The larger project of which this volume forms part is an attempt to craft a coherent doctrine of divine eternity and God’s relationship to time. Central to this project is the integration of the concerns of theology with the concept of time in relativity theory. Unfortunately, theologians and philosophers of religion do not in general understand Einstein’s theories, whereas physicists and philosophers of science, under the influence of verificationism, have largely focused philosophical reflection on spatiotemporal concepts given by physics. There is thus a paucity of integrative literature dealing with God and relativity theory. The collapse of positivism and the rejuvenation of metaphysics have led to a renewed scrutiny of the metaphysical foundations of relativity theory and the concept(s) time found therein. This volume provides an accessible and philosophically informed examination of the concept of time in relativity, the ultimate aim being the achievement of a tenable theological synthesis. ~ Product Description

Table of Contents

• • Preface
  • 1    The Historical Background of Special Relativity
  • 2    Einstein’s Special Theory
  • 3    Time Dilation and Length Contraction
  • 4    Empirical Confirmation of Special Relativity
  • 5    Two Relativistic Interpretations
  • 6    The Classical Concept of Time
  • 7    The Positivistic Foundations of Relativity Theory
  • 8    The Elimination of Absolute Time
  • 9    Absolute Time and Relativistic Time
  • 10    God, Time, and Relativity
  • 11    Conclusion
  • Bibliography
  • Subject Index
  • Proper Name Index