Category: Books

Description: In Through a Glass Darkly Professor McGrath shares at length and for the first time how exactly he moved from atheism to faith while studying natural sciences at Oxford University, and how each discipline has informed the other throughout his life. This is a rich, inspiring read from one of today’s greatest public theologians.

Reviews:

Alister McGrath has written an intellectual thriller that documents his transition from a nature-loving schoolboy Marxist to the Oxford Professor of Science and Religion. The detail is fascinating: discovering that what once was certain crumbled, probing the methods and limits of science and finding in literature, historical, philosophical and imaginative, a pathway from the shadows of Plato’s cave to an epiphany of understanding in the sunlit uplands, similar to that of C.S. Lewis before him. Realising not only that science and religion give different but complementary maps of the world, but also that Christianity offers the coherent big-picture framework for which his mind and heart had been questing. This is a must read for all those interested in the life of the mind and the science-religion debate. I could not put it down. You will not be able to either.

— John Lennox, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics, University of Oxford

‘A compelling story, at once readable and profound. In charting his path from atheism to Christian faith, Alister McGrath offers rich resources for believers, as well as a robust challenge to sceptics and religion’s cultured despisers.’

— Rupert Shortt, author of Outgrowing Dawkins: God for Grown-Ups

Alister McGrath is renowned as a world-leading academic and very successful author with a particular interest in the interface of science and religion. This readable account tells his personal story and might even become a classic. It portrays his journey from a young prodigy to scientist and theologian. Enlivened with occasional flashes of humour and drawing on the author’s exceptional breadth and depth of reading, it illustrates why he has successfully written for popular as well as academic audiences. It deserves to be very widely read.

— Michael J. Reiss, President, International Society for Science and Religion

A personal story of how Alister McGrath travelled from a youthful certainty of atheism, across troubled intellectual seas, to arrive on an island of faith where he learned to be at peace with uncertainty . . . McGrath explains why Christianity, in providing the big picture which accommodates science, is not only plausible but intellectually satisfying. Through a Glass Darkly is a book that will help anyone wishing, with sincerity and intellectual honesty, to reconsider the apparent conflict between science and Christian faith.

— Paul Ewart, Professor of Physics, University of Oxford

ECPA 2014 Christian Book Award Winner (Non-Fiction)!
Fifty years after his death, C. S. Lewis continues to inspire and fascinate millions. His legacy remains varied and vast. He was a towering intellectual figure, a popular fiction author who inspired a global movie franchise around the world of Narnia, and an atheist-turned-Christian thinker.

In C.S. Lewis-A Life, Alister McGrath, prolific author and respected professor at King’s College of London, paints a definitive portrait of the life of C. S. Lewis. After thoroughly examining recently published Lewis correspondence, Alister challenges some of the previously held beliefs about the exact timing of Lewis’s shift from atheism to theism and then to Christianity. He paints a portrait of an eccentric thinker who became an inspiring, though reluctant, prophet for our times.

You won’t want to miss this fascinating portrait of a creative genius who inspired generations.

My Theology: The world's leading Christian thinkers explain some of the principal tenets of their theological beliefs. 'I never expected to be a Christian theologian, mainly because I never expected to be a Christian,' writes Alister McGrath. 'I assumed that scientific atheism would be my permanent intellectual homeland; in fact, it turned out to be a temporary place of exile, from which I would later return, wiser and somewhat chastened.'In this fascinating book, McGrath describes his journey into faith and his vision of Christian theology, focussing on the distinct role of historical theology; the importance of engaging the relation of science and faith; the need for theologians to engage in major public debates; and the significance of theological education.

Reformation Thought: An Introduction is a clear, engaging, and accessible introduction to the European Reformation of the sixteenth century. Written for readers with little to no knowledge of Christian theology or history, this indispensable guide surveys the ideas of the prominent thought leaders of the period, as well as its many movements, including Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anabaptism, and the Catholic and English Reformations. The text offers readers a framework to interpret the events of the Reformation in full view of the intellectual landscape and socio-political issues that fueled its development.

Based on Alister McGrath’s acclaimed lecture course at Oxford University, the fully updated fifth edition incorporates the latest academic research in historical theology. Revised and expanded chapters describe the cultural backdrop of the Reformation, discuss the Reformation’s background in late Renaissance humanism and medieval scholasticism, and distill the findings of recent scholarship, including work on the history of the Christian doctrine of justification. A wealth of pedagogical features-including illustrations, updated bibliographies, a glossary, a chronology of political and historical ideas, and several appendices-supplement McGrath’s clear explanations.

Written by a world-renowned theologian, Reformation Thought: An Introduction, Fifth Edition upholds its reputation as the ideal resource for university and seminary courses on Reformation thought and the widespread change it inspired in Christian belief and practice.

The leading introductory textbook on the study of religion and the natural sciences, including new coverage of the latest topics in the field

Science and Religion provides students with a thorough introduction to the major themes and landmark debates in the interaction of science and religion. Incorporating history, philosophy, the natural sciences, and theology, this popular textbook examines how science and religion approach central questions and discusses the relationship between the two areas through the centuries. The authoritative and accessible chapters are designed for readers with minimal knowledge of science or theology.

Written by one of the world's leading authorities on the study of religion and science, this fully revised and updated third edition addresses contemporary topics and reflects the latest conceptual developments in the field. New and expanded chapters and case studies discuss Scientism, evolutionary theodicy, the Theory of Relativity, warranted belief in science and religion, the influence of science and religion on human values, and more. The most up-to-date introduction to this exciting and rapidly growing field, this textbook:

• Offers an engaging, thematically-based approach to the subject
• Provides historical context for major events in science and religion
• Explores scientific and religious perspectives on Creation and the existence of God
• Discusses models, analogies, and issues at the intersection of science and religion
• Is supported by a series of videos that complement each chapter

One of the most respected and widely adopted textbooks in the field, Science and Religion: A New Introduction, 3rd Edition is an ideal resource for college, seminary, and university students in courses in science and religion; church or community courses in the relation of science and faith; and general readers looking for an inclusive overview of the field.