The St Giles’ Centre has recently published the special science and religion issue of the A-level journal, Challenging Religious Issues in Welsh. (The English version was published in autumn 2019.)
This special issue was originally made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, USA.
Free access to both the English and Welsh versions is available here on our 16+ page.
The special issue articles include:
Technology and Human Nature by Adam M. Willows
The article reviews some theological discussion about developing technology. It discusses how new technologies raise questions about our understanding of human nature, and how different theological responses might approach these questions.
Evolution and the Argument from (or to) Design by Jeff Astley
The article summarises the effect of Darwin’s proposed mechanism for evolution on the design argument for God’s existence.
Stewardship of Creation by Andrew Village
The Jewish-Christian tradition has been partly blamed for creating an attitude towards the environment that sees it as something to be dominated by humans and exploited for their benefit. It also stresses the idea that humans are ‘stewards’ of creation, given the task to look after the planet for God. But what does it mean to steward creation? This article describes two examples of the way in which human activity has shaped different habitats and had complex effects on the birds that live there.
Thinking about Being Human in a Universe of Aliens by David Wilkinson
One of the most compelling scientific issues of our generation is the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). The question whether we are alone in the universe has long fascinated the media and the public and has received fresh momentum in the discovery of exoplanets, a small minority of which have Earth like characteristics. The discovery of life elsewhere in the universe, especially if it is intelligent, poses major questions for the Christian faith in areas such as creation, incarnation, redemption and the nature of what it means to be human.
Is Creation Complete? A Critique of Continuing Creation by Timothy Wall
The article explores the idea that creation is incomplete, through the concept of continuing creation. This arises from the dynamic world as described by science and in the Bible, but it is argued that it is ultimately flawed both scientifically and theologically. It is inherently problematic to say that creation is incomplete because it allows for no discontinuity between creation and new creation. The article suggests that a view of creation rooted in Christ may allow us to say that creation is both complete and dynamic.
Challenging Religious Issues is a free, open access on-line journal designed to support teachers and students engaged in A-level Religious Studies, bringing recent and relevant scholarship and research from the University into the A-level classroom.
The Welsh language version of Challenging Religious Issues is funded and managed by the St Giles’ Centre, Wrexham.