Foreword
Foreword
The natural sciences offer a rich account of how the universe around us coheres and functions, enabling us to grasp something of its deeper structure and nature. Unsurprisingly, many have found the study of nature deeply satisfying as an end in itself. Others, however, while valuing the natural sciences as a way of understanding how our universe works, feel that something deeper is required—something that is able to offer a satisfactory account of the beauty of our world, and to open up the deeper question of what it means.
These questions have long been addressed by Christian theology, which has developed a rich and satisfying account of how the rationality and beauty of nature are framed by the vision of reality, which lies at the heart of the Christian gospel. Writers such as Thomas Aquinas and Bona-venture in the Middle Ages, and Jonathan Edwards in colonial America, have made significant contributions to our reflections on how we might correlate the perceived beauty of the world and the greater beauty of God. Dr. Lisanne Winslow has taken this conversation further in this carefully argued book, which invites its readers to set out on a journey of aesthetic exploration and theological appreciation in the company of Emil Brunner and Jonathan Edwards, unfolding a Trinitarian theology of nature and allowing it to illuminate and transfigure what we see around us.
The term “natural theology” has found wide acceptance to designate lines of inquiry about the relation of the natural world and God. Some understand natural theology to designate the process of reasoning which begins from the complexity or intelligibility of nature, and argues that the most satisfactory explanation of such natural qualities lies in God as its creator. Others have suggested that natural theology is better understood as a theologically informed way of beholding the natural world, which offers a more satisfying account of its depth and elegance than that offered by the forms of philosophical naturalism, which are so often, and so inappropriately, appended to the scientific method. Such an approach affirms the coherence and rational transparency of the natural world, while holding that these are best framed and comprehended through the theoretical lens of Christian theology. This approach does not aim to deduce the existence of God from the observation of nature, but rather affirms and explores the capacity of the Christian faith to make sense of what is observed.
Dr. Winslow develops this theme in this work, setting out how a Trinitarian theology of nature provides a rationally and imaginatively satisfying account of our world. As a professional biologist, Dr Winslow is well-placed to appreciate the beauty and complexity of the natural world, and reflect on its deeper implications. At one level, her study witnesses to the importance of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, and affirms the wisdom of those such as Karl Barth and Karl Rahner, who urged its retrieval after a sustained period of neglect in the nineteenth century. Yet the most important theme of her study is the vision of nature, which such a theology affirms and unfolds. Her choice of dialogue partners is wise and considered. Emil Brunner has long been neglected, largely because he was unfortunate enough to stand in the shadow of Karl Barth. Dr. Winslow’s retrieval of his scriptural exegesis of nature makes it clear that Brunner needs to be given greater attention in theological accounts of nature.
Yet many will feel that Dr. Winslow’s deft and illuminating use of Jonathan Edwards is perhaps her most significant contribution to a Trinitarian theology of nature. In his own day, Edwards was noted for both his reaffirmation of the doctrine of the Trinity in an increasingly rationalized culture, and for his account of the affective aspects of our engagement with nature. As Edwards makes clear in his Religious Affections, we do not simply understand nature; we feel its beauty and depth. By bringing these two aspects of Edwards’ thought together, Dr. Winslow helps us generate what we might term a “semiotics of nature”—a point made with particular clarity in her discussion of “Natural Types and Antitypes.”
There is much to be gained from a close reading of this work. It reinforces the growing interest in the retrieval and reconfiguration of natural theology, both as a legitimate and productive theological enterprise in itself, and also as an interface between the natural sciences and Christian theology. In particular, Dr. Winslow develops Edwards’ affective approach to the natural world to generate a spirituality of nature, rooted in a Trinitarian vision of reality yet capable of engaging the sense of beauty and depth that so many experience on contemplating the natural world. This is a book which opens up fresh intellectual and spiritual vistas for exploration. I hope that others will find it as engaging and stimulating as I do.
Alister E. McGrath
Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion
Oxford University