John Polkinghorne

• Background on Polkinghorne

  He was a Physics professor and left to join the Anglican Church
• What is Polkinghorne's first idea?

  The world is intelligible when it might easily not have been so. We need religion to help is understand the science
• What point does Polkinghorne use to support this?

  Fred Tennant's anthropic principle. We need to inquire as to why the cosmological constants are so fine tuned that they have produced beings like ourselves who are capable of understanding the universe. This is evidence for a creator God.

  
  

  Polkinghorne agreed with Paley's view and argued that rationality of our universe is a reflection of the rationality of our creation.
• Why does Polkinghorne reject multiverse theory?

  It seeks to trivialise the anthropic principle suggesting that, given enough universes, some must be ordered by chance, but if there are other universes, they are completely unobservable so to base any scientific arguments on their possible existence is pointless. There is no evidence
• Evaluation of Polkinghorne's first idea: in favour

  If this is the only universe then Polkinghorne is correct; the fine tuning of the universe would be overwhelming evidence in favour of the existence of God
• Evaluation of Polkinghorne's first idea: against

  Multiverse theory is not actually that speculative. For example, in some theories, the singularity of the Big Bang is treated as a quantum particle in superposition (exists in all possible configurations). These are metaphysical but God is also metaphysical.

  
  

  Polkinghorne does not provide an obvious rationale for assuming that the creator is the God of Christianity. It points to someone designing the universe, but not God
• What is Polkinghorne's second idea?

  God influences events undetectably at a quantum level. He acts providentially
• What is God's providence?

  The idea that God has created the world but continues to nurture and sustain humankind; that life is guided by God for His purpose.
• What is the first point to Polkinghorne's thinking on providential?

  The universe is not like a machine. Things do not work like clockwork and are constantly changing. He interprets chaos theory by explaining that the universe prevents an open grain towards the future. For Polkinghorne, the change is caused by a flow of information from God to the universe which God guides providentially.
• What is the issue of this?

  The evolution of the systems operating in the universe depends so much upon the initial conditions that the slightest change in these conditions will make the systems develop in a different way. Therefore, it is more of a structured randomness. So the clockwork and chaos arguments are correct
• What is the second point to Polkinghorne's thinking on providential?

  Kenosis theory is the idea of self emptying. Polkinghorne agrees that God coming into the world was an act of sacrifice and demonstrated his willingness to interact with creation. But he questions, 'Why would God only be concerned with interacting at one point within human history?'. He believes therefore that God is constantly sustaining the universe.

  
  

  He also considers God's motives behind creation. Creation exists because God gives it a life and a value of its own. God's love is known, in and through, his actions within creation and not just the trinity
• Evaluation of the second point

  Why does God not intervene more? This raises questions about the nature of God. How can he be so subtle that suffering continues unchecked? Polkinghorne's support for the idea of God's providence does little to solve the problem of evil
• What is Polkinghorne's third idea?

  He makes a comparison between the activities of science and theology - both are concerned with understanding experiences. Religious experiences are more common than you think.
• What is bottom up thinking?

  Examine different, fragmented accounts of peoples experiences and work towards finding out what has occurred and how can this be explained
• Why are religious experiences worth investigating?

  People from so many different cultures and time periods claim to have experienced God is evidence. What is a reasonable explanation for these accounts?
• Why is the Bible evidence that God came to earth as a human?

  The resurrection of Jesus. We can use reason to explore the bible more thoroughly
• Evaluation of Polkinghorne: third point

  Christians maybe able to claim that there is a God but it cannot be an exclusive claim for Christians. Just

  because Polkinghorne claims are an excellent defence of his personal faith it doesn't necessarily mean that

  he has established a scientific basis for Christianity. Nevertheless what Polkingorne does successfully

  achieve is the compatibility between Christianity and science.