Download or read book From Physicist to Priest written by John Polkinghorne and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2008-09-01 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'I am a scientist-theologian, someone who is both a physicist and a priest - a statement that sometimes arouses the kind of curiosity or suspicion that might follow the claim to be a vegetarian butcher.' Cambridge don, curate in a working-class area of a big city, vicar of a country parish in Kent, contributor to governmental committees, prize-winning author of more than thirty-five books, KBE and much more, John Polkinghorne tells his remarkable life story in a direct and modest yet profound narrative. He looks back on his journeys into both disciplines from a human angle, including the formative experiences and key relationships he experienced as a child, an undergraduate, graduate and beyond into university teaching, family life, priesthood and writing. He describes his developing thoughts and understanding of the value and interdependence of each of the major disciplines and, by so doing, brings a down-to-earth touch to the big questions that each approach raises.
Download or read book The Faith of a Physicist written by John C. Polkinghorne and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2014-07-14 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is it possible to think like a scientist and yet have the faith of a Christian? Although many Westerners might say no, there are also many critically minded individuals who entertain what John Polkinghorne calls a "wistful wariness" toward religion--they feel unable to accept religion on rational grounds yet cannot dismiss it completely. Polkinghorne, both a particle physicist and Anglican priest, here explores just what rational grounds there could be for Christian beliefs, maintaining that the quest for motivated understanding is a concern shared by scientists and religious thinkers alike. Anyone who assumes that religion is based on unquestioning certainties, or that it need not take into account empirical knowledge, will be challenged by Polkinghorne's bottom-up examination of Christian beliefs about events ranging from creation to the resurrection. The author organizes his inquiry around the Nicene Creed, an early statement that continues to summarize Christian beliefs. He applies to each of its tenets the question, "What is the evidence that makes you think this might be true?" The evidence Polkinghorne weighs includes the Hebrew and Christian scriptures--their historical contexts and the possible motivations for their having been written--scientific theories, and human self-consciousness as revealed in literary, philosophical, and psychological works. He begins with the words, "We believe," and presents understandings of the nature of humanity, showing, for example, that Cartesian theory, evolution, and natural selection do not tell the entire story of what humans are about, especially in light of many sources that attest to our spirituality. Moving through the Creed, Polkinghorne considers the concept of divinity and God as creator in discussions that cover the Theory of Everything, the Big Bang Theory, and the possibility of divine presence within reality so that God is not simply an outside observer. Chapters on Jesus analyze the different ways events are described in the Gospels and the way motivation for belief is conveyed--for example, how do these writings explain why a young man killed in public disgrace could inspire a following, when other major world religious leaders lived to become highly revered elders in their communities? "Faith seeking understanding" is, according to Polkinghorne, like the scientific quest. Both are journeys of intellectual discovery in which those who survey experience from an initially chosen point of view must be open to correction in the light of further experience. "Religion," he writes, "has long known that ultimately every human image of God proves to be an inadequate idol." The Faith of a Physicist, based on the prestigious 1993 Gifford Lectures, delivers a powerful message to scientists and theologians, theists and atheists alike. Originally published in 1994. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Download or read book Quantum Leap written by Dean Nelson and published by Monarch Books. This book was released on 2011-08-10 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Quantum Leap uses key events in the life of Polkinghorne to introduce the central ideas that make science and religion such a fascinating field of investigation. Sir John Polkinghorne is a British particle physicist who, after 25 years of research and discovery in academia, resigned his post to become an Anglican priest and theologian. He was a professor of mathematical physics at Cambridge University, and was elected to the Royal Society in 1974. As a physicist he participated in the research that led to the discovery of the quark, the smallest known particle. This cheerful biography-cum-appraisal of his life and work uses Polkinghorne's story to approach some of the most important questions: a scientist's view of God; why we pray, and what we expect; does the universe have a point?; moral and scientific laws; what happens next?
