Heidi A. Campbell and Heather Looy, eds. A Science and Religion Primer (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009), 230 Pps., $19.99; and Celia Deanne-Drummond, Christ and Evolution (London: SCM, 2009), xx + 300 Pps., $23.00.
The interdisciplinary conversation between religion and science is one of the most important in the twenty-first century. The ongoing dialogue is sure to shape, if not drastically alter, theology as it is expressed in this new millennium. The two titles currently under review both address this burgeoning field, and shall be reviewed in what follows.
The first title under review, A Science and Religion Primer, is edited by Heidi A. Campbell (PhD, University of Edinburgh) and Heather Looy (PhD, McMaster University). Both Campbell and Looy participated in the Sir John Templeton Oxford Seminars in Science and Christianity, from which this book sprang. This title is unique in that it is an encyclopedia, an annotated bibliography, and a survey of the relationship between science and religion, all wrapped up into one compact volume of some two hundred pages. The editors provide four short, ‘teaser’, essays from expert contributors to onset the volume: one regarding the history of the science and religion dialogue written by Peter Harrison; one covering the role of philosophy in the science and religion dialogue composed by Nancey Murphy; Deane-Drummond contributes a chapter regarding theology’s intersection with the science and religion dialogue; and Holmes Rolston III writes about science and technology in light of religion. Directly following the introductory chapters, some eighty encyclopedic-like entries are provided, covering such diverse areas as altruism, causation, Darwin, emergence, evolutionary biology, kenosis, naturalism, process philosophy/theology, the scientific method, and theodicy.
Our second volume under review, Christ and Evolution, was written by Celia Deane-Drummond, who originally earned a doctorate in Plant Physiology, later to receive also a doctorate in theology, and then was awarded the Chair in Theology and the Biological Sciences at the University of Chester in England. This title speaks broadly of Christologies that can range from the most traditional, expressing the understanding Christ as both human and divine person, to the most liberal, where Christ is understood as divine inasmuch as he is a man who was perfectly obedient to the will of God. Within the title, she contends that one’s image of Christ inevitably bears on the particular culture in which we are situation, and that it is therefore somewhat surprising that the science-religion dialogue has focused most on a doctrine of God, while rarely addressing Christ.
In an attempt to correct this, Deane-Drummond’s book sets out to develop a Christology that is far more conscious of the evolutionary history of humanity and current evolutionary theories about the natural world in general. It argues that one means of developing a Christology that can be informed by such theories is through the concepts of wisdom and wonder. In the course of her argument, she is particularly critical of Teilhard’s view of evolution, arguing that it is outdated in many respects. In fact, she argues in chapter one that while Teilhard was correct in putting evolution on the proverbial ‘theological agenda’, his approach is indebted to a cosmic creation story that serves to generate an epic narrative approach to history. In the second chapter, she asserts an alternative manner of relating Christology to evolution that takes its cue from theodrama as the primary source of inspiration, of which the entire book could be seen as an explication of what this might entail. In chapters two through five, she dialogues with evolutionary psychology, the drama of the incarnation, von Balthasar, and animal behaviorists, respectively, constructing her view of theodrama. She deals with the evolutionary significance of Christ’s resurrection in chapter six, and develops an evolutionary understanding of eschatology in the seventh. In the final chapter, she extends the thinking of evolutionary psychology more fully into a discussion of transhumanist evolution (including so-called smart drugs, nanotechnology, prosthetics, and genetic modification). Throughout, she builds on her previous title, Creation through Wisdom (T & T Clark, 2000), arguing for the use of theodrama as an exercise in constructive theology and as a means of relating Christology to evolution.
Professors and students of theology, religion, and science –both at the undergraduate and graduate levels – will welcome A Science and Religion Primer, as it is an accessible and accurate contribution to interdisciplinary studies. It provides an excellent resource for students who are interested in the dialogue between science and faith, but may have little formal training in either discipline. The book is soundly edited, and its advisory board for the encyclopedic entries consists of such reputable names as Deane-Drummond, Nancey Murphy, George F.R. Ellis, Holmes Rolston III, and Craig A. Boyd. Similarly, professors and students will appreciate Christ and Evolution, which could also be well used for undergraduate and graduate courses in the philosophy of religion or in courses that intersect with science and religion. Together, these two titles show that science and religion have much to learn from one another, and I could easily see them be used in tandem as complimentary texts in a single course.
Bradford McCall, Regent University, Virginia beach, VA