Zadok Catalogue 2007

Science and Religion

Building Babylon: Technology and Christian faith.
Jan Hext
Zadok Perspectives 94, Autumn 2007
Like Noah, we can welcome technology as a tool in the service of God. But if, like Nubuchadnezzar we use it to feed our pride, if we succumb to its false values, if it displaces our concern for justice and righteousness, if we depend on it for our security and significance, them we are in serious danger.

Living Christianly in a world of technology (part II) Discerning the technologies of everyday life.
By Ian Barns.
Zadok Paper S152, Autumn 2007
In part I of this essay (S144) Ian proposed that we should consider the way technology influences our thinking and our relationships and argued that technological development tends towards the comodification of life and an instrumentalist approach to the world. Here in part II, he considers how we can live faithfully as Christians within a technological millieu. He examines four everyday activities: obtaining our food, caring for our bodies, being at work, and communicating with others. He then outlines a framework for communal Christian reflections on living with technology and explores how this could be applied to those four areas of life.

Living Christianly in a world of technology (part 1)
By Ian Barn
Zadok Paper S144 Autumn 2006
The author outlines a way of thinking critically about our technologically shaped lives. He suggests that everyday practices of a technologically intensive workd teach us to believe that real freedom and fulfilment is to be found through increasingly instrumental control over our environment. Our challenge is to live in a way that is truly oriented in praise and thanksgiving to God, our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of the gospel.

The Nature of Humans - Mind and Brain, Body Soul and Spirit.
Alan Gijsbers
Zadok Paper S96, Spring / Summer 1998/1999
What are we really made of? Seventy per cent water, a few kilos of blood and bone - altogether not very much according to one children's illustration. But what determines our worth? The scriptures of the Old and New Testament give one perspective, and science gives another. These two sources of understanding are sometimes regarded as in conflict, at other times they seem to agree. This paper seeks to explore the interface between science and the Bible in relation to human beings.

The Cosmos & the Highland Thing. Snotty Noses and the New Cosmology.
Ted Carr
Zadok Perspectives 60, Autumn 1998
“I have difficulty with the idea of an intervening god – a god that has set his creation in motion but then dabbles in it as the occasion requires. Again, this is not the God of the cosmos that I know.

Adam, anthropology and the Genesis record
Allan J Day
Zadok Paper S90, Spring 1997
The early chapters of Genesis remain a stumbling block for many. So called 'Creationists' would have us believe that if we are to place our faith in God, the creator of the universe, as portrayed in the Bible then we must reject an enormous body of thought which has become established in the scientific community – including much evolutionary theory. But is it possible to have it both ways? Allan Day answers with a resounding yes. The God of theological truth is indeed the God of scientific truth. The author approaches his subject with a thorough grasp of what geologists, paleontologists, anthropologists and molecular biologists have learnt about human origins. He treats the biblical texts with evangelical reverence and at the same time shows how easy it is to misread these ancient documents. A non-literal interpretation of the early chapters of Genesis does not require the abandonment of foundational truth as some might claim. What is the message intended from these chapters? Do we understand Adam and Eve to be historical characters, Neolithic farmers living around 9,000 years ago? Or can we conceive of them as representatives of the human race as, in the course of evolution, humankind developed spiritual understanding and then a spiritual turning away, which theologians have labeled 'the Fall'? This paper is a timely exploration of these fascinating questions.

Theistic Evolution: an overview
Robert Herrmann
Zadok Paper S80, Autumn 1996
This lively and fascinating paper looks at where science is leading us as the twentieth century draws to a close. As science reaches new heights and depths of complexity so, paradoxically, its limitations become clearer. The intricacy, diversity and self-ordering systems present in biological evolution are producing fresh hints of ultimate realities beyond the cosmos. The story of evolution as recounted by Herrmann fairly bursts with wonder and mystery. Here we have, in the words of Louise Young, 'form set free to dance through time and space'. This is a scholarly paper which celebrates the achievements of evolutionary science while delighting in the resilience of mystery and the relevance of faith.

Plumbing Time's Abyss: a christian response to geology
Jonathan Clarke
Zadok paper S79, Autumn 1996
Geology has greatly expanded our awareness of God's handiwork. Understanding geological processes and earth history are vital aids to our stewardship of creation. This knowledge also provides important background to any realistic approach to the biblical creation story. The paper tackles questions such as: Can we know and reconstruct the past? How do dating methods work? How have Christians responded to the development of geological knowledge and theory?

Two views on managing the earth's resources
Ian Hore-Lacy and Ian Barns
Zadok paper S82, Winter 1996
Environmental Scientist, Ian Hore-Lacy, offers his view of how we should approach responsible management of the earth's resources. He puts forward a theological basis for understanding these in the context of applying science as a godly activity, with its outworking in technology. Nuclear energy is a particular focus. Philosopher of science, Ian Barns, in responding to this view of earth management, suggests quite a different perspective. He rejects any fundamentally technical approach to resource questions and proposes one based on church communities which frame christian material practices in terms of the 'rule of Christ', thereby resisting the idolatrous tendencies of modern science and capitalism. This paper presents some possible ways of responding to the fact of God's creation and the notion of stewardship whereby all men and women are entrusted with care of the earth while enjoying God's abundant provision.

Science and Religion
Colin Gauld and Barry Newman
Zadok Paper R25, 1990
This guide outlines the different points of view held on the relationship between science and religion. Short summaries of about twenty important books in this field are provided. The guide is particularly helpful for students, but also valuable for others who wish to tackle the subject.

Issues in Evolution
D Gareth Jones
Zadok Paper CR3, 1984
Concerned about the increasing separation of science and religion in the creation and evolution debate, Professor Gareth Jones has prepared this helpful and balanced introduction to reading on the topic.

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