A couple of months ago, InterVarsity Press sent me a review copy of Alister McGrath's new book, The Passionate Intellect: Christian Faith and the Discipleship of the Mind. I had been looking forward to reading it, but didn't have a chance until last week, when a flu-like illness left me too tired to do much other than read. First, a note on the format of the book: The Passionate Intellect is a collection of thematically-connected essays, based on various lectures and talks given by McGrath over the past couple of … [Read more...] about Review: The Passionate Intellect
atheism
Is Religion Inferior to Science?
Yesterday, USA Today published an opinion column by University of Chicago professor Jerry Coyne called "Science and religion aren't friends." Coyne, the author of Why Evolution Is True, opposes any attempt to reconcile, integrate, or otherwise bridge the gap between science and religion. To Coyne, religion is less than worthless: ...pretending that faith and science are equally valid ways of finding truth not only weakens our concept of truth, it also gives religion an undeserved authority that does the world no good. … [Read more...] about Is Religion Inferior to Science?
Most people aren’t deeply interested in science
Last Wednesday, I explored Mystery and Evidence, one articulation of the contrast between Religion and Science. Another topic stemming from Tim Crane's NY Times Article which I found of interest was his claim: ... most people aren't deeply interested in science, even when they have the opportunity and the basic intellectual capacity to learn about it. Of course, educated people who know about science know roughly what Einstein, Newton and Darwin said. Many educated people accept the modern scientific view of the … [Read more...] about Most people aren’t deeply interested in science
Are “agnostic” scientists really agnostic?
Last week, I became engaged in a rather lengthy online conversation about the religious faith of university scientists. It was prompted by this GetReligion post about Francis Collins. In my comments, I cited Rice sociologist Elaine Howard Ecklund's recent book Science vs. Religion: What Scientists Really Think, as well as her online article "Religion and Spirituality among University Scientists" (PDF). Ecklund's research examines the religious beliefs and practices of university scientists, with some important findings … [Read more...] about Are “agnostic” scientists really agnostic?
Mystery & Evidence
Mystery and Evidence's (Tim Crane. NY Times. 9/5/2010) opening paragraph immediately caught my attention. There is a story about Bertrand Russell giving a public lecture somewhere or other, defending his atheism. A furious woman stood up at the end of the lecture and asked: “And Lord Russell, what will you say when you stand in front of the throne of God on judgment day?” Russell replied: “I will say: ‘I'm terribly sorry, but you didn't give us enough evidence.' ” What do you think of Russell's response? By … [Read more...] about Mystery & Evidence