cover image How Large is God?: The Voices of Scientists and Theologians

How Large is God?: The Voices of Scientists and Theologians

. Templeton Foundation Press, $22.95 (257pp) ISBN 978-1-890151-01-0

Templeton, the force behind the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, has sought in all of his work to combine the methodologies and discoveries of the sciences with theology, so that theology might be pursued as a quantitative science. In the struggle between theology and science, this book attempts to find a middle way. An impressive group of scientists, including physicists Freeman Dyson and Herbert Benson, and theologians contribute essays to this volume. Seven of the essays examine recent discoveries in cosmology and particle physics, mainly in support of tightly reasoned arguments for the existence of God. Physicist Howard J. Van Till, for example, surveys the current scientific trend of viewing nature as many complex self-organizing systems and concludes that such systems should be seen ""as evidence, not that God is unnecessary but that God has been unfathomably generous in the giving of being to his creation."" Religion historian Martin Marty appreciates the irony of the book's title and examines how one might meaningfully interpret an obviously metaphorical question like ""How large is God?"" Overall, the essays are an engaging exploration of the relationship between science and theology. (Dec.)