Resting on the Future: Catholic Theology for an Unfinished Universe
Ebook
Science has now demonstrated without a doubt that we live in an “unfinished universe.” Discoveries in geology, biology, cosmology and other fields of scientific inquiry have shown that the cosmos has a narrative character and that the story is far from over. The sense of a universe that is still coming into being provides a fertile new framework for thinking about the relationship of faith to science. John F. Haught argues that if we take seriously the fact that the universe is a drama still unfolding, we can think new thoughts about God, and indeed about all the perennial themes of theology.
Science's recent realization that the universe is dramatic, however, has yet to penetrate deeply into either spiritual or intellectual life. Most Christian thought and spirituality still presuppose an essentially static universe while influential academic and intellectual culture remains stuck in a stagnant materialist naturalism and cosmic pessimism.
Resting on the Future asks about the meaning of an unfinished universe from the point of view of both Christian theology and contemporary intellectual life. Each chapter covers a distinct aspect of what Haught takes to be an essential transition to a new age in Catholic life and thought. Biology, cosmology, and other fields of science now provide the setting for a wholesome transformation of Catholic thought from a still predominantly pre-scientific to a more hopeful and scientifically informed vision of God, humanity and the natural world.
Scientific discoveries have shown that the universe is continually unfolding, expanding, and adapting -- John Haught explores the consequences of this for Christian thought and for the relationship of religion and science.
New book by one of the world's leading scholars on the relationship of religion and science
Concise overviews of recent scientific developments and their relevance for Christian thought
Offers a new understanding of the place of religion in a secular, scientific world and in the wider intellectual culture
Introduction
1. Nature: From Sacrament to Promise
2. God: From Governor to Goal
3. Dogma: From Fixist to Futurist
4. Spirituality: From Contemplation to Anticipation
5. Life: From Design to Drama
6. Evolution: From Outcome to Opportunity
7. Suffering: From Expiation to Expectation
8. Dignity: From Duality to Relationality
9. Morality: From Perfection to Process
10. Mind: From Afterthought to Axis
11. Humanity: From Term to Transition
12. Ecology: From Preservation to Preparation
13. Destiny: From Personal to Cosmic
Bibliography
Index
The merit of the author consists in offering a readable book concerning such a difficult argument. He succeeds in presenting the fully rational dimension of hope in the contemporary age of science.
John F. Haught's latest book provides a brilliant theological analysis of what the Catholic faith means in an age of evolution. It is an intellectually adventurous, most inspiring work-a creative response to the Second Vatican Council's call for the much needed renewal of the Catholic Church. This illuminating account of what Haught calls 'the metaphysics of the future' unfolds before us the grandeur of cosmic and Christian hope. Deeply influenced by Teilhard de Chardin, Lonergan, Rahner, and other modern theologians and philosophers, Haught's thought challenges its readers in every fibre of their being to think afresh about the much misunderstood relationship between religion and evolution. It also addresses such topical issues as ecology, transhumanism, the value of human life, suffering and death, and the great biblical promise of the future. I cannot recommend this book too highly-it is a model of clarity, strength of argument, original thinking, and a most persuasive summons to re-examine our life and thought in the light of evolutionary becoming.
Professor Haught provides us with a readable, thoughtful synthesis. Not merely responding to the 'New Atheists,' as he has done so well, he offers a way forward for Catholics to think about how the faith relates to issues in science. He reminds us that it is 'good news' that the universe is unfinished.
- Title: Resting on the Future: Catholic Theology for an Unfinished Universe
- Author: John F. Haught
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
- Print Publication Date: 2015
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781501306235, 9781501306211, 1501306219, 1501306235
- Resource ID: LLS:9781501306235
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-04-11T22:34:53Z