"The Patristic Understanding of Creation" encapsulates what the Church Fathers had to say, in their own words, on the topic of creation. Going back to Roman and Byzantine times, the writings of the Church Fathers are basic to Christian theology and provide a benchmark for how Christians have traditionally understood creation. This understanding of creation, however, faces tremendous challenges in our day, especially in discussions at the intersection of science and religion. Process theology and other efforts to recon-ceptualize creation have explicitly opposed key elements of the Christian doctrine of creation: creation ex nihilo, the transcendence and immanence of God in creation, "the absolute creatureliness and non-self-sufficiency of the world" (to use a phrase of Fr. Georges Florovsky), the goodness of creation, and the openness of the world to divine action. All of these the Church Fathers not only held but also ably defended. This anthology is therefore not merely of academic or historical interest. In reasserting a theologically sound understanding of creation, this anthology fills a need that is both practical and urgent.

The Patristic Understanding of Creation: An Anthology of Writings from the Church Fathers on Creation and Design

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

Erasmus Press

The Patristic Understanding of Creation encapsulates what the Church Fathers had to say, in their own words, on the topic of creation. This understanding of creation, however, faces tremendous challenges in our day, especially in discussions at the intersection of science and religion. This anthology is therefore not merely of academic or historical interest. In reasserting a theologically sound understanding of creation, this anthology fills a need that is both practical and urgent.

The Patristic Understanding of Creation

Wayne J. Downs Justin B. a. Frederick William A. Dembski

History

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913), co-discoverer of natural selection, was second only to Charles Darwin as the 19th century's most noted English naturalist. Yet his belief in spiritualism caused him to be ridiculed and dismissed by many, leaving him a comparatively obscure and misunderstood figure. In this volume Wallace is finally allowed to speak in his own defense through his grand evolutionary synthesis The World of Life published nearly a century ago in 1910. More than just a reprinting of a near-forgotten work, Michael A. Flannery places Wallace in historical context. Flannery exposes Charles Darwin's now-famous theory of evolution as little more than a naturalistic cover for an extreme philosophical materialism borrowed as a youth from Edinburgh radicals. This is juxtaposed by his sympathetic account of what he calls Wallace's intelligent evolution, a thoroughly telcological alternative to Darwin's stochastic processes. Though based upon very different formulations of natural selection, the Wallace/Darwin dispute as presented by Flannery shows a metaphysical clash of worldviews coextensive with modern evolutionary theory itself - design and purpose versus randomness and chance. This book will be of value to scholars and students alike seeking to understand the historical and philosophical roots of a controversy that still rages today.

Alfred Russel Wallace's Theory of Intelligent Evolution: How Wallace's World of Life Challenged Darwinism (Revised Edition)

Flannery, Michael A.

World

Great teachers are typically unknown beyond the immediate circle of their students, colleagues, and families. That was not the case with Jaime Escalante. Escalante taught calculus with outstanding success at Garfield High, in a tough Hispanic neighborhood of East Los Angeles. Escalante's success was portrayed in the 1988 film Stand and Deliver, for which Edward James Olmos, who played Escalante, received an Oscar nomination. At its height, Escalante's program at Garfield say 85 students pass the Advanced Placement calculus test, more than any but a handful of high schools across the nation. Stand and Deliver ended on a high note, celebrating Escalante's achievements. But few people know what happened thereafter. Escalante's brilliant math program didn't survive his departure in 1991. Within a few years, math scores at Garfield settled back into the realm of low expectations. What happened? It Takes Ganas reviews how Escalante achieved his unprecedented success, which remains unmatched. But it also recounts the largely untold story of entropy and inertia that quickly returned Garfield to the status quo. Most importantly, this book asks, and answers, what it would take to replicate Escalante's success. The answer turns out to be surprisingly straightforward, though not easy. The key is an unwavering desire to do what needs to get done on the part of teachers, administrators, students, parents, and everyone involved. In other words, Ganas.

It Takes Ganas: Jaime Escalante's Secret to Inspired Learning

Education & Teaching

Thomas, Alex

Dembski, Bill

Schools & Teaching

The Patristic Understanding of Creation encapsulates what the Church Fathers had to say, in their own words, on the topic of creation. Going back to Roman and Byzantine times, the writings of the Church Fathers are basic to Christian theology and provide a benchmark for how Christians have traditionally understood creation. This understanding of creation, however, faces tremendous challenges in our day, especially in discussions at the intersection of science and religion. Process theology and other efforts to reconceptualize creation have explicitly opposed key elements of the Christian doctrine of creation: creation ex nihilo, the transcendence and immanence of God in creation, "the absolute creatureliness and non-self-sufficiency of the world" (to use a phrase of Fr. Georges Florovsky), the goodness of creation, and the openness of the world to divine action. All of these the Church Fathers not only held but also ably defended. This anthology is therefore not merely of academic or historical interest. In reasserting a theologically sound understanding of creation, this anthology fills a need that is both practical and urgent.

