Science and Religion Dialogue

This book documents the conference on The Science and Religion Dialogue: Past and Future, held at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, October 25-29, 2012. The conference commemorated the 100 anniversary of the birth of Sir John Templeton and the 25 anniversary of the establishment of the John Templeton Foundation. It brought together about 60 active participants, all of them prominent scholars from many countries and many academic fields. Most of them have been engaged in the Science and Religion Dialogue for the last two or three decades. This book reports on multi-year international and interdisciplinary research projects at leading institutions. The contributions start with presentations by Hans Joas, Martin Nowak and John Polkinghorne and range from Astronomy, Mathematics, Physics and Biology to Philosophical Theology and Religious Ethics. Special topics of the dialogue between Science and Religion are also dealt with, such as Eschatology and Anthropology; Cosmology, Creation, and Redemption; Evolutionary Biology and the Spirit; and The Role of Thought Experiments in Science and Theology.

Contents: Thomas Pfeiffer: The Science and Religion Dialogue: Past and Future - Michael Welker: The Science and Religion Dialogue: Past and Future - John M. Templeton, Jr: Opening Address - Stephen Post: Commemorating Sir John Templeton (1912-2012) - Michael Murray: Science and Religion Dialogue - Hans Joas: The Natural History of Religion - Martin A. Nowak: God and Evolution - John Polkinghorne: The Search for Truth - John Polkinghorne: A Contribution to the Eschatology Session - Michael Welker: Eschatology, Anthropology, and Concepts of Law - Denis R. Alexander: The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion - the First Seven Years - Friederike Nussel/Robin Lovin: Theological Inquiry and the Science and Religion Dialogue - Ted Peters: Science and Redemption: The Future of Creation - Robert John Russell: Scientific Cosmology and the Theologies of Creation and Redemption - Cyril Hovorun: The Dialogue between Science and Religion in Russia - Niels Henrik Gregersen: The Role of Thought Experiments in Science and Religion - J. Wentzel van Huyssteen: A Postfoundationalist Approach to Theology and Science - Willem B. Drees: Insiders and Outsiders in «Religion and Science» - Chris Impey: Cosmology and the Human Condition - Matthias Baaz: Note on Formal Reasoning in Theology - G. A. D. Briggs: The Search for Evidence-Based Reality - Simon Conway Morris: If the Evolution of Intelligence is inevitable, then what are the Metaphysical Consequences? - Gunter P. Wagner: The Use of Metaphors when Talking about the Nature of Organisms - Kelly James Clark: Atheism and Analytical Thinking - William Schweiker: Freedom within Religion. Religious Ethics and Social Life - Jan Stievermann: The Templeton Award and Professional Development for Young Scholars - Daniel Munteanu: «The Divine Fire in All Things» - Orthodox Cosmology in Dialogue with Science - Eva Harasta: God's Spirituality. The Trinitarian Dynamics of Prayer.