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Detail
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Creation: A Guide for the Perplexed
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| Category: |
Books > Theology > Environmental Theology
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| Author/Artist: |
SIMON OLIVER |
| ISBN / ID: |
9780567656087 |
| Publisher: |
T & T Clark |
| Binding: |
PAPERBACK |
| Price: |
AU$36.99 |
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| Description: |
This book offers a response to the many perplexing questions that are raised in the contemporary world concerning its origins. Christianity claims that the universe rather than being a brute fact with no universal purpose, is instead created and therefore has a purpose. However questions arise which point to the complexity of this claim; why is there something rather than nothing? what is meant by 'creation'? does it mean that the universe is 'designed'? is it the product of an evolutionary process? how are creatures related to God, and does God act within creation? These persistent and fundamental questions prompt the human imagination to look for clues within the universe for a more essential source of existence that is not part of the universe.
Simon Oliver’s book responds to the ultimate questions by exploring the Christian theological and philosophical tradition which points to the origins, nature and purpose of existence. He contends that a different kind of philosophical and theological enquiry is needed if we are to hold an intelligible and persuasive account of creation. Oliver begins with the background to the Christian theology of creation in Greek philosophy and the Old Testament. This provides a pathway into understanding the claim that we are part of a created order that is also the theatre of God's providential action. He examines different understandings of creation, including creation out of nothing and the analogy of being, with close reference to the work of patristic and medieval theologians such as Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. Oliver shows the capacity to distil these areas of the tradition and explain their relevance for current day. From this platform anchored in the tradition, Oliver presents an historical overview of the relationship between theological, philosophical and scientific approaches to creation in the modern period. Some of the ethical issues concerning humanity's place within, and treatment of, creation and our environment are also examined.
A distinctive yet traditional theology of creation is proposed focused on the concepts of gift and participation as ways of understanding more fully the meaning and implications of the claim that the universe is created. In doing this Oliver gives an immensely accessible account of the authentic Christian Creator God and shows that mis-informed images of the creator God have no place in educated and well-informed discussions of the origins of nature and the cosmos
Creation therefore has the potential to create space for engagement with the real challenges of our time. These are identified by Johannes Hoff, (Heythrop College, London) as the need to face the spiritually, socially and ecologically devastating consequences of our techno-scientific world-view which he claims are anything but an inescapable adverse effect of the history of scientific progress.
Recommended uses for this book.
Students of Science, Theology and Philosophy
Teachers of Senior Students in Catholic Schools |
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