Dembski, William A.

Downs, Wayne J.

Frederick, Fr. Justin B.A.

Religious Studies

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913), co-discoverer of natural selection, was second only to Charles Darwin as the 19th century's most noted English naturalist. Yet his belief in spiritualism caused him to be ridiculed and dismissed by many, leaving him a comparatively obscure and misunderstood figure. In this volume Wallace is finally allowed to speak in his own defense through his grand evolutionary synthesis The World of Life published over a century ago in 1910. More than just a reprinting of a near-forgotten work, Michael A. Flannery places Wallace in historical context and includes the very latest historiography relating to both Darwin and Wallace in his detailed introduction. Flannery exposes Charles Darwin's now-famous theory of evolution as little more than a naturalistic cover for an extreme philosophical materialism borrowed as a youth from Edinburgh radicals. This is juxtaposed by his sympathetic account of what he calls Wallace's intelligent evolution, a thoroughly teleological alternative to Darwin's stochastic processes. Though based upon very different formulations of natural selection, the Wallace/Darwin dispute as presented by Flannery shows a metaphysical clash of worldviews coextensive with modern evolutionary theory itself-design and purpose versus randomness and chance. This book is for anyone seeking to understand the historical and philosophical roots of a controversy that still rages today. This book contains an abridgment of Alfred Russel Wallace's The World of Life and Reverend John Magens Mello's essay, "The Mystery of Life and Mind."

Intelligent Evolution: How Alfred Russel Wallace's World of Life Challenged Darwinism

Alfred Russel Wallace

Michael A. Flannery

Thomas Reid (1710-1796) was one of the principal philosophers of the Scottish Enlightenment. A colleague and friend of David Hume and Adam Smith, in 1764 Reid succeeded Smith to the University of Glasgow's Chair of Moral Philosophy. He is most famous for his work in epistemology, defending common sense (the exercise of our ordinary, inborn cognitive faculties) as the ultimate foundation of human knowledge. Reid was also an important contributor to the eighteenth-century debate on natural theology, that is, the inference from the evidence of purpose in nature to the existence and attributes of God. Although he never published a separate book on this subject, Reid did give regular lectures on natural theology at the University of Glasgow, of which several sets of student notes have survived. The notes edited, annotated, and published in this volume were from a student of Reid's who attended his natural theology lectures in the spring of 1780. These lectures have important implications for the history of discussions on the relation between natural science and theology, culminating in the modern Intelligent Design debate. The Lectures on Natural Theology were not included in the ten-volume Edinburgh Edition of Reid's collected works. Moreover, while two earlier editions of these lectures exist, both contain serious mistakes of transcription and annotation. For these reasons, this carefully revised edition of this important text fills an important gap in the literature. James A. Barham, PhD, received his BA in Classics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1972, and his MA in History of Science from Harvard University in 1976. In 2011, he received his PhD in History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Notre Dame (Indiana). Jake Akins did archival research for John West's The Magician's Twin: C. S. Lewis on Science, Scientism, and Society, to which he also contributed a chapter. With a background in political science and theology, he has a particular interest in the philosophy of science and the medieval worldview.

Lectures on Natural Theology

Science & Math

REID,Thomas

History & Philosophy

Walter Bradley made a deal with God: he would unashamedly share his faith with students and faculty, and he would not let academic ambition prevent him from giving his faith and family the time they deserve. The day he could no longer keep that deal, he would leave the academy. He never had to. From his days as a determined graduate assistant sharing his love for Jesus with his first class, to becoming one of the most respected engineering professors in academia, Walter Bradley remained a man of integrity, dedicated to truth and love. He's made a difference in myriad ways from leading a small Bible study for students in his home to defending intelligent design before large crowds of his academic peers. He's equally comfortable performing ground-breaking research for NASA, serving as an expert witness in the courtroom, or empowering people in Africa with appropriate technologies. Through it all, one thing has remained true: Walter Bradley made a crucial difference for good in countless lives. In For a Greater Purpose: The Life and Legacy of Walter Bradley, authors Robert Marks and William Dembski detail the story of this remarkable man whose passion for God, science, higher education, and human empowerment provides an excellent model of someone who integrates faith and learning.

For a Greater Purpose: The Life and Legacy of Walter Bradley

Biographies & Memoirs

Marks II, Robert J.

Leaders & Notable People

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