Alister McGrath, one of the most prominent theologians and public intellectuals of our day, explains how Christian thinking can and must have a positive role in shaping, nourishing and safeguarding the Christian vision of reality. With this in our grasp, we have the capacity for robust intellectual and cultural engagement, confidently entering the public sphere of ideas where atheism, postmodernism and science come into play. This book explores how the great tradition of Christian theological reflection enriches faith. It deepens our appreciation of the gospel’s ability to engage with the complexities of the natural world on the one hand and human experience on the other. (2011 Christianity Today Book Award winner.) ~ Product Description

Table of Contents

• Introduction Part 1: The Purpose, Place and Relevance of Christian Theology
  • 1 Mere Theology: The Landscape of Faith (1)
  • 2 Mere Theology: The Landscape of Faith (2)
  • 3 The Gospel and the Transformation of Reality: George Herbert’s "Elixir"
  • 4 The Cross, Suffering and Theological Bewilderment: Reflections on Martin Luther and C. S. Lewis
  • 5 The Theatre of the Glory of God: A Christian View of Nature
  • 6 The Tapestry of Faith: Theology and Apologetics
• Part 2: Engaging with Our Culture
  • 7 The Natural Sciences: Friends or Foes of Faith?
  • 8 Religious and Scientific Faith: The Case of Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species
  • 9 Augustine of Hippo on Creation and Evolution
  • 10 Does Religion Poison Everything? The New Atheism and Religious Belief
  • 11 Atheism and the Enlightenment: Reflections on the Intellectual Roots of the New Atheism
  • Notes
  • Index