Toward A Christian View of A Scientific World

By George L. Murphy

Book Overview

Modern science and science-based technology have changed traditional understandings of the world in profound ways. A pastor who is also a trained scientist draws on his diverse background to help readers put today's scientific knowledge in the context of Christian faith. Murphy sees the world described by today's science as the creation of God revealed in Jesus Christ, and technology and modern medicine as ways to carry out God's purpose for the world. This book is a useful tool for introducing readers to the crucial conversations and interactions now occurring between the fields of science, theology, technology, and ethics. It's a clear and accessible text that's appropriate for adult classes and lay groups of all levels. This comprehensive and readable work by a well-qualified and experienced scientist, theologian, and pastor fills a very important gap in the current literature regarding the new dialogue that has been emerging in recent years between science and religion.... It seeks to develop a Christian view of the world that is congruent with modern science. It includes discussions of the practical and moral implications of issues such as genetic engineering and medicine, and their implications for worship and prayer. David E. Arthur Eden Theological Seminary George L. Murphy is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Ohio University, Johns Hopkins University (where he earned a Ph.D. in physics), and Wartburg Theological Seminary. He has taught at the University of Western Australia, Westminster College, Luther, College, and Trinity Lutheran Seminary. Widely published in both scientific and religious periodicals, Murphy has received two awards from the Templeton Foundation for his papers on science and religion. A Lutheran pastor, Murphy is also the principal author of Cosmic Witness (CSS).

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0788018078
• ISBN13: 9780788018077
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: CSS Publishing Company
• Length: 154 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

One of many, but one of the most comprehensive on the subject.

"Toward a Christian View" is a highly recommended book. Murphy goes through nearly every single major bioethics question of today (with the exception of abortion), looking closely at how a Christian can respond to these scientific issues. He makes it clear in his introduction that he is not mandating *the* Christian view, or speaking of one definite scientific world. His title is purposeful- proposing *a* Christian view, and *a* scientific world. He wants to raise ideas and propose ways of thinking that get beyond the argumentation and hypocrisy, and really try to deal with the texts, both scientific and Christian. Highlights and topics include: *Understanding how God controls nature. How He is present in nature sets up how we view His action in natural law and the scientific world. *How we can know God. If God is knowable through nature as well as text, then there must be some order to things. This leads directly into *The Scientific View of the World. How science perceives the world- as ordered and learnable. Thankfully *God's action in the world is the same way. He could do anything He wants, but He generally limits Himself to logical action, so that science is possible, and the world is not arbitrary. Part of this is the idea that creation is good, as it says in Genesis 1, and a big part of being good is being logical. *Reading the Bible. God acts now as he did in the beginning, using natural laws. He is present in every action, but most actions are also in accord with laws. Murphy also points out that there are many different forms of literature in the Bible, such as allegory, parable, myth, poetry, and even historical record. Particularly interesting is when he asks us to consider Psalm 104, the "other" creation story, that dare not speak it's name. What if it were the first creation story? How would we view the evolution/literal creationism debate then? Especially intriguing as it probably predates the written form of the Genesis 1 story, and possibly that of Genesis 2. *The origin of the universe. Short chapter. An important part of this is looking at the doctrine of Jesus as Logos, also meaning logic. Since he is the foundation of all creation, then logic is in that foundation, and creation should make sense. (No stars or rocks created to give the appearance of age, etc.) *The big topic, evolution and creation. Of particular interest is Murphy's addressing of the knotty problems of original sin and the development of evil, tying it closely to the development of our brains. This indeed becomes a foundational point of his book, as he shows how sin *must* be present if there is great intelligence. *The Human universe. Here Murphy looks at the Weak and Strong Anthroporphic Principles from a Christian perspective, and concludes that all of creation, and all of evolution, and all of the universe, was created for man. Well, one man- Jesus Christ. That's really an inescapable doctrine central to Christianity. Whether or not we had to ex