Creator God, Evolving World

Contents

ix Contents Preface: Cynthia Crysdale xi Chapter 1. God, Religion, and Science 1 The Emergence of Modern Science 2 Newton and God 4 The “Newtonian” Worldview and Deism 6 Beyond the Newtonian Worldview: Darwinism and Quantum Mechanics 7 Randomness, Purpose, and Ethics 10 Authority, Tradition, and Reason 13 A Tale of Two Authors 15 Conclusion 17 Chapter 2. Evolving World: Regularity and Probability 19 Two Ways of Making Sense: Classical and Statistical Science 20 The Interaction of Classical and Statistical Science 24 Is It All Random? 29 Emergent Probability: Order and Novelty Interacting 31 Natural Selection and Chance 36 Conclusion 38 Chapter 3. Creator God 41 God, Contingency, and Change 42 The Classical Argument 44 What Does Modern Science Add to the Picture? Space, Time, and Matter 48 A Positive Account 54 Conclusion 56 x contents Chapter 4. Evolving World: Purpose and Meaning 57 Teleology and Darwinism 58 Worldviews and Scientific Discoveries Intertwined 65 Finality: A New Way of Conceiving Directionality 68 Convergence: Scientific Endeavors Endorse Dynamic Purpose 74 Conclusion 81 Chapter 5. Human Freedom and God’s Providence 83 A Finite but Provident Emerging World Order 85 Providence and the Goodness of Creation 87 Providence and Prayer 90 Pain, Suffering, and Evil 91 Free Will in an Emergent World 95 Evil and Responsibility 97 The Divinely Originated Solution to the Problem of Evil 99 Conclusion 101 Chapter 6. Implications for Human Living: Moral Agency and Emergent Probability 103 Homo sapiens: What Makes Us So Special? 104 The Question of Soul and Spirit in Evolutionary Terms 109 Moral Agency, Decision Making, Control, and Risk 110 Human Control Versus Shifting Probabilities: Examples 116 God’s Providential Will, Grateful Cooperation, and Sacrificial Love 120 Conclusion 124 Conclusion. Can a Transcendent God Be a Personal God? 125 Notes 131 Bibliography 149 Indexes 155 ...