DESCRIPTION: Scientific development since the sixteenth century has affected nearly every aspect of human culture--including the Christian church. This course will examine both the ancient harmony and modern tension that have developed when Christian theology and scientific inquiry intersect. The scope of study will range from the foundations of Western science in ancient Greece, to recent developments in biology, cosmology, physics, psychology, and medicine.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students in this course of study can expect to acquire the tools to think critically about the key issues generated by the intersection of theology and science. Although not an apologetics course per se, students will become conversant with several contemporary debates in the church, including creationism, intelligent design, cloning, and genetic engineering.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: The Christian teacher, writer, counselor, and preacher of the twenty-first century will need at least a basic knowledge of the interplay between the sciences and Christian theology. This course will provide a structure and context for that understanding.

COURSE FORMAT: This class will follow a seminar model, and students will be asked to participate in class discussions that will draw upon assigned readings. Lectures and videos will also be employed. Class will meet weekly for three-and-a-half-hour sessions.

REQUIRED READING:

Darwin, Charles. Autobiography of Charles Darwin and Selected Letters. New York: Dover Publications, 1958.

Dawkins, Richard. The Blind Watchmaker. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996.

Dowe, Phil. Galileo, Darwin and Hawking. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005

Freud, Sigmund. The Future of an Illusion. New York: W.W. Norton, 1989.

Lindberg, David C., and Ronald L. Numbers. God and Nature: Historical Essays on the Encounter between Christianity and Science. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986.

McGrath, Alister. Science and Religion. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999.

Polkinghorne, John C. Science and Creation: The Search for Understanding. Philadelphia: Templeton Foundation Press, 2005.

Barbour, Ian G. Religion and Science: Historical and Contemporary Issues. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1997.

Dales, Richard C. The Scientific Achievement of the Middle Ages. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986.

Darwin, Charles. The Voyage of the Beagle. New York: Penguin Books, 1989.

Dawkins, Richard. The Selfish Gene. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990.

Lindberg, David C. The Beginnings of Western Science. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.

Livingstone, David N. Darwin's Forgotten Defenders.... Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987.

Murphy, Nancey. Reconciling Theology and Science: A Radical Perspective. Pandora Press, 1997.

Pais, Abraham. Subtle Is the Lord: The Science and Life of Albert Einstein. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1982.