonable claim on the basis of verisimilitude.
He insists that theology is concerned with "ontological questions" which do not profit much from "science's fascinating, but largely theologically irrelevant, talk of temporal origins." In this regard, he is somewhat different from other theistic scientists who find much in current cosmology that appears to offer evidence that the universe has been fine-tuned for life. For him what is of much greater significance "in cosmic history to date - (is) the dawn of consciousness."
Drawing on chaos and complexity theory, he concludes that "holistic and relational concepts are coming to play an increasing role in science." These, he argues, are "congenial to theological thinking," as exemplified by "much Trinitarian discussion that emphasizes relationship (communion) as the ground of being." In this way, he finds room for God to act within the framework of chaos theory. God does not randomly or selectively insert "energy" into various places in the universe requiring his intervention, instead, as "pure spirit," he injects "information". Thus, as the complex nonlinear systems of life oscillate back and forth trying to decide towards which strange attractor to move, God intervenes in a way that moves the system in the direction towards which he desires for it.
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Traveller
4.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 29, 2020
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Not an easy read but one that is balanced and informative. While not following every argument many helped me to understand both science and faith better.
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Pen Name
4.0 out of 5 stars Readable but possibly wrong!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2018
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Readable, but in discussing life after death he goes beyond the scientific evidence.
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charlie
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 7, 2016
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Good !
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 3, 2016
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Read and re-read.
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