Download or read book Quantum Physics and Theology written by J. C. Polkinghorne and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite the differences of their subject matter, science and theology have a cousinly relationship, John Polkinghorne contends in his latest thought-provoking book. From his unique perspective as both theoretical physicist and Anglican priest, Polkinghorne considers aspects of quantum physics and theology and demonstrates that the two truth-seeking enterprises are engaged in analogous rational techniques of inquiry. His exploration of the deep connections between science and theology shows with new clarity a common kinship in the search for truth. The author identifies and explores key similarities in quantum physics and Christology. Among the many parallels he identifies are patterns of historical development in quantum physics and in Christology; wrestling with perplexities such as quantum interpretation and the problem of evil; and the drive for an overarching view in the Grand Unified Theories of physics and in Trinitarian theology. Both theology and science are propelled by a desire to understand the world through experienced reality, and Polkinghorne explains that their viewpoints are by no means mutually exclusive.
Download or read book Modern Physics and Ancient Faith written by Stephen M. Barr and published by University of Notre Dame Pess. This book was released on 2003-02-28 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A considerable amount of public debate and media print has been devoted to the “war between science and religion.” In his accessible and eminently readable new book, Stephen M. Barr demonstrates that what is really at war with religion is not science itself, but a philosophy called scientific materialism. Modern Physics and Ancient Faith argues that the great discoveries of modern physics are more compatible with the central teachings of Christianity and Judaism about God, the cosmos, and the human soul than with the atheistic viewpoint of scientific materialism. Scientific materialism grew out of scientific discoveries made from the time of Copernicus up to the beginning of the twentieth century. These discoveries led many thoughtful people to the conclusion that the universe has no cause or purpose, that the human race is an accidental by-product of blind material forces, and that the ultimate reality is matter itself. Barr contends that the revolutionary discoveries of the twentieth century run counter to this line of thought. He uses five of these discoveries—the Big Bang theory, unified field theories, anthropic coincidences, Gödel’s Theorem in mathematics, and quantum theory—to cast serious doubt on the materialist’s view of the world and to give greater credence to Judeo-Christian claims about God and the universe. Written in clear language, Barr’s rigorous and fair text explains modern physics to general readers without oversimplification. Using the insights of modern physics, he reveals that modern scientific discoveries and religious faith are deeply consonant. Anyone with an interest in science and religion will find Modern Physics and Ancient Faith invaluable.
Download or read book Belief in God in an Age of Science written by John Polkinghorne and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 1998-03-30 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Polkinghorne is a major figure in today’s debates over the compatibility of science and religion. Internationally known as both a theoretical physicist and a theologian—the only ordained member of the Royal Society—Polkinghorne brings unique qualifications to his inquiry into the possibilities of believing in God in an age of science. In this thought-provoking book, the author focuses on the collegiality between science and theology, contending that these "intellectual cousins" are both concerned with interpreted experience and with the quest for truth about reality. He argues eloquently that scientific and theological inquiries are parallel. The book begins with a discussion of what belief in God can mean in our times. Polkinghorne explores a new natural theology and emphasizes the importance of moral and aesthetic experience and the human intuition of value and hope. In other chapters, he compares science’s struggle to understand the nature of light with Christian theology’s struggle to understand the nature of Christ. He addresses the question, Does God act in the physical world? And he extends his ideas about the role of chaos theory, surveys the prospects for future dialogue between scientific and theological thinkers, and defends a critical realist understanding of the activities of both disciplines. Polkinghorne concludes with a consideration of the nature of mathematical truths and the links between the complementary realities of physical and mental experience.
Download or read book Priest of Nature written by Rob Iliffe and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page 553 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first major book on Isaac Newton's religious writings in nearly four decades that negotiates the complex boundaries between the scientific genius's public and private faith
Download or read book Physics of the Impossible written by Michio Kaku and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2008-03-11 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Inspired by the fantastic worlds of Star Trek, Star Wars, and Back to the Future, the renowned theoretical physicist and national bestselling author of The God Equation takes an informed, serious, and often surprising look at what our current understanding of the universe's physical laws may permit in the near and distant future. Teleportation, time machines, force fields, and interstellar space ships—the stuff of science fiction or potentially attainable future technologies? Entertaining, informative, and imaginative, Physics of the Impossible probes the very limits of human ingenuity and scientific possibility.
