This groundbreaking volume will provide a series of original essays by scientists, theologians, religious studies scholars, and ethicists who will offer an authoritative, illuminating, and thought-provoking overview of the CRISPR controversy. There are moments when genetic science ignites an explosion of public controversy. In the early 1990s, the Human Genome Project, along with Jurassic Park, frightened the world with genetic determinism. The Cloning Controversy of 1997 and the Stem Cell Controversy of 1998 prompted bitter moral stand-offs. The fuse has just been lit for the next explosion, the CRISPR Controversy. The CRISPR Revolution in Science, Religion, and Ethics channels the energy of the explosion into constructive reflection on the implications of this revolutionary science for religion, ethics, and public policy. While some chapters explain in a readable fashion the science behind the technique of gene editing, others draw out implications for social impact. This volume reviews the history of genomics from 1990 to date with special attention to cloning and stem cell research. Chapters address the significance for understanding human nature within specific religious traditions. Most importantly, selected ethical issues are analyzed: therapy versus enhancement; germ line modification; designer children; patenting; and the long-term effects of gene drive proposals.

This landmark volume, the first of two, assesses the prospects and promise of Lutheran theology at the opening of a new millennium. From four continents, the thirty noted and respected contributors not only gauge how such classic themes as grace, the cross, and justification wear today but also look to key issues of ecumenism, social justice, global religious life, and the impact of contemporary science on Christian belief.

When we discover we don't justify ourselves because God has justified us, we become free. What Sin Boldly! points to is the presence of the crucified and living Christ in the human soul, placed there by the Holy Spirit. And this becomes transformative. Sin Boldly! provides an experiential analysis of the contrast between self-justification and justification by God. Those among us with fragile souls are anxious, and we shore up our anxiety with walls of self-justification that victimize those whom we scapegoat. Those among us with broken souls have lost the very moral universe that makes any kind of justification possible, and this usually leads to anomie and suicide. We must pose the question: how can the gospel of grace provide transformation for both fragile and broken souls? After an exposition of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, this book proposes the following answer: trusting in the God of grace relieves anxiety and provides a divine vocation that transcends our moral universe with the promise of forgiveness, renewal, and resurrection.

Wolfhart Pannenberg was one of the most important theologians of the twentieth century, and his work has much to offer contemporary theologians. In this book, the contributors analyze and discusses a component of Pannenberg's theology with an eye to demonstrating its enduring promise for contemporary and future theological construction. Topics discussed include Pannenberg's theological method, defense of the historicity of Jesus' resurrection, doctrine of God, doctrine of the Trinity, theory of time, doctrine of creation, doctrine of salvation, and public theology.

What does it mean to be human in an age of science, technology, and faith? The ability to ask such a question suggests at least a partial answer, in that however we describe ourselves we bear a major role in determining what we will become. In this book, Philip Hefner reminds us that this inescapable condition is the challenge and opportunity of Homo sapiens as the created co-creator. In four original chapters and an epilogue, Hefner frames the created co-creator as a memoirist with an ambiguous legacy, explores some of the roots of this ambiguity, emphasizes the importance of answering this ambiguity with symbols that can interpret it in wholesome ways, proposes a partial theological framework for co-creating such symbols, and applies this framework to the challenge of using technology like artificial intelligence and robotics to create other co-creators in our own image. Editors Jason P. Roberts and Mladen Turk have compiled eight responses to Hefner's work to honor his scholarly career and answer his call to help co-create a more wholesome future in an age of science, technology, and faith.

Unknown to most outside observers, from the earliest days of embryonic stem cell research through today's latest developments, Christian theologians have been actively involved with leading laboratory research scientists to determine the ethical implications of stem cell research. And contrary to popular expectation, these Christians have been courageously advocating in favor of research. Three of these dynamic theologians tell their story in Sacred Cells? Why Christians Should Support Stem Cell Research. Sacred Cells? takes readers through the twists and turns of stem cell development, providing a brief history of the science and an overview of the competing ethical frameworks people use in approaching the heated debate. Each new scientific advance, from the cloning of Dolly the sheep to the use of engineered cells in humans, had to be carefully considered before proceeding. Rejecting the widely held belief that the ethics of stem cell research turn on the moral status of the embryo, the authors carefully weigh a diversity of ethical problems. Ultimately, they embrace stem cell research and the prospect of increased health and well being it offers.

In 1981 Robert John Russell founded what would become the leading center of research at the interface of science and religion, the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences. Throughout its twenty-five year history, CTNS under Russell's leadership has continued to guide and further the dialogue between science and theology. Russell has been an articulate spokesperson in calling for "creative mutual interaction" between the two fields. God's Action in Nature's World brings together sixteen internationally-recognized scholars to assess Robert Russell's impact on the discipline of science and religion. Focusing on three areas of Russell's work - methodology, cosmology, and divine action in quantum physics - this book celebrates Robert John Russell's contribution to the interdisciplinary engagement between the natural sciences and theology.

God, Life, and the Cosmos: Christian and Islamic Perspectives is the first book in which Christian and Muslim scholars explore the frontiers of science-religion discourse. Leading international scholars present new work on key issues in science and religion from Christian and Islamic perspectives. Following an introduction by the editors, the book is divided into three sections: the first explores the philosophical issues in science-religion discourse; the second examines cosmology; the third analyses the issues surrounding bioethics. One of the first books to explore aspects of science-religion discourse from the perspective of two religious traditions, God, Life, and the Cosmos opens up new vistas to all interested in science and religion, and those exploring contemporary issues in Christianity and Islam.

