A New Copernican Turn: Contemporary Cosmology, the Self, and Orthodox Science-Engaged Theology (original) (raw)
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From Light into Light: A Theological Cosmology for Our Time
LOGOS: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture (forthcoming)
The Popes of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have spoken of a crisis of meaning in our time, that we have lost any sense of our place in the universe, or even of the universe as anything more than a stark emptiness, a place vast and varied beyond anything we could imagine. Therefore, what we need is a renewed vision of the universe and a renewed way of living as Christians in it, especially one within a broadly Byzantine spirituality. These are the two parts of my presentation. I seek to present the vision of the cosmos that science has revealed in a unified way with what the scriptures and the fathers of the church tell us about creation, all for the sake of regaining a sense of the whole world as one creation, made by one from whom all things come and to whom they all return. --This was originally presented as the opening lecture of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Assembly 2023.
Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences, 2015
The article discusses the problem of interpretation of the universe as a whole in the context of the modern dialogue between science and religion. It is argued that the very possibility of cosmology and theology imply each other. Thus humanity becomes the central problem of the dialogue because of its ambivalent position in the universe as being an organic physical being on the one hand and the articulating consciousness of the whole universe, on the other hand. On the basis of asymmetry in relation between theology and cosmology a methodology of a theological treatment of cosmology is suggested as being based in the irreducible primacy of the event of living with respect to any possible representation of the universe. A phenomenological methodology of "deconstructing" the ideas about the universe is suggested with the aim to disclose the source of these ideas in human person.
Religion, theology and cosmology
In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi, 2013
Cosmology is one of the predominant research areas of the contemporary world. Advances in modern cosmology have prompted renewed interest in the intersections between religion, theology and cosmology. This article, which is intended as a brief introduction to the series of studies on theological cosmology in this journal, identifies three general areas of theological interest stemming from the modern scientific study of cosmology: contemporary theology and ethics; cosmology and world religions; and ancient cosmologies. These intersections raise important questions about the relationship of religion and cosmology, which has recently been addressed by William Scott Green and is the focus of the final portion of the article.Kosmologie is tans een van die belangrikste navorsings-terreine en ontwikkelings in moderne kosmologie. Dit het ‘n nuwe belangstelling wakker gemaak in die verband wat tussen godsdiens, teologie en kosmologie bestaan. Hierdie artikel, wat bedoel is as ‘n bondige inl...
The Philosophical Aspects of the Dialogue between Modern Cosmology and Theology
Discourse
Introduction. The paper deals with the philosophical problems of the modern dialogue between cosmology and theology. It is argued that no existential contradiction is possible between them as originating in one and the same human condition. The difference between cosmology and theology amounts to the difference in their open-ended hermeneutics of the outer world. It is from within this philosophical conclusion that the hot issue of the dialogue are discussed and some insights are proposed.Methodology and sources. The philosophical analysis is based on the discussion of epistemological issues in modern cosmology and their relevance to theological view of the world. The method is similar to existential phenomenology’s approach to the constitution of the notion of the universe in cosmology and theology as an open-ended hermeneutics of the world.Results and discussion. It is shown that no existential contradiction is possible between two types of hermeneutics as originating in one and t...
Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2009
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A Theology of the World: Dumitru Stăniloae, the Traditional Worldview, and Contemporary Cosmology
Orthodox Christianity and Modern Science: Tensions, Ambiguities, Potential. Brepols Publishers, 2019
The remarkable contributions of Father Dumitru Stăniloae (1903-1993) ranged from traditional theology to patristics, from spiritual anthropology to asceticism, and from apologetics to mystical theology. Although his attentiveness to modern cultural trends and ideas has been at times noticed, his input in terms of bridging the traditional representation of reality and the contemporary sciences remains largely ignored. The fact of the matter is that, as a genuine neopatristic theologian, Father Stăniloae was aware of the challenges posed to the traditional worldview by the sciences, and also willing to initiate a constructive dialogue between the theological representation of reality and contemporary cosmology. Interestingly, he did not stumble on account of the ideological narratives in the guise of which scientific cosmology is sometimes promoted—from the atheistic propaganda of the communist regime of those days Romania to the agnosticism and aggressive scientism pertaining to various Western milieus. Instead, discerningly, without prejudice, he consistently referred to the available scientific data in order to give a new articulation to the traditional worldview. In so doing, he provided modern theology with a means to communicate the traditional worldview in intelligible ways to a contemporary, scientifically educated audience. Herein I consider the achievements of Father Stăniloae in the reformulation of the patristic representation of reality—particularly the views of Saint Athanasius the Great and Saint Maximus the Confessor—in conversation with aspects pertaining to the contemporary scientific paradigm. I address the author’s cosmological elaborations by focusing on three main areas, namely, the movement of the universe, the rationality of the cosmos, and the anthropic principle. My goal is to show that for him scientific cosmology and the Christian worldview were, far from antagonistic, a match made in heaven.
