Trinitarian Science? Torrance, Polkinghorne and McGrath on a Christian Interpretation of the Natural World

In this chapter, Gijsbert van den Brink explores the extent to which the doctrine of the Trinity can function as a heuristic device within the natural sciences. To this end, he traces the thoughts of T.F. Torrance, John Polkinghorne, and Alister McGrath, bringing the issue into focus by setting out the promise and problems associated with a Trinitarian theology of nature. By clarifying the convergences and differences between these three thinkers, van den Brink demonstrates how epistemology and ontology coincide, thereby encouraging us to allow our knowledge of the created order to be shaped by the one who called it into being. Though van den Brink recognizes the perils associated with this approach, he rejects the widespread opposition to theologically-shaped science, and instead concludes that God in himself can function as a heuristic key in our scientific endeavors. Van den Brink's work indicates how our thinking about the Trinity makes a difference to how we understand the world.