Providence of God

This is a comprehensive analysis of the doctrine of providence, from historical, philosophical-theological, systematic and practical perspectives. This text comprises a comprehensive analysis of the doctrine of providence, from historical, philosophical-theological, systematic and practical perspectives. The essays in this book discuss the doctrine of providence from four central angles. First, three chapters give an historical introduction to the modern interpretation of the notion of providence, examining how it was progressively naturalised and secularized in modern times. Second, over seven chapters, and from different perspectives, the book restates the Christian notion of providence in relation to the problem of evil and the theory of evolution. Third, in two chapters, the book exhibits providence as a core theme in systematic theology. Finally, over three chapters, the book shows the ethical and political relevance of the doctrine of providence today.

'Biblically and historically grounded, contemporary in its themes and interdisciplinary in scope, the articles comprising this volume provide a comprehensive sense of where constructive orthodox Christian thinking is at today.'--Sanford Lakoff, 'I believe the editors of this volume are correct in their belief that the agency of God is becoming one of the most pressing and interesting questions in contemporary debate. A merit of the essays in this collection is the way they reframe the subject and rescue it from its traditional handing and presentation. Of particular merit are the essays by Francesca Murphy on the First Book of Samuel and the essays by John Webster and David Fergusson.' - Iain R. Torrance, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ, USA--Sanford Lakoff, 'This assembly of new work is a welcome contribution to reflection on one of the most difficult and most vital of theological themes. Exploring exegetical, historical, philosophical, natural-scientific, pastoral and political aspects of the doctrine of providence, the authors exhibit a variety of distinctive approaches, and their proposals are sure to spark responses. These essays make clear the risk and the promise latent in this all-pervasive doctrine, and exemplify the kind of scrutiny it requires.' - Charles M. Wood, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA--Sanford Lakoff, This volume gives a revealing look at the present status of a difficult but essential theological theme. Scholars of systematic and practical theology will be interested in this wide-ranging discussion in, which will also be useful for graduate courses in the topic.--Sanford Lakoff, "By and large, this collection critiques but generally endorses the classical doctrine of providence..." Church Times, November 2009

Dr Francesca Aran Murphy is Lecturer in Systematic Theology, University of Aberdeen. Philip G Ziegler is a Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen