Books in the Theology and the Sciences series

Readers: College, university, and seminary students; scholars of theology, ethics, and bioethics

In Our Image is the first extensive theological engagement with the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Herzfeld probes this new field, which seeks to model human intelligence in computers, for its theological depth. She argues that "At the root of the fascination our current culture has with creating an image of ourselves in an intelligent computer lies a continuing problematic of defining ... what it means to be truly human." She shows how AI continues the classic Christian quest for defining the image of God in humans.Offering a smart, accessible history and typology of research in AI, Herzfeld shows how its rival schools parallel competing options in the theological anthropologies of Niebuhr, von Rad, and Barth. She probes our interest in AI and argues that a relational anthropology informs the best research and the many depictions of AI in science fiction and film. Herzfeld's exciting work further develops this relational model, in which she finds a needed corrective to the individualistic and narcissistic tendencies of much recent spirituality and the seeds of a human/computer ethic.

Two partial apprehensions of nature vied for dominance in the past century: religious (void of any influence from science) and scientific (unable to admit any reality, beyond the empirical). Both views have led to the exploitation of nature -- and the scientific may prove even more devastating. The fault, Gilkey argues, lies not in the scientific knowledge of nature but in the assumed philosophy of science that accompanies most scientific and technological practice. Scientific knowing needs to be critiqued and brought into relationship with other complementary ways of knowing.

"This amazing book takes into account all of the leading premises of the modern concept of biocultural evolution and builds a bridge to religious theory. Its value lies in its ability to pose the major questions and sketch proposals for dealing with them. To my knowledge it is the first work to make such an attempt."--Solomon H. KatzUniversity of Pennsylvania "Hefner's book is a major breakthrough in doing constructive theology. His view of human beings as created co-creators is filled with balanced insight regarding how humans are united with the rest of creation, while having a special place because of their brains and culture."--Karl E. PetersCoeditor, Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science

The Travail of Nature shows that the theological tradition in the West is neither ecologically bankrupt, as some of its popular and scholarly critics have maintained, nor replete with immediately accessible, albeit long-forgotten, ecological riches hidden everywhere in its deeper vaults, as some contemporary Christians, who are profoundly troubled by the environmental crisis and other related concerns, might wistfully hope to find. This is why it is appropriate to speak of the ambiguous ecological promises of Christian theology.

What can practical theology contribute to other theological disciplines and the church about the nature of God and the church's witness to Jesus Christ in the world? What can we learn about the love and power of God in Jesus Christ from the community of survivors of violence? Rethinking Faith urges all Christians to consider themselves practical theologians by drawing on their own experiences in making theological assertions. Poling couples his understanding of the tradition with his work with survivors of violence to demonstrate the resilience of Christianity.

Scientist and theologian Sjoerd Bonting offers a new overarching framework for thinking about issues in religion and science. He looks at the creation controversy itself, including biblical perspectives, tradtional doctrines, and the particular potential contribution of chaos theory. Finally, Bonting extends this perspective, a combination of chaos theory and chaos theology he calls "double-chaos," into a framework that addresses traditional questions about evil, divine agency, soteriology, the understanding of disease, possible extraterrestrial life, and the future.

Ellis and Murphy show how contemporary sciences actually support a religiously based ethic of nonviolence, not by appealing to the Enlightment's mechanismic Creator God or revelation's Father God but by discerning the transcendent ground in the laws of nature, the emergence of intelligent freedom, and the echoes of "knoetic" self-giving in cosmology and biology.