1. Alister McGrath, Christian Theology: An Introduction
Chapter 7
Knowledge of God:
Natural and Revealed
Wiley-Blackwell 2010

2. Introduction The Idea of Revelation Models of Revelation
An issue from the Bible, or from modern philosophy?
The seeds of revelation in the Bible
Models of Revelation
Revelation as doctrine
Scripture: conversative evangelicalism
Carl F.H. Henry, God, Revelation, and Authority
Tradition: Catholic neo-scholasticism
Critiques
George Lindbeck
Karl Barth
Wiley-Blackwell 2010

3. Revelation as presence
Martin Buber ( )
Emil Brunner, Truth as Encounter
Revelation as experience
F.D.E. Schleiermacher ( )
On Religion: Speeches to its Cultured Despisers
The Christian Faith
Revelation as history
Wolfhart Pannenberg (born 1928)
God’s self-revelation occurred through acts of God in history
Revelation is apprehended at the end, not the beginning
God’s revelation in history is publicly and universal accessible
God’s universal revelation is fully realized in the destiny of Jesus
The Christ-event is set in the context of Israel
Wiley-Blackwell 2010

4. Natural Theology: Its Scope and Limits
Thomas Aquinas on natural theology
Causality
God’s perfection
John Calvin on natural theology
Subjective ground of knowledge: “sense of divinity”
Objective ground of knowledge: inspection of the created order
The role of revelation and Scripture
Knowledge of God as creator; knowledge of God as redeemer
The Reformed tradition on natural theology
Two modes of knowing God: natural order and Scripture
God’s two books: nature and Scripture
Wiley-Blackwell 2010

5. Approaches to Discerning God in Nature
Human reason
Augustine, On the Trinity
The ordering of the world
John Polkinghorne (b. 1930)
The beauty of the world
Jonathan Edwards ( )
Hans Urs von Balthasar ( )
Wiley-Blackwell 2010

6. Objections to Natural Theology
A theological objection: Karl Barth
Attempt to undermine the necessity and uniqueness of divine revelation
Criticisms of Barth’s position
Inadequate biblical foundations
Departure from the Reformed tradition
Potential for disinterest in natural sciences
A theological response: Thomas F. Torrance
Barth’s objection: autonomous and independent natural theology
Attempt to bridge disjunction between God and the world
A philosophical objection: Alvin Plantinga
Belief in God as basic, rather than grounded on another more basic belief
Attempts to prove God’s existence rejected
A philosophical response: William P. Alston
Convergence between natural theology and traditional arguments for God’s existence
A debate: Karl Barth vs. Emil Brunner (1934)
Brunner: “point of contact” for divine revelation within human nature
Barth: rejection of the analogia entis
Wiley-Blackwell 2010

7. The Natural Sciences and Christian Theology: Models of Interaction
The continuity between science and theology
Liberal Protestantism
Process theology
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin ( )
The distinctiveness of science and theology
Neo-orthodoxy
Langdon Gilkey ( )
Karl Rahner ( )
The convergence of science and theology
Thomas F. Torrance
Alister McGrath
The opposition of science and theology
The “New Atheism”
Scientific creationism
Wiley-Blackwell 2010