Science, Faith, And Ethics: Grid or Gridlock? - Softcover

White, R. S.; White, Robert S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1598560182 ISBN 13: 9781598560183

Publisher: Hendrickson Pub, 2006

Synopsis

Cloning, the environment, stem cell research, cutting-edge reproductive technologies, genetic engineering...Splashed across television screens and argued over the water cooler, these are among the most hotly-debated issues of our day. Ideal for thinking laypeople, Christian college science classes, and adult Sunday school classes, this timely study from two gifted scientists and committed Christians will help readers bring a deep and well-reasoned faith to the frontiers of modern technology.

About this title

Review

"Molecular biologist Alexander and geophysicist White are comfortably committed to both their Christian faith and their scientific fields, so this book is not so much a work of standard Christian apologetics as a defense of both science and "robust theism," with a plea for mutual understanding on both sides. The authors argue that Christianity and the natural sciences share many intellectual perspectives, and that accounts of controversy between science and faith have been overblown. At the same time, the Cambridge University scientists resist most attempts to read deep religious significance into scientific issues. They decry "the ways in which scientific theories, particularly the 'grand theories' of science, have been used for ideological purposes," instead encouraging readers to engage science on its own terms. On the ethical front, the authors address issues like human cloning, global climate change and creation/evolution controversies. There is a British flavor to some of their observations; American readers especially may question their assurance that "there is really no need for evolution to be a hot issue for Christians, or for anyone else for that matter, in the twenty-first century" even as the issue heats up in the States. Overall, the book achieves an impressive balance between thorough research and readability, and should find a ready audience among students of science."
--"Publishers Weekly"

""Science, Faith, and Ethics: Grid or Gridlock?" by Denis Alexander and Robert S. White invites the reader to consider the interactions between modern science and religious faith. Faith in God, the writers maintain, should make a difference in how we view the world, especially when today's scientific advances are raising acute ethical questions. Both are committed Christians: Alexander is a biological scientist, and White is a physical scientist. The book is divided into two parts: Part 1 examines science and how it interacts with faith in God; Part 2 discusses the astounding issues active in modern science and explores the Christian's relation to them. Alexander and White maintain that such issues are so important to the good of all humanity that they belong in the Public Square where they can be opened for debate. Therefore, they have written this in a language that makes the book easy to understand for nonscientific readers."
--"Advance Magazine"

About the Author

Denis Alexander is chairman of the Molecular Immunology Program at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge. He is the editor of the journal "Science and Christian Belief."

Robert S. White is a Professor of Geophysics at Cambridge University, England; Associate Director of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion; and a Fellow of The Royal Society, the UK's national academy of science. He is co-author with Denis Alexander of "Beyond Belief: Science, Faith and Ethical Challenges."

Edition details

• Publisher: Hendrickson Pub
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1598560182
• ISBN 13: 9781598560183
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 190