Questions of Truth: Fifty-one Responses to Questions About God, Science and Belief

For many years people from across the world have sent the scientist-turned-priest John Polkinghorne questions about science and belief. In question-and-answer format, Polkinghorne and his collaborator Nicholas Beale offer their informed opinions about some of the most asked questions. Readers can follow their own paths through the book, selecting questions that interest them and looking at the additional material if they choose. The unique book will help Christians clarify their beliefs and better face challenges to their faith.

How did the universe begin? Can God's existence be proven? Do humans matter more than animals? For many years people have sent the scientist-turned-priest John Polkinghorne these and other questions about science and belief. In question-and-answer format, Polkinghorne and his collaborator Nicholas Beale offer their highly informed opinions about some of the most frequently asked of these questions. Readers can follow their own paths through the book, selecting questions that interest them and looking at the additional material if they choose. This unique book will help Christians clarify their beliefs regarding difficult issues and better face challenges--from within and from others--to their faith.

This book grew out of questions generated at a Web site that management consultant Beale organized to communicate the ideas of Polkinghorne ("Faith, Science, and Understanding"), a physicist and Anglican priest, who maintains that science and religion are complementary modes of thought. It organizes selected questions under seven topics. Each questionis followed by the responses of Beale and Polkinghorne, sometimes as a single answer and sometimes by the authors individually. Its three appendixes (Anthropic Fine-Tuning, Brain and Consciousness and Evolution) are substantial, constituting a third of the book, although they repeat

Foreword: Tony Hewish		xi
Preface: John Polkinghorne		xiii
Introduction		1
1. Leading Questions		5
1. Science and Religion		5
2. Human Nature		9
3. The Existence of God		11
4. Creation and Evolution		14
5. Evil and Suffering		16
6. Divine Action		17
7. Jesus Christ		19
8. Final Destiny		22
9. Atheism		24
2. The Concept and Existence of God		26
10. Can God's Existence Be Proved?		26
11. Is God a Delusion?		27
12. How Can God Inhabit Eternity?		31
13. Does God Know Everything?		32
14. Is Everything Divinely Predestined?		34
15. Is God the Source of All Morality?		34
16. What about the Trinity?		35
3. The Universe		39
17. How Did the Universe Begin?		39
18. How Can Something Come from Nothing?		40
19. Isn't Everything Random?		41
20. What is the Anthropic Principle?		43
21. Have Anthropic Arguments Been Refuted?		45
22. Why Is the Universe So Big?		50
23. Will Everything, Eventually, Be Explained by Science?		50
24. Is a Unified Theory of Everything Possible?		51
4. Evolution		54
25. Is Evolution Fact or Theory?		54
26. What about Intelligent Design?		56
27. Can the Mind Be Explained by Evolution?		58
28. Isn't Evolution Unethical?		60
29. Why Is Evolution so Wasteful?		61
5. Evil		63
30. Where Does Evil Come From?		63
31. Who or What Is "the Devil"?		65
32. Why Is There Cancer?		66
33. Is Original Sin a Result of Nature or Nurture?		67
34. Why Do People Choose Evil?		68
35. Does Religion Inspire Evil Acts?		69
6. Human Being		71
36. Who Were Adam and Eve?		71
37. What Does It Mean to Be Created "in the Image of God"?		72
38. When Does an Embryo Become a Person?		73
39. Do We Have Souls?		74
40. What Is Conscience?		77
41. Does Human Life Have a Purpose?		78
42. Do Humans Matter More Than Animals?		80
7. Religion		83
43. Is Atheism a Form of Faith?		83
44. Can We See Truth?		84
45. Which Stories in the Bible Are True?		85
46. How Does the Death of Jesus Save the World?		88
47. Why Believe Jesus Rose from the Dead?		88
48. How Much Do You Need to Believe to Be a Christian?		89
49. What Place Do Non-Christians Have in God's Universe?		90
50. Will Sinners Suffer Eternal Punishment?		92
51. What Is the Point of Praying?		94
8. Conclusion		96
Appendix A: Anthropic Fine-Tuning		99
Appendix B: The Brain and Mind		117
Appendix C: Evolution		138
Notes		155
Glossary		169
Selected Bibliography		177
Index		181