Darwinism and the Divine

Alister E. McGrath is Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion & Culture, and Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at King's College, London. A world-acclaimed theologian, he is the author of numerous books including Christian Theology, 5th edition (2011), The Christian Theology Reader, 4th edition (2011), Science and Religion, 2nd edition (2010), Theology: The Basics, 2nd edition (2007), and Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes and the Meaning of Life (2004).

List of Figures x Preface xii Acknowledgments xv Introduction 1 Part I Conceptual Clarifications: On the meaning of terms 9 1 Natural Theology: A Deeper Structure to the Natural World 11 Natural Theology in the Classical Tradition 13 The Conceptual Fluidity of Natural Theology 15 The Eternal Return of Natural Theology 18 2 Darwinism: A Narrative of Evolution 27 Darwinism: A Defensible Term? 28 Darwinism as an Ideology 32 The Metaphysical Inflation of Evolutionary Thought 36 Conclusion to Part I 40 Part II Historical Exposition: Darwin and the English natural theology tradition 47 3 English Natural Theology of the Augustan Age, 1690-1745 49 The Emergence of English Natural Theology 50 Newtonian Physics and Natural Theology 53 The Protestant Assumptions of English Natural Theology 56 A Foundation for Consensus: The Doctrine of Creation 61 Physico-theology: The Appeal to Contrivance 63 Natural Theology and the Beauty of Nature 72 The Problem of Development within Nature 74 Assessing Evidence: Changing Public Perceptions 75 4 A Popular Classic: William Paley's Natural Theology (1802) 85 Introducing Paley's Natural Theology 85 Paley's Source: Bernard Nieuwentyt's Religious Philosopher (1718) 88 The Watch Analogy: The Concept of Contrivance 91 Paley on Intermediary Causes within Nature 97 The Vulnerability of Paley's Approach 99 5 Beyond Paley: Shifts in English Natural Theology, 1802-52 108 The Impact of Geology upon Paley's Natural Theology 110 Henry Brougham: A Natural Theology of the Mind 112 Evidence, Testimony, and Proof: A Shifting Context 115 A New Approach: The Bridgewater Treatises 119 John Henry Newman: The Theological Deficiencies of Paley 127 Robert Browning's "Caliban Upon Setebos": A Literary Critique of Paley 130 English Natural Theology on the Eve of the Darwinian Revolution 133 6 Charles Darwin, Natural Selection, and Natural Theology 143 The Development of Darwin's Views on Natural Selection 146 Problems, Prediction, and Proof: The Challenge of Natural Selection 150 Natural Selection and Natural Theology: An Assessment of Darwin's Impact 155 Conclusion to Part II 171 Part III Contemporary Discussion: Darwinism and natural theology 183 7 A Wider Teleology: Design, Evolution, and Natural Theology 185 Directionality within the Natural World 187 Teleology: Introducing an Idea 188 Chance, Contingency, and Evolutionary Goals 191 The "Wider Teleology" of Evolution 194 The Inference of Design and Natural Theology 197 Suffering, Evolution, and Natural Theology 202 8 The Concept of Creation: Reflections and Reconsiderations 217 The Seventeenth Century: The Regnant Theology of Creation 218 Creation as Event and Process: Augustine of Hippo 222 Evolution and an Emergent Creation 230 God's Action within the Evolutionary Process 233 9 Universal Darwinism: Natural Theology as an Evolutionary Outcome? 247 The Darwinian Paradigm and Cultural Development 249 The God-Meme: Natural Theology and Cultural Replicators 254 Religion: Evolutionary Adaptation or Spandrel? 262 Natural Theology and Evolutionary Theories of the Origins of Religion 265 Conclusion to Part III 267 Part IV Conclusion 277 10 The Prospects for Natural Theology 279 Natural Theology and the Human Evolutionary Past 281 Natural Theology, Observational Traction, and the Best Explanation 283 A Community of Discernment: The Church and Natural Theology 285 In Quest of Meaning 288 Index 294