The origins of A Scientific Theology

Abstract

This paper sets out a new approach to Christian theology, which accentuates its interdisciplinary potential through a rigorous interaction with the natural sciences. The approach here developed treats the natural sciences as a dialogue partner in an intellectually rigorous engagement with reality. After exploring the origins and development of this approach, and clarifying its leading features, the paper engages with three major issues which arise froma 'scientific theology': the implications of provisionality in the dialogue between science and religion; the critique of the concept of 'nature' as the basis of Christian theology; and the idea that a scientific theology represents a response to its distinctive object. It is argued that a unitary understanding of reality, such as that mandated by a Christian doctrine of creation, does not demand that all human intellectual disciplines should adopt identical methods for their tasks, but that they should accommodate themselves to the distinctive natures of those aspects of reality which they attempt to represent and depict.