The Heritage of Ralph Wendell Burhoe for the Dialogue between Science and Theology: A German Perspective |
| |
Authors: | Hubert Meisinger |
| |
Affiliation: | Evangelical Church of Hessen and Nassau, Germany |
| |
Abstract: | This paper begins with some reflections on my personal experiences with Ralph Wendell Burhoe during visits to the Chicago Center for Religion and Science. I learned to know Burhoe as an interested and kind person with enormous intellectual power. In this paper I argue that integration of different concepts was the chief focus of his thinking, expressing both an ethical and a dogmatic concern. If his theory of altruism contributes to the scientific investigations into the problem of trans-kin altruism, then his vision of a scientific theology gains credibility. Such an integration is made plausible through the interpretation of altruism in light of Christian love. In fact, Burhoe's neonaturalistic approach may be a fertile resource for the dialogue between science and theology in Germany, and serve as an exemplar of Burhoe's important impact on this dialogue in general. |
| |
Keywords: | altruism Ralph Wendell Burhoe Christian love Philip Hefner integration neonaturalism one world |
|
|