The science of the future of the physical universe has been
transformed since the discovery of the accelerating universe in
1998. Overall science paints a picture of a future of futility and
therefore poses question to a Christian theology of hope. This book
argues that the Christian understanding of new creation, when
applied beyond the life of the believer or indeed the church,
speaks powerfully into this context, giving resources to both
theologians and scientists to engage fruitfully with the questions
of the end of the Universe. This book explores the future of the
universe in the light of modern science, popular culture such as
movies and science fiction, and "pop eschatology" such as the
best-selling "Left Behind" series. The book argues that Christian
theology can learn and contribute in a dialogue with the scientific
picture of the future of the Universe. Using a Wesleyan approach to
theology, the biblical narratives are explored in conversation with
the scientific discoveries. If Christian eschatology is to have a
fruitful dialogue, then it must take seriously the relationship
between creation and new creation. In particular this relationship,
modelled by the resurrection, must be represented by a tension
between continuity and discontinuity. In this way the movement to
new creation is seen as tranformation rather than destruction of
this creation. Indeed, there are pointers to this new creation
which may be part of a revised natural theology. The action and
faithfulness of God are both key elements in this tranformation
working both in process and event. Contemporary theologians
including Moltmann and Pannenberg either ignore this tension or
fail to relate it to the physical Universe. At the same time the
"scientific eschatologies" of Dyson and Tipler, and the
eschatological speculations of contemporary fundamentalism are
shown to be inadequate scientifically and technologically. This
tension leads to the suggestion that space and time are real in
creation and new creation, and a multi-dimensional view of God's
relationship with time is proposed. Further, speculation on the
tranformation of matter in new creation needs to reflect its
relationality and context. The consequences for the relationship of
Christian eschatology to the biological world, providence, hope,
ethics, and Christian apologetics are explored. In particular such
a robust Christian eschatology engages constructively with
questions of hope in contemporary culture.
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