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"McGrath provides a crisp, readable, and deeply personal witness to Christian faith in the age of science. Easily dismissing the unreasonable and self-contradictory beliefs of the 'new atheists, ' McGrath's book offers an inspiring theological vision, one that can make very good sense of contemporary scientific discoveries." John F. Haught, Georgetown University, and author of "God and the New Atheism" and "Making Sense of Evolution"
Product Description
We live in an age when the growth of the Internet has made it easier than ever to gain access to information and accumulate knowledge. But information is not the same as meaning, nor is knowledge identical with wisdom. Many people feel engulfed by a tsunami of facts in which they can find no meaning.
In thirteen short, accessible chapters McGrath, author of the bestselling The Dawkins Delusion, leads the reader through a nontechnical discussion of science and faith. How do we make sense of the world around us? Are belief in science and the Christian faith compatible? Does the structure of the universe point toward the existence of God?
McGrath's goal is to help readers see that science is neither anathema to faith, nor does it supersede faith. Both science and faith help with the overriding human desire to make sense of things. Faith is a complex idea. It is not a blind leap into the dark but a joyful discovery of a bigger picture of wondrous things of which we are all a part.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
In the book he looks at different aspects of the Christian world view, using the lens of science and theology. The book is based on a series of lectures in London, Scotland and Hong Kong delivered between 2009 and 2010. This time the book includes an index. This is vintage McGrath with a wider range of topics than his recent books on the New Atheism; as usual he is a very enjoyable read. Here are the chapter headings:
1. Looking at the big picture
2. Longing to make sense of things
3. Patterns on the shore of the universe
4. How we make sense of things
5. Musings of a lapsed atheist (here he looks at the New Atheism)
6. Beyond the scientific horizon
7. A Christian viewpoint
8. The deep structure of the universe (here he looks at the Anthropic Principle)
9. The mystery of the possibility of life (a further look at the Anthropic Principle)
10. The accidents of biological history? (a look at Darwinism)
11. History, culture and faith.
12. The heart's desire: Longing for significance
13. Surprised by meaning
NB My copy of the book has 136 pages not the 112 pages as shown on Amazon.
1. Looking at the big picture
2. Longing to make sense of things
3. Patterns on the shore of the universe
4. How we make sense of things
5. Musings of a lapsed atheist (here he looks at the New Atheism)
6. Beyond the scientific horizon
7. A Christian viewpoint
8. The deep structure of the universe (here he looks at the Anthropic Principle)
9. The mystery of the possibility of life (a further look at the Anthropic Principle)
10. The accidents of biological history? (a look at Darwinism)
11. History, culture and faith.
12. The heart's desire: Longing for significance
13. Surprised by meaning
NB My copy of the book has 136 pages not the 112 pages as shown on Amazon.
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Alistair McGrath is always worth reading. In recent years he has written a number of excellent critiques of the "New Atheism" of people like Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett. As a convert from atheism he has an insight into the fallacies of that movement which he exposes with great skill. In this book, though, his horizons are broader and more focussed on Christianity. His purpose is to show that Christian belief is rational, reasonable, is in accord with the world we see around us and - most importantly - makes good sense of that world. He is particularly clear that, whatever religious perspective one might come from - including Atheism - we feel driven to create patterns of meaning in what we see around us, and that those patterns of meaning always spring from unprovable beliefs
One weakness the book has, though, is that its origins as a set of separate lectures is sometimes a little too obvious. The progression from one chapter to the next is not always as smooth as it might be and occasionally we find ourselves reading the same thing several times over.
One weakness the book has, though, is that its origins as a set of separate lectures is sometimes a little too obvious. The progression from one chapter to the next is not always as smooth as it might be and occasionally we find ourselves reading the same thing several times over.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
This is an excellent book. It shows the coherence of the Christian worldview, and how meaning naturally arises from our encounter with the wonders of the world. The incoherence of athiest viewpoints that "it's just the way it is around this universe" is well shown.
McGrath has written this book well, arguing through to his conclusions gradually, and acknowledging other views both for and against his own.
I can recommend this book to other readers, particularly Christians for enjoyment and education. Atheists will mostly dislike this book, as it is dismantling their pieties and certainties in a thorough and well argued manner.
McGrath has written this book well, arguing through to his conclusions gradually, and acknowledging other views both for and against his own.
I can recommend this book to other readers, particularly Christians for enjoyment and education. Atheists will mostly dislike this book, as it is dismantling their pieties and certainties in a thorough and well argued manner.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A fascinating overview of the theistic viewpoint
I found this an interesting and reflective summary of some of the arguments and themes covered in McGrath's earlier works on New Atheism. Read more
Published 16 days ago by HamzahF
Rosco
An excellent review of the current position of Neo-Darwenism and the New Atheists. The book makes a reasoned claim that whilst science is neutral with regard to proof or otherwise... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Roscoe
Gift for a friend
My friend who is 95 years young was delighted with the book and the price. The book was exactly what he wanted and he was delighted by the content and the speed of deilvery. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jmason
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