Cosmology, Evolution, and Resurrection Hope:Theology and Science in Creative Mutual Interaction: Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Goshen Conference on Religion and Science

Cosmology, Evolution, and Resurrection Hope is a collection of lectures presented by theologian and physicist Robert John Russell at the fifth annual Goshen Conference on Religion and Science, and Russell's discussions of related topics with conference participants.

In his lectures Russell develops three themes at the cutting edge of theology and science. In the first lecture he explores an often overlooked topic: the creative role of theology in the rise of contemporary natural science as evidenced in the construction of Big Bang and steady state cosmologies and the resulting debates over them.

In the second lecture he turns to the problem of "natural evil" - suffering, disease, death and extinction in nature - arguing that the most compelling response to evil is a theology of redemption that embraces all of nature.

In the third lecture he explores redemption through the cross and resurrection of Jesus, opening the greatest challenge to Christian theology today: the conflict between Christian eschatology and the future of the universe according to science. By placing eschatology and cosmology into a relation of creative mutual interaction, Russell believes that eschatology can begin to address this challenge and in turn it can raise potentially fruitful questions that might lead to new directions in scientific research. What we find here will penetrate our thoughts when we believe we can rest comfortably with our present view of "religion and science."