Exploring Divinity in the New Cosmological Story
Epic of the Universe at CIIS, 2023
In Cosmogenesis (2022), Brian Thomas Swimme introduces the idea of the need for a “contemporary cosmological myth.” In conversation with his teacher and co-author of the immensely influential The Universe Story (1992), Thomas Berry reveals (2022, p. 192, added emphasis): “In my judgement, the greatest discovery of the last four hundred years is the time-developmental nature of our universe. Scientists have come to realize we live not in a cosmos but in a cosmogenesis.” Cosmos is a static condition, Universe complete, ready-made and unchanging, whereas cosmogenesis indicates Universe in motion, “developing from a primordial simple state into ever more complex states.” Cosmogenesis is thus a profound realization of “cosmic evolution” (Chaisson, 2001); and Swimme and Berry are clear to point out that “we” – you and I and everybody inhabiting Earth in this transformative Epoch – are not merely idle observers but co-participants in this cosmic evolution. Inspired by this profound revelation, the present paper endeavors to contribute to this new “contemporary cosmological myth.”
Theology and Cosmology: A Call for Interdisciplinary Enrichment
Zygon®, 2019
Today, there is a growing interest in interdisciplinary studies between theology and natural sciences. This article will reveal some "core" problems in this interdisciplinary relationship. It investigates how cosmic eschatology and natural sciences can benefit the most from each other while dealing with the scenarios which cosmology presents. Doing so, the main emphasis will be on rediscovering the impact of the Resurrection in Christian theology and the possibility of launching a dialogue between natural sciences and theology concerning the new heaven and the new earth.
Theology and cosmology beyond the Big Bang theory
Science and Religion, 1990
Statement of Intention p. 8 Preface (Jan Fennema, Iain Paul) p. 9 An encounter between science and religion; preliminary observations (Jan Fennema) p. Part I Lectures in full sessions Epitome of Part I p. Introduction to the conference theme A.G.M. van Meisen, Science and religion p. T.F. Torrance, Fundamental issues in theology and science p. M. Bloemendal, Science and religion-the Jewish position p. Reconciling developments in the natural sciences-the question of scientism A. Gierer, Physics, life and mind p. W. Weidlich, Reconciling concepts between natural science and theology p. J.C. Polkinghorne F.R.S., A revived natural theology p. Reconciling developments in theology-the question of dogmatism W.B. Drees, Theology and cosmology beyond the Big Bang theory p. 99 J. Van der Veken, God's world and man becoming: how can science possibly help us transcend dogmatism? p. 131 The divorce of science and religion-a process in retrospect O. Pedersen, Historical interaction between science and religion p. 139 J.R. Durant, Is there a role for theology in an age of secular science? p. 161 Science and religion studies today and tomorrow J. Hübner, Science and religion coming across p. 173 G. Vahanian, Creation and Big Bang: the word, as space of creation p. 183
Romanian Journal of Artistic Creativity, 2020
The dialogue between theology and science, nowadays more and more frequently approached from different perspectives in the Romanian space, proves relevant, among other things, in establishing a way of receiving scientific data about the world. A whole series of important discoveries that were made in the last century has revealed new data regarding the structure of space-time, several quantum constituents of matter and energy, unexpected regularities present in the living world and in the processes of the physical world. Such data have elicited long debates and led to the formulation of several questions such as those regarding the nature of the human mind, the nature of mathematical constructions and how the structures of the living and nonliving world can, to a large extent and in many respects, be rendered in mathematical terms. As scientific exploration reveals more and more situations in which certain mathematical concepts and constructs prove adequate to describe some particular aspects of physical reality, new nuances and possible answers are added to the old questions, further increasing the consistency of discussions and formulation of nuanced perspectives. The order, the harmonies, the patterns existing in the structures and processes of the physical world are most easily located in the space of dialogue between theology, philosophy and science, as they bring into question both the problem of the mind, of the mathematical instrument, the question of the fact of science, but also the remarkable situation of the convergence of three aspects, namely matching the mind and its mathematics with the structures of the surrounding reality. Such situations naturally require a triple perspective, a correct use of the data of science and its premises, a philosophical contribution meant, among other things, to provide possible appropriate interpretations and understandings and, finally, a more comprehensive theological approach, capable of proposing meanings that link these contents with the life of man, with his spiritual uplifting. We shall next highlight, through three recent work areas, some results that highlight three possible places of convergence between theology, philosophy and science, mentioning, where appropriate, important aspects that condition the authentic dialogue.