Responses to 101 Questions on God and Evolution

by John F. Haught

Esteemed theologian John Haught brings his considerable experience to a controversial and thought-provoking evolution. Writing within the formula of the well-known Responses to 101 Questions series, he gathers here questions that have arisen from conversations over the years with a variety of people―believers and scientific skeptics, those who embrace evolution and those who disdain it, and scholars and the scientifically uneducated. The questions fall into seven Darwin's Revolutionary Idea; Darwin and Theology; Creationism; Darwin and Design; Divine Providence and Natural Selection; Evolution, Suffering and Redemption; and Teilhard de Chardin and Alfred North Whitehead. They range from "Could life have originated by chance? to "What is creationism? and "What does our hope for 'redemption' really mean in the context of evolution?" Haught's responses, while addressed from the perspective of Christian tradition, can be useful to persons of other traditions as well. The questions and answers, while following a progression, can be read separately and in random sequence for ease of use. With this thoughtful and concise book, Haught makes a significant contribution to the ongoing conversation on this controversial and often explosive topic. †

Genres: Science, Religion, Theology, Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

John F. Haught is a Roman Catholic theologian, specializing with systematic theology. He has special interests in science, cosmology, ecology, and reconciling evolution and religion.

Haught graduated from St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore,, and he received a PhD in Theology from The Catholic University of America in 1970.

Haught received the 2002 Owen Garrigan Award in Science and Religion, the 2004 Sophia Award for Theological Excellence, and, in 2009, the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Leuven.

He is Senior Research Fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University. There, he established the Georgetown Center for the Study of Science and Religion and was the chair of Georgetown's theology department between 1990 and 1995.

Reviews

[Barbara Marincel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book written by eminent Catholic theologian John Haught. Very accessible for the average layperson without much background in evolutionary science. Explains clearly why Catholic theology is totally compatible with evolution and rejects any kind of Creationism, including Intelligent Design. Also responds to atheistic evolutionists such as Richard Dawkins. Yet he also affirms that God, indeed, is Creator of the universe, which was created out of God's creative love. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in the possibilities opened up by the dialogue between evolutionary science and theology.

[Tamra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Good format. If you have questions about how to mesh religion and science, then you'll benefit from this book. It's well-written and respectful (and I DEMAND that any book covering this topic be respectful. We don't need more angry people).

Before I read this book I thought that it might be too shallow of a treatment for such a complicated topic (only 101 questions?). But Haught covers a lot of ground with those 101 questions. A solid contribution to the religion-science field.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy question/answer format covering many common objections and questions to evolution from Christian and scientific perspectives.

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it veers heavily into a discussion of process theology and Alfred North Whitehead towards the end. Even though this isn't a bad discussion to have, it may cause some Christians leery of process thought (via open theism) to question the other arguments of the book.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily accessible question/answer format covering common Christian-based issues on evolution. The book makes a good, simple attempt to merge creationist thinking with the mounting and compelling scientific evidence on evolution. Since no LDS theologians (in general) choose to not even approach this topic, I found this book to be insightful even though I am not Catholic.

[JulesQ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't love the question/answer format of this book, and it sometimes was a bit repetitive, but overall it was refreshingly respectful and the ideas were worth pondering.

I particularly liked the assumption of "hierarchies of explanation" and the ideas of an unfinished universe in the process of becoming.

[Jeremy A · Rating 2 out of 5]

quick hitting answers, not a lot of depth, to questions the author has encountered over time as a biologist who believes in evolution but leaves room for God to be a guiding force in the continuing story of creation