Science and Religion is a record of the 2009 Building Bridges seminar, a dialogue between leading Christian and Muslim scholars convened annually by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The essays in this volume explore how both faith traditions have approached the interface between science and religion and throw light on the ongoing challenges posed by this issue today. The volume includes a selection of relevant texts together with commentary that illuminates the scriptures, the ideas of key religious thinkers, and also the legacy of Charles Darwin.
Table of Contents
Introduction
David Marshall
Building Bridges in Istanbul
Rowan Williams
Part I: Surveys
Science and the Christian Tradition: A Brief Overview
John Hedley Brooke
Science and Religion in the History of Islam
Ahmad Dallal
Science and Religious Belief in the Modern World: Challenges and Opportunities
Denis Alexander
Part II: Texts and Commentaries
Biblical Texts
Commentary
Ellen F. Davis
What is Creation? Subtle Insights from Genesis 1 Concerning the Order of the World
Michael Welker
Qur’ānic Texts
Commentary
Mustansir Mir
Classical Christian Texts
Commentary: Science and Religion in the Classical Christian Tradition
Emmanuel Clapsis
Classical Islamic Texts
Commentary: The Importance of al-Ghazālī and Ibn Rushd in the History of Islamic
Discourse on Religion and Science
Osman Bakar
Charles Darwin
Introduction to Darwin and the Selected Texts
John Hedley Brooke
Early Arabic Views of Darwin
Marwa Elshakry
Modern Islamic Texts
Introduction to Qutb and al-Sha‘rāwī
Sherine Hamdy
Pope John Paul II
Commentary
Celia Deane-Drummond
Afterword
Rowan Williams
Index
Reviews
"This volume offers a panoramic look at the problem of the relationship between science and religion . . . with the firm intention of stimulating further discussion."—Islamochristiana
"For those who have neither time nor expertise to delve deeply into this highly complex field, this latest compilation of texts and discussions from the eighth of the Archbishop of Canterbury's 'Building Bridges' seminars (held in Turkey in 2009) is an appetizer that points the way towards further readings."—Islam and Christian Muslim Relations
Contributors
Denis Alexander Osman Bakar John Hedley Brooke Emmanuel Clapsis Ahmad Dallal Ellen F. Davis Celia Deane-Drummond Marwa Elshakry Sherine Hamdy Mustansir Mir Michael Welker Rowan Williams
About the Author
The Reverend Dr. David Marshall is the academic director of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Building Bridges seminar and a research fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University.
