Philosophy of Religion Research

Alistair McGrath’s View on Natural Theology: A Critical Study

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

1 Ph. D. Graduate in Islamic Theology, Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute, Qom, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy of Religion and Islamic Theology, Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute, Qom, Iran.

10.30497/prr.2024.244968.1854

Abstract

Natural theology, as opposed to revealed theology, refers to rational reflection on the existence and nature of God, and has long been tied to arguments for God's existence. Alister McGrath, a Christian theologian, critiques natural theology and, through offering a new interpretation, applies it within the interactive relationship between science and theology. The central question of this paper is: what are the characteristics of McGrath’s understanding of natural theology, and what criticisms can be made of it? McGrath views natural theology as a product of non-Christian factors, such as biblical criticism, the rise of the mechanistic worldview, etc. He argues that the Bible does not support natural theology, and its use undermines divine revelation and other core Christian beliefs. He then reconstructs natural theology within the framework of Christian beliefs, especially the “doctrine of creation”. Since this theology incorporates religious presuppositions, McGrath contends that using it to prove the existence of God is circular, and it can only address the boundary questions of science. In his critique of Enlightenment natural theology, McGrath mistakenly conflates it with deism and incorrectly attributes many theological challenges of the Enlightenment to the use of natural theology. Due to his imprecise conception of natural theology, McGrath denies any historical precedent for the use of this theology in Christianity. Furthermore, the path he takes in defining nature leads to relativism, and his efforts to reconstruct natural theology seem futile, as all the functions he expects from this theology are already embedded in his definition of nature.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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Philosophy of Religion Research
Volume 22, Issue 2 - Serial Number 44
November 2024
Pages 177-198