Files in this item
Should a Christian adopt methodological naturalism?
Item metadata
dc.contributor.author | Torrance, Andrew B. | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2019-08-17T23:41:07Z | |
dc.date.available | 2019-08-17T23:41:07Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2017-09 | |
dc.identifier | 249239983 | |
dc.identifier | 209ab172-7ce3-438e-95fd-3b89da2a9f44 | |
dc.identifier | 85027586643 | |
dc.identifier | 000409216800006 | |
dc.identifier.citation | Torrance , A B 2017 , ' Should a Christian adopt methodological naturalism? ' , Zygon , vol. 52 , no. 3 , pp. 691-725 . https://doi.org/10.1111/zygo.12363 | en |
dc.identifier.issn | 0591-2385 | |
dc.identifier.other | ORCID: /0000-0001-5604-8247/work/61133142 | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10023/18330 | |
dc.description | The author thanks the John Templeton Foundation for funding the Scientists in Congregations, Scotland program, which gave me the opportunity to work on this article in continual conversation with scientists across Scotland. | en |
dc.description.abstract | It has become standard practice for scientists to avoid the possibility of references to God by adopting methodological naturalism: a method that requires scientists to assume that the natural world is all that exists. In this essay, I critique the Christian commitment this method, arguing that a Christian’s practices should always reflect her belief that the universe is created and sustained by the triune God. This leads me to contend that the Christian should adopt a theologically humble approach to the sciences (instead of methodological naturalism), with which she humbly acknowledges that special divine action is not discernible by empirical science. To further my critique, I consider three ways in which the practice of methodological naturalism can be particularly problematic for Christianity. | |
dc.format.extent | 809882 | |
dc.language.iso | eng | |
dc.relation.ispartof | Zygon | en |
dc.subject | Dietrich Bonhoeffer | en |
dc.subject | Christianity | en |
dc.subject | Creation | en |
dc.subject | Faith | en |
dc.subject | Holy Spirit | en |
dc.subject | Jesus Christ | en |
dc.subject | Methodological naturalism | en |
dc.subject | Naturalism | en |
dc.subject | Alvin Plantinga | en |
dc.subject | Theology | en |
dc.subject | BR Christianity | en |
dc.subject | B Philosophy (General) | en |
dc.subject | T-NDAS | en |
dc.subject | BDC | en |
dc.subject.lcc | BR | en |
dc.subject.lcc | B1 | en |
dc.title | Should a Christian adopt methodological naturalism? | en |
dc.type | Journal article | en |
dc.contributor.sponsor | John Templeton Foundation | en |
dc.contributor.institution | University of St Andrews. School of Divinity | en |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1111/zygo.12363 | |
dc.description.status | Peer reviewed | en |
dc.date.embargoedUntil | 2019-08-18 | |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | 44125 | en |
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.