How can we think about God's action in a quantum world of indeterminacy? in a world that began with a Big Bang? in a world in which life evolved and is continually evolving? in a world governed by entropy and heading toward its eventual heat death? These are some of the most perplexing questions that have arisen from the rapid scientific and techno

In 1981 Robert John Russell founded what would become the leading center of research at the interface of science and religion, the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences. Throughout its twenty-five year history, CTNS under Russell's leadership has continued to guide and further the dialogue between science and theology. Russell has been an articulate spokesperson in calling for "creative mutual interaction" between the two fields. God's Action in Nature's World brings together sixteen internationally-recognized scholars to assess Robert Russell's impact on the discipline of science and religion. Focusing on three areas of Russell's work - methodology, cosmology, and divine action in quantum physics - this book celebrates Robert John Russell's contribution to the interdisciplinary engagement between the natural sciences and theology.

Discussions and debates over the medical use of stem cells and cloning have always had a religious component. But there are many different religious voices. This anthology on how religious perspectives can inform the difficult issues of stem cell research and human cloning is essential to the discussion. Contributors reflect the spectrum of Christian responses, from liberal Protestant to evangelical to Roman Catholic. The noted moral philosopher, Laurie Zoloth, offers a Jewish approach to cloning, and Sondra Wheeler contributes her perspective on both Jewish and Christian understandings of embryonic stem cell research.

In addition to the discussions found here, "God and the Embryo" includes a series of official statements on stem cell research and cloning from religious bodies, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church in America, the United Methodist Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, the United Church of Christ, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America and the Rabbinical Council of America. "Human Cloning and Human Dignity: An Ethical Inquiry," from the statement of the President's Council on Bioethics, concludes the book.

The debates and the discussions will continue, but for anyone interested in the nuances of religious perspectives that make their important contributions to these ethically challenging and important dialectics, "God and the Embryo" is an invaluable resource.

Since the original publication of Playing God? in 1996, three developments in genetic technology have moved to the center of public discussion about the ethics of bioengineering. Cloning, the completion of the human genome project, and the controversy over stem cell research have all sparked lively debates among religious thinkers and the makers of public policy. In this updated edition, Ted Peters illuminates key issues in these debates and makes deft connections between our questions about God and our efforts to manage technological innovations.

Why do representatives of different religious traditions find the transhumanist vision of the future not only theologically compatible but even inspiring? Transhumanism is a global movement seeking radical human enhancement. The trans in transhumanism marks the transition from the present stage in human evolution into the future, namely, post-human existence. Containing chapters written by adherents to a variety of religious traditions, Religious Transhumanism and Its Critics provides first-hand testimony to the value of the transhumanist vision perceived by the religious mind. In addition, the contributors critique both secular and religious transhumanism in light of realistic science and commitment to social justice.

Science challenges faith to seek fuller understanding, and faith challenges science to be socially and ethically responsible. This book begins with faith in God the Creator of the world, and then expands our understanding of creation in light of Big Bang cosmology and new discoveries in physics. Examining the expanding frontier of genetic research, Ted Peters draws out implications for theological understandings of human nature and human freedom. Issues discussed include: methodology in science and theology; eschatology in cosmology and theology; freedom and responsibility in evolution and theology; and genetic determinism, genetic engineering, and cloning in relation to freedom, the comodification of human life, and equitable distribution of the fruits of genetic technology. The dialogue model of relationship between science and religion, proposed in this book, provides a common ground for the disparate voices among theologians, scientists, and world religions. This common ground has the potential to breathe new life into current debates about the world in which we live, move, and have our being.

God, Life, and the Cosmos: Christian and Islamic Perspectives is the first book in which Christian and Muslim scholars explore the frontiers of science-religion discourse. Leading international scholars present new work on key issues in science and religion from Christian and Islamic perspectives. Following an introduction by the editors, the book is divided into three sections: the first explores the philosophical issues in science-religion discourse; the second examines cosmology; the third analyses the issues surrounding bioethics. One of the first books to explore aspects of science-religion discourse from the perspective of two religious traditions, God, Life, and the Cosmos opens up new vistas to all interested in science and religion, and those exploring contemporary issues in Christianity and Islam.

How can we think about God's action in a quantum world of indeterminacy? in a world that began with a Big Bang? in a world in which life evolved and is continually evolving? in a world governed by entropy and heading toward its eventual heat death? These are some of the most perplexing questions that have arisen from the rapid scientific and technological advances of the twentieth century.Science and Theology: The New Consonance grapples with these seeming conundrums by asking both scientists and religious thinkers to reflect upon possible solutions. In this exciting, new edited volume, physicists think about the connection between physics and faith and biologists discuss evolution, ethics, and the future. Complementing these viewpoints, theologians address these same issues from a religious standpoint.Chapter authors include Nobel Prize?winning physicist and inventor of the laser, Charles Townes, along with Pope John Paul II. The resulting interplay between science and theology presses toward consonance, encouraging comparisons, crossovers, and complementarity.

God-The World's Future has been a proven and comprehensive textbook in systematic theology for over twenty years. Explicitly crafted to address our postmodern context, Peters explains the whole body of Christian historical doctrine from within a "proleptic" framework, whereby the gospel is understood as announcing the pre-actualization of the future consummation of all things in Jesus Christ." Peters skillfully deploys this concept not only to organize the various theological areas or loci but also to rethink doctrines in light of key postmodern challenges from ecumenism, critical historical thinking, contemporary science, and gender and sexuality issues. The Third Edition is thoroughly revised with updated chapters, additional chapters, updated annotations and bibliographies, and further elaborations in light of recent developments in method and theological reflection. This classic text opens up systematic theology in new dimensions, retrieving traditional categories and topics for a new generation of students and learners to give a fresh reading of Christian theology and articulation of the liberating message of the gospel of God's grace for the future of the world.