In 2017, the year marking the 105th anniversary of the birth of Sir John Templeton, a group of scientists, scholars, and advisors who knew him personally gathered in Lyford Cay in the Bahamas. Their purpose: to discuss how the Foundation that bears his name could best extend his philanthropic vision into the twenty-first century.
This volume is a result of that meeting—a collection of thirteen essays written by experts in fields that most fascinated Sir John. The contributors assess the Foundation’s fidelity to its founder’s intent, chart promising avenues for future grantmaking, and champion Sir John’s contrarian mission of unlocking life’s deepest mysteries.
The members of the John Templeton Foundation are the custodians of Sir John’s vision—bold in its aspiration; humble in its approach—charged with using the tools of science to advance the frontiers of the spirit. May the essays collected here serve as inspiration as we carry that vision forward.
Foreword / vii
Introduction / xiii
section one
1. Extending Sir Johns Vision into the Twenty-First Century / 3
Paul C. W. Davies
2. From Cosmology to Life and Ethics / 11
George F. R. Ellis
3. Future Research in a Diversity of Domains in Science, Theology and
Spirituality / 27
Robert John Russell
4. John Marks Templeton: The Man Who Said No / 51
Owen Gingerich
Section Two
5. Psychological Science and Christian Faith: Insights and Enrichments from
Sustained Dialogue / 61
Malcolm Jeeves
6. Frontiers in Psychological Science / 83
David G. Myers
7. Religion, Spirituality and Health: What We Know, What We Need to Know 97
Harold G. Koenig
8. The Search for God in the Human Mind 111
Russell Stannard
9. The Evolving Process of Mans Consciousness from a Scientific and
Spiritual Perspective / 122
Rebekah A. Dunlap
10. Can We Investigate Sir Johns Core Metaphysical Idea? An Infinite Mind
of Creative Love Manifest in the Ordered Universe and as a Source of Our
Nonmaterial Souls / 129
Stephen G. Post
Section Three
11. Has There Been Progress in Theological Understanding in the Modern
World? / 153
Keith Ward
12. From Spiritual Information to Communication and Transformation / 164
Niels Henrik Gregersen
13. The Philanthropic Vision of a Contrarian / 174
Philip Clayton
About the Contributors / 186
Paul C. W. Davies, a theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and astrobiologist, is Regents Professor and founding director of BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science at Arizona State University (ASU). He serves as co-director of ASUs cosmology initiative and was principal investigator in its Center for the Convergence of Physical Science and Cancer Biology for five years. His research has spanned the fields of cosmology, gravitation, quantum field theory, and astrobiology, with particular emphasis on black holes, the origin of the universe, and the origin of life. A member of the Order of Australia, Dr. Davies received the 1995 Templeton Prize. He is a member of the John Templeton Foundation and has served as a Foundation trustee and a member of its board of advisors.
George F. R. Ellis, professor emeritus of applied mathematics at the University of Cape Town, is as widely respected for his anti-apartheid Quaker activism as for his contributions to cosmology. He is currently a visiting professor at the University of Oxford. His scientific work on the mathematical foundations of general relativity and cosmology is recognized for its depth, originality, and wit. He studies fundamental questions like the geometrical structure of the universe and challenges conventional assumptions about how the universe began and is built. A fellow of the Royal Society, he was awarded the Templeton Prize in 2004. He is a member of the John Templeton Foundation and has served on the Foundations board of advisors.
Keith Ward, the former Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford University and currently professor of the philosophy of religion at Roehampton University, is one of Britains foremost writers on Christian belief and doctrine in the light of modern scientific discoveries and in the context of other faith traditions. A priest in the Church of England, he has explored the tensions between the classical tradi- tion of natural theology, with its atemporal and self-sufficient God, and the biblical idea of a creative and responsive God, critically examined recent secular theories of human nature, compared the place of revelation and concept of creation in the major world religions, and sketched a revised Christian vision that looks to a convergent global spirituality. A fellow of the British Academy, he is a former member of the board of advisors of the John Templeton Foundation.
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