God of the Gaps
What is meant by the ‘God of the gaps’ argument?
The idea that God is used to explain things that science cannot currently explain. As scientific knowledge increases, these ‘gaps’ become smaller.
How does Tillich describe God in relation to the concept of ‘Being’?
Tillich describes God as ‘Being-itself’, rather than one particular being within the universe.
What was Polkinghorne’s profession before becoming a priest?
He was a theoretical physicist and later became an Anglican priest.
What does Maurice Wiles argue about God’s relationship with the natural world?
Wiles argues against the idea that God constantly intervenes in individual events. He sees God as responsible for the overall act of creation rather than directly causing every event.
What is one Christian response to evolution that allows science and Christianity to coexist?
Some Christians accept evolution but believe God ultimately created and sustains the universe through the evolutionary process. This is often called theistic evolution.
Why does Tillich reject the idea that God is simply ‘a being’ within the universe?
Because if God were simply another being, God would be part of the universe and could potentially be explained by science.
Why does Polkinghorne believe science and Christianity are compatible?
He argues that they investigate different but complementary aspects of reality. Science investigates the physical world, while religion can explore questions of meaning, purpose and God.
How does Wiles’ view of divine action differ from the idea that God intervenes directly in individual events?
Wiles rejects the idea that God regularly suspends or interferes with the laws of nature to cause particular events.
Why does scientific progress create a problem for the ‘God of the gaps’ argument?
scientific discoveries can provide natural explanations for things previously attributed to God, meaning God becomes less necessary as an explanation
How does Tillich’s understanding of God avoid the ‘God of the gaps’ problem?
God is not being used to explain particular unexplained scientific events. God is understood as the ground of all existence, so scientific discoveries do not remove the need for God.
What does Polkinghorne mean by the universe being ‘intelligible’?
The universe can be understood through rational scientific investigation. Polkinghorne sees this intelligibility as compatible with belief in a rational creator.
What does Wiles mean by God having a single, continuous act of creation?
Creation is not simply something God did at the beginning of time. God's creative activity is understood as one continuous act that sustains the existence of the universe.
How did Darwin’s theory of evolution challenge some traditional Christian beliefs about creation?
Evolution suggests that humans and other species developed through natural selection over millions of years, challenging a literal interpretation of Genesis and the idea of humans being specially created in their present form.
What does Tillich mean by God being the ‘ground of being’?
God is the ultimate foundation or source of everything that exists, God makes existence itself possible.
How does Polkinghorne explain the relationship between scientific explanations and God?
Scientific explanations do not necessarily replace God. They explain the mechanisms of the universe, while belief in God can explain its deeper meaning, order and existence.
How could Wiles’ view make Christianity more compatible with scientific explanations?
If God does not need to interfere with natural laws, scientific explanations of events can be accepted without necessarily rejecting God.
Why might the ‘God of the gaps’ be seen as a weak argument for the existence of God?
It relies on what science does not yet know. If science later explains the ‘gap’, the argument for God disappears.
How could Tillich’s view be used to argue that science and Christianity are compatible?
Science explains how the universe works, whereas Tillich is concerned with the deeper question of why there is existence at all. Therefore, scientific explanations do not necessarily conflict with belief in God.
How does Polkinghorne’s view challenge the ‘God of the gaps’ argument?
He does not argue that God explains things science cannot explain. Instead, God provides a deeper explanation for the existence and order of the universe as a whole.
What is one criticism of Wiles’ understanding of God’s action?
It can make God seem too distant or inactive, potentially conflicting with Christian beliefs about prayer, miracles and God's involvement in people's lives.