Chance or Purpose?

 Our Description

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn’s article on evolution and creation in The New York Times launched an international controversy. Critics charged him with biblical literalism and “creationism”.

In this book, Cardinal Schönborn (Archbishop of Vienna, Austria) responds to his critics by tackling the hard questions with a carefully reasoned "theology of creation". Can we still speak intelligently of the world as “creation” and affirm the existence of the Creator, or is God a “delusion”? How should an informed believer read Genesis? If God exists, why is there so much injustice and suffering? Are human beings a part of nature or elevated above it? What is man's destiny? Is everything a matter of chance or can we discern purpose in human existence?

In his treatment of evolution, Cardinal Schönborn distinguishes the biological theory from “evolutionism”, the ideology that tries to reduce all of reality to mindless, meaningless processes. He argues that science and a rationally grounded faith are not at odds and that what many people represent as “science” is really a set of philosophical positions that will not withstand critical scrutiny.

Chance or Purpose? directly raises the philosophical and theological issues many scientists today overlook or ignore. The result is a vigorous, frank dialogue that acknowledges the respective insights of the philosopher, the theologian and the scientist, but which calls on them to listen and to learn from each another.

"Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn's 2005 essay in the New York Times, which seemingly condemned Darwin's scientific theory of evolution, ignited a firestorm of controversy. Yet the hasty responses did not look deeply enough into the Cardinal's words. Rather than the science of Darwin, it is the philosophical claims made in its name that the prelate upbraided. Science cannot speak of ultimate purpose, and scientists who do so are outside of their authority. In Chance or Purpose? the Cardinal shows that the data of biology, when properly examined by reason and philosophy, strongly point to a purposeful world."
—Michael Behe Author, Darwin’s Black Box

“Cardinal Schoenborn writes with masterful simplicity on profound theological issues. I, as a scientist and Christian outside the Catholic tradition, welcome his wisdom. He argues effectively that there aremultiple approaches to reality, and he states clearly that whileintelligent design is worthy of human reflection, from a scientific perspective the evolutionary model is the true story.”
—Owen Gingerich, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy and History of Science, Harvard University. Author of God's Universe

“Intellectual curiosity is here joined with precision of reason and vibrancy of faith. The result is a wondrously instructive guide to one of the most controverted questions of our time by one of the most influential leaders of the Church.”
—Richard John Neuhaus Editor, First Things

“Anyone reading this sentence knows that eyes are meant for seeing. Yet in today's debates over evolution, the question of meaning ranks among the most controversial (even if obvious) features of our world. In the din of this muddled debate, Cardinal Schoenborn speaks as a true teacher of the Catholic faith, unafraid to apply the core wisdom of the Bible to the two Top Questions that haunt us all: where do we come from and where are we headed? Any attempt to answer these two tormenting mysteries will either begin here or never find their resolution.”
—Edward T. Oakes, S.J., University of St. Mary of the Lake Mundelein, Illinois.

Table of Contents:

Part One: Creation and Evolution -  The Current Debate
Creation: Where Does it Come From and Where Is It Going?
Theology of Creation and the Worldview of Natural Science
Not Losing Wonder

Part Two: "In the Beginning God Created..." (Genesis 1:1)
Belief in Creation as Fanaticism
An Outline of the Theology of Creation
What Is the Beginning?
Creation and the Freedom of God

Part Three: "He Created Everything According to Its Kind..." (cf. Genesis 1:11)
A Look at the Biblical Message about Creation
Everything Is Created
Variety Is What God Wills
Order in Variety
Evolution and Ascent
Creation or Nature?
The Common Bond of Creatureliness
Creation and the Glory of God 

Part Four: "He Upholds the Universe By His Word of Power..." (Hebrews 1:3)
God Is at Work in the World - A Poetical Approach
Creation and Providence
Evolution as a Matter of Belief?
Continuing Providence
New Things in Creation
The Incredible Wealth of Variety

Part Five: "You Guide Everything..." -God's Guidance and the World's Suffering
Critical Questions Put to Belief
In Search of an Answer
The Best of Worlds?
Everything That Is, Is Good - But Limited
Can Evil Even Be Good?
Pointers toward an Answer

Part Six: "...Little Less than God" (Psalm 8:6) -Man as the Crown of Creation?
The World Was Created for the Sake of Man
Man - A Part of Nature
Immersed in the Stream of Things Coming into Existence
The Small Distinction
The Choice Between Reason and Irrationality
"The Fly Was Created Before You"

Part Seven: All Things Were Created For Him" (Colossians 1:16)  -Christ - the Goal of Creation
Christ - Creator of the World
"In Him All Things Hold Together"
Easter As a New Creation
Teilhard de Chardin - Witness to Christ

Part Eight: "Subdue the Earth" (Genesis 1:28) - Responsibility for Creation
Man's Dominion in the World
Listening to Creation
Right and Wrong Understanding of Dominion
Responsibility for Creation and Science

Part Nine: Summary and Prospect
Two Way of Looking at Things - Two Stories
Neo-Darwinism and Neo-Liberalism
Neo-Darwinism and the Pedagogy of Fitness
The Struggle for an Ethics of Life

Conclusion
Scripture Index
Index of Persons

Faith and Reason Reconciled

Christoph Cardinal Schonborn is a man one of my priest-friends--the oldest in the Central FL diocese--believes will be the next Pope. He is aritculate, orthodox, outspoken, and yet is immensely pastoral and gifted as a shepherd. It's rare to find brilliant tehology and gentle paternal care in one man. But Schonborn seems to be gifted with both sides of the coin. In this book, he exhibits a sharp understanding of the relationship between faith and reason today. Many in our culture see religion and science as opponents. Schonborn, however, notes that science and religion are not at odds with each other, but are in completely different spheres.The problems arise when scientists speak as theologians and theologians speak as scientists. Neither group should speak or postulate outside of their area of expertise.

He also postulates that there are no natural contradictions between the two. In fact, there can't be. They both are different streams in the river of Truth. Religi Full Review...

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