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Providence and Space-Time: Rethinking God's Relation to the World Through the Eyes of John Polkinghorne

Birch, John F.
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0576-3288
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1607005827363861

Abstract Details

2020, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, Theology.
Recent years have witnessed a greater acknowledgement among physicists and theologians that theology and physics have something to say to each other with regard to the endeavor to better understand God’s relationship to the world. Modern physics has been led by contemporary scientific pioneers who saw unique ways to solve problems that began to arise as more and more aspects of physical reality were investigated and required explanation. The insights arising from these physicists served to banish the older traditional scientific view of the universe as a “grand machine”. One of the results of this modified scientific view of the nature of the universe has been renewed dialog between physics and theology in a new with a whole new set of challenges to longstanding questions about God’s relation to the world. One of the major participants in this discussion is John Polkinghorne, a highenergy particle physicist and Anglican priest, who approaches the pursuit of knowledge by beginning with physics and proceeding to examine the realm of natural phenomena for evidence of agreement and consistency with the claims of religious faith. Polkinghorne’s view seems to offer promise because of 1) his effort to remain true to the tenets of the Christian faith, and 2) his reliance on sound modern science and mathematics (in particular quantum indeterminacy and chaos theory). The promise Polkinghorne offers is the use of intellectual pursuit, by way of modern physics, in order to facilitate faith’s search for understanding with regard to the question of God’s relationship with the world. This can have implications not only for academic theology, but also for Christians’ grasp of various religious concepts such as creation, prayer, miracles, and the nature of God, all of which are key doctrines believers deal with each day. Polkinghorne has said of his own endeavors in this area “My concern is to explore to what extent we can use the search for motivated understanding, so congenial to the scientific mind, as a route to being able to make the substance of Christian orthodoxy our own.”1 During my research I found that one of the key criticisms of Polkinghorne is that determinate rules underlying chaos theory undermine his reliance on indeterminacy for his view of divine interaction with the world. I am not convinced that the way he uses chaos theory undermines his reliance on indeterminacy, since indeterminacy is built into the warp and woof of reality according to the Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum mechanics. However, my concern here is not to argue for the particular way he uses chaos theory but rather to argue that the criticisms of his use of chaos theory can better contribute to the discussion of God’s relation to the world were they to refocus their attention on the relationship between the quantum and macroscopic levels of physical reality. With the increased research efforts of modern physicists to better understand the quantum level of reality it seems that this is the area that goes most directly to the heart of the question of God’s interaction with and influence in the world. Finally, in making this argument I hope that it will be apparent why it is so important for the physicist, theologian, or any believer to have a better understanding of God’s relationship with the world. I believe the fact that this question has long been pondered is evidence enough that it is fundamentally important. Contemporary challenges to models of understanding the relationship of God and world have sometimes resulted in flawed ways of trying to arrive at answers, such as the "God of the Gaps" approach of using epistemological gaps as a warrant to argue for the presence and work of God. In particular, by exploring Polkinghorne's view and how he is criticized, I hope to show that his approach helps to avoid such pitfalls, which is crucial for articulating a better understanding of the question of divine interaction with the world that is faithful to the claims of modern physics as well as Christian belief. 1 John Polkinghorne, Faith of a Physicist (Minneapolis Minnesota: Fortress Press, 1994), 1
Daniel Thompson, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Brad Kallenberg, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Vincent Miller, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Dennis Doyle, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Allen McGrew, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
137 p.
Epistemology; Mathematics; Physics; Quantum Physics; Science History; Theology; Theoretical Physics
Divine interaction with the world; Divine action; Quantum theory; Chaos theory; Indeterminacy; Causal joint; Critcisms of Polkinghorne

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Citations

  • Birch, J. F. (2020). Providence and Space-Time: Rethinking God's Relation to the World Through the Eyes of John Polkinghorne [Doctoral dissertation, University of Dayton]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1607005827363861

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Birch, John. Providence and Space-Time: Rethinking God's Relation to the World Through the Eyes of John Polkinghorne. 2020. University of Dayton, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1607005827363861.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Birch, John. "Providence and Space-Time: Rethinking God's Relation to the World Through the Eyes of John Polkinghorne." Doctoral dissertation, University of Dayton, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1607005827363861

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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