Download or read book Reason and Reality written by John Polkinghorne and published by SPCK Classics. This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by perhaps the world's foremost authority on the relationship between science and theology, Reason and Reality brings together essays in which John Polkinghorne pursues more deeply themes touched on in his earlier works. The result is a deeply satisfying interpretation of the nature and scope of human knowledge, the extent and limits of science, and the proper place of theology as what Polkinghorne calls science's "cousin under the skin"
Download or read book Transcendence and Providence written by William Grosvenor Pollard and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Scientists as Theologians written by J. C. Polkinghorne and published by SPCK Publishing. This book was released on 1996 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ian Barbour, Arthur Peackocke and John Polkinghorne are major contributors to the current interaction between science and religion. Although starting as scientists, all three have produced important work by crossing over to the field of theology. But, as their thinking has developed, differences between them have emerged. Questions such as the significance of Jesus, the Bible and the relationship between modern scientific knowledge and traditional theology have revealed a variety of approaches. One of the three now gives his survey of the debate. John Polkinghorne sets out clearly where they agree, why they differ and draws conclusions about possible future directions. His account provides both an accessible introduction to the field of science and religion and an assessment of what is at stake.
Download or read book Cosmic Horizons written by Steven Soter and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leading scientists offer a collection of essays that furnish illuminating explanations of recent discoveries in modern astrophysics--from the Big Bang to black holes--the possibility of life on other worlds, and the emerging technologies that make such research possible, accompanied by incisive profiles of such key figures as Carl Sagan and Georges Lemaetre. Original.
Download or read book Confessions of a Jewish Priest written by Gabriel Weinreich and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2010-02-01 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Confessions of a Jewish Priest are the reminiscences of Gabriel Weinreich, a secular Jew who was born in Poland and moved to the U.S. as a young adolescent during World War II thus narrowly escaping the Holocaust. The book follows Weinreich as he becomes an American, twice-husband, father, and an award-winning scientist, and shows how his subsequent journey toward Christianity and ordination to the Episcopal priesthood do nothing to impair his sense of "Jewishness."In addition to telling a compelling life story of a boy from an eminent Jewish family, the book takes us on a journey into Christianity as perceived by a Jew who began as a complete atheist--but realizes later in life that he never really was an atheist after all.
Download or read book Science and Religion in Quest of Truth written by John Polkinghorne and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the vantage point of eighty years, a highly regarded scientist and theologian surveys the full spectrum of critical issues between science and theologyJohn Polkinghorne, an international figure known both for his contributions to the field of theoretical elementary particle physics and for his work as a theologian, has over the years filled a bookshelf with writings devoted to specific topics in science and religion. In this new book, he undertakes for the first time a survey of all the major issues at the intersection of science and religion, concentrating on what he considers the essential insights for each. Clearly and without assuming prior knowledge, he addresses causality, cosmology, evolution, consciousness, natural theology, divine providence, revelation, and scripture. Each chapter also provides references to his other books in which more detailed treatments of specific issues can be found.For those who are new to what Polkinghorne calls "one of the most significant interdisciplinary interactions of our time," this volume serves as an excellent introduction. For readers already familiar with John Polkinghorne's books, this latest is a welcome reminder of the breadth of his thought and the subtlety of his approach in the quest for truthful understanding.
Download or read book The Way the World is written by J. C. Polkinghorne and published by Westminster John Knox Press. This book was released on 2007-01-01 with total page 5 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this brief and highly accessible book for general readers, distinguished physicist-turned-theologian John Polkinghorne presents a reasoned account of the Christian view of the world as seen by the one of the world's leading interpreters of the interface between science and religion. Drawing from his experiences as a scientist and a theologian, Polkinghorne argues that Christianity presents a credible and compelling worldview that can be taken seriously even while fully understanding the importance of science.
Download or read book New Proofs for the Existence of God written by Robert J. Spitzer and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2010-04-15 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Responding to contemporary popular atheism, Robert J. Spitzer's New Proofs for the Existence of God examines the considerable evidence for God and creation that has come to light from physics and philosophy during the last forty years. --from publisher description.
Download or read book Quarks Chaos and Christianity written by John Polkinghorne and published by SPCK Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is science fact and religion just opinion? Is there the mind of a Creator behind the Universe? Can a scientist pray? John Polkinghorne distils insight and experience into a clear, lively and frank set of answers to these fundamental issues. Updated and new material included.
