Events of Grace
Naturalism, Existentialism, and Theology

This 1996 book puts forward the argument that Christian faith is compatible with a scientific world view.

Charley D. Hardwick (Author)

9780521552202, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 29 March 1996

326 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.65 kg

"This book makes an important contribution to the debate over naturalism and Christianity." Charles Taliferro, Rev of Metaphysics

In the liberal theological tradition dating from Schleiermacher, Events of Grace, first published in 1996, demonstrates that the Christian faith can be fully compatible with a scientific world view. Religion and God must be understood valuationally, not ontologically, which permits an existentialist account of faith entirely in terms of modes of existing. Hardwick weds Bultmann's demythologizing programme to Wieman's naturalistic concept of God as creative transformation. Defending a strong doctrine of justification by faith, he shows how both God and the knowledge of God can be conceived in terms of events of grace that transform possibilities of existence toward openness to the future. Events of Grace gives a complete existential and naturalistic account of sin, faith, God, the knowledge of God, Christology and the eschatological symbols that articulate Christian hope in the encounter with suffering and death.

Part I. Foundations for a Naturalist Christian Theology: 1. Prospects for a naturalist theology
2. Physicalism and philosophical naturalism
Part II. Bridge Principles for a Naturalist Christian Theology: 3. Existence in faith: naturalism and existentialist interpretation
4. Grace and the knowledge of God
5. Christian faith as a seeing-as
Part III. Further Elements of a Naturalist Christian Theology: 6. The point of Christology
7. The promise of faith
Appendix. On the referential status of transformative events.

Subject Areas: Christian theology [HRCM]