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Informationen zum Autor Alister E. McGrath is Professor of Historical Theology at Oxford University, and Senior Research Fellow at Harris Manchester College, Oxford. He is a world-renowned theologian, and is the author of numerous bestselling titles. Klappentext Natural Theology explores the knowledge of God as it is observed through nature. This book sets forth a new approach to the study of natural theology, reestablishing its legitimacy as a distinct aspect of Christian theology. While remedying some of the criticisms of traditional presentations and perceptions of the concept, this new approach treats natural theology as a cultural phenomenon, broader than Christianity itself yet always possessing a distinctively Christian embodiment.Beginning with an introduction to human engagement with nature, this volume goes on to explore topics such as beauty, goodness, truth, and the theological imagination; how investigating nature gives rise to both theological and scientific theories; the idea of a distinctively Christian approach to nature; and how natural theology can function as a bridge between the Christianity and other faiths. With a resurgence of interest that is taking place in the field, this book is a first-rate, innovative resource for the study of natural theology. Zusammenfassung Natural Theology explores the knowledge of God as it is observed through nature. This book sets forth a new approach to the study of natural theology, reestablishing its legitimacy as a distinct aspect of Christian theology. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Natural Theology: Introducing an approach."Nature" is an indeterminate concept.Natural theology is an empirical discipline.A Christian natural theology concerns the Christian God.A natural theology is incarnational, not dualist.Resonance, not proof: Natural theology and empirical fit.Beyond sense-making: the good, the true, and the beautiful.Part I: The human quest for the transcendent: The Context for Natural Theology.2 The Persistence of the Transcendent.Natural theology and the transcendent.The triggers of transcendent experiences.The transcendent and religion.3 Thinking about the transcendent: three recent examples.Iris Murdoch: The Transcendent and the Sublime.Roy Bhaskar: The Intimation of Meta-Reality.John Dewey: The Curious Plausibility of the Transcendent.4 Accessing the Transcendent: Strategies and Practices.Ascending to the transcendent from nature.Seeing the transcendent through nature.Withdrawing from nature to find the transcendent within oneself.Discerning the transcendent in nature.5 Discernment and the psychology of perception.Perception is brain-based.Perception involves dynamic mental structures.Perception is egocentric and enactive.Perception pays attention to significance.Perception can be modulated by motivation and affect.Human perception and natural theology.Conclusion to Part One.Part II: The Foundations of Natural Theology: Ground-clearing and rediscovery.6 The Open Secret: The Ambiguity of Nature.The mystery of the kingdom: Jesus of Nazareth and the natural realm.The levels of nature: The Johannine "I am" sayings.Gerard Manley Hopkins on "seeing" nature.7 A dead end: Enlightenment approaches to natural theology.The Enlightenment and its natural theologies: historical reflections.The multiple translation and interpretations of the "Book of Nature".The flawed psychological assumptions of the Enlightenment.The Barth-Brunner controversy (1934) and human perception.Enlightenment styles of natural theology: concluding criticisms.8 A Christian approach to natural theology.On "seeing" glory: The Prologue to John's gospel.A biblical example: the call of Samuel.The Christian tradition as a framework for natural theology.Natural theology and a self-disclosing God.Natural theology and an analogy between God and the creation.Natural theology and the image...
