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Can we be sure about anything?

Reviewed by Colin Horseman.

Any thoughtful Christian will be aware of the ‘double whammy’ which attacks truth-claims in the twenty first century. On the one hand there is the legacy of recent scientific positivism which rules Christian belief out of court automatically, or at least kicks it upstairs to some attic of subjective romanticism. On the other hand, so-called postmodernity calls into question the very concept of truth itself, whether scientific or religious. This book of essays seeks to draw together contributors who inhabit the worlds of science and faith, in order to confront the postmodern challenge and to see whether it is possible to find a viable concept of truth, and Christian truth at that.

The editor is himself a scientist, and is Editor of the journal Science and Christian Belief. He has compiled an impressive collection of essays from similarly distinguished and well-qualified contributors. For those who want to understand the issues raised by postmodernity, and who find themselves dealing with believers and non-believers confused or led astray by the arrogant claims of late scientism or flailing in a sea of postmodern relativism, this book is an essential piece of kit. The consensus is that the development of scientific knowledge in fact owed its success to a Christian conceptual base, and that the later development of empirical scientism led to a virulent and effective postmodern reaction. The question therefore is: how can Christian faith resonate with the expose of positivism without buying into the relativist corollary?

The approach developed throughout the essays is incisive and illuminating. If one or two of the articles seem a little like a scientist’s apologia pro vita sua, this is more than outweighed by the lucid and persuasive case that is made for the existence and celebration of truth in science and in faith.