Karl E. Peters
Encyclopedia
Karl E. Peters is Professor Emeritus of Religion at Rollins College
, Winter Park, FL and former adjunct professor of philosophy, University of Hartford
, Hartford, CT. He also is the co-editor of Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science, and is a founder, organizer, and first President of the University Unitarian Universalist Society in central Florida. His scholarly research and teaching focuses on issues in science and religion, including the concept of God and evolution, epistemology in science and religion, world religions and the environment, and religious and philosophical issues in medicine.
In Transformations, Peters writes – “Humanity religions exhibit many different ways of thinking about the sacred. Sometime it is thought of as many personal spiritual beings that underlie the working of Nature and human life. Sometimes the sacred is thought of as one supreme reality – the God of Western monotheism, or the Tao, in Chinese thought. The sacred can also be identified as the creativity* in Nature”. He references the thinking of Arthur Peacocke
who had developed a form of scientific Christian naturalism that stressed the immanence or ever presence of a God in the universe. *
In Dancing With the Sacred, Peters proposes that the sacred is the dance of life (a form of god). He develops an understandable naturalistic theism in which the Universe is not governed by a personal supernatural God. This determination is not atheistic for the concept of the divine is preserved in a system of non-personal processes within the natural world. Nature produces variations that generate new aspects of existence that are creative but without design. His thesis compliments the thinking of theologians such as John B. Cobb
, Arthur Peacocke
, and Ted Peters
and American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce.
Peters writes that
Peters has been for many years a member and lecturer at the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science
where he has been active in the development of Religious Naturalism
. He has six times served as co-chair of the annual conference.
Rollins College
Rollins College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Winter Park, Florida , along the shores of Lake Virginia....
, Winter Park, FL and former adjunct professor of philosophy, University of Hartford
University of Hartford
The University of Hartford is a private, independent, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The degree programs at the University of Hartford hold the highest levels of accreditation available in the US, including the Engineering Accreditation Commission of...
, Hartford, CT. He also is the co-editor of Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science, and is a founder, organizer, and first President of the University Unitarian Universalist Society in central Florida. His scholarly research and teaching focuses on issues in science and religion, including the concept of God and evolution, epistemology in science and religion, world religions and the environment, and religious and philosophical issues in medicine.
In Transformations, Peters writes – “Humanity religions exhibit many different ways of thinking about the sacred. Sometime it is thought of as many personal spiritual beings that underlie the working of Nature and human life. Sometimes the sacred is thought of as one supreme reality – the God of Western monotheism, or the Tao, in Chinese thought. The sacred can also be identified as the creativity* in Nature”. He references the thinking of Arthur Peacocke
Arthur Peacocke
The Reverend Canon Arthur Robert Peacocke MBE was a British theologian and biochemist.-Biography:Arthur Robert Peacocke was born at Watford in on 29 November 1924...
who had developed a form of scientific Christian naturalism that stressed the immanence or ever presence of a God in the universe. *
In Dancing With the Sacred, Peters proposes that the sacred is the dance of life (a form of god). He develops an understandable naturalistic theism in which the Universe is not governed by a personal supernatural God. This determination is not atheistic for the concept of the divine is preserved in a system of non-personal processes within the natural world. Nature produces variations that generate new aspects of existence that are creative but without design. His thesis compliments the thinking of theologians such as John B. Cobb
John B. Cobb
John B. Cobb, Jr. is an American United Methodist theologian who played a crucial role in the development of process theology. He integrated Alfred North Whitehead's metaphysics into Christianity, and applied it to issues of social justice.-Biography:John Cobb was born in Kobe, Japan in 1925 to...
, Arthur Peacocke
Arthur Peacocke
The Reverend Canon Arthur Robert Peacocke MBE was a British theologian and biochemist.-Biography:Arthur Robert Peacocke was born at Watford in on 29 November 1924...
, and Ted Peters
Ted Peters
Ted Peters is a Lutheran theologian and Professor of Systematic Theology at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. In addition to his work as a theologian and educator, he is a prolific author and editor on Christian and Lutheran theology in the modern world...
and American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce.
Peters writes that
Peters has been for many years a member and lecturer at the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science
Institute on Religion in an Age of Science
The Institute on Religion in an Age of Science is a non-denominational society that promotes and facilitates the ongoing dialectic between religion and science. Both members of IRAS and non-members congregate at the IRAS conference held annually at Star Island in New Hampshire.-History:IRAS...
where he has been active in the development of Religious Naturalism
Religious naturalism
Religious naturalism is an approach to spirituality that is devoid of supernaturalism. The focus is on the religious attributes of the universe/Nature, the understanding of it and our response to it . These provide for the development of an eco-morality...
. He has six times served as co-chair of the annual conference.
- 2011 - Doing Good, Doing Bad, Doing Nothing: Scientific and Religious Perspectives
- 2005 - Varieties of Spiritual Transformation: Scientific and Religious Perspectives
- 1997 - The Evolution of Morality
- 1992 - Global Ecology and Human Destiny
- 1986 - Free Will: Is It Possible and Is it Desirable?
- 1978 - The Future of the Child: Religious and Scientific Perspectives
Major publications
- Dancing With the Sacred: Evolution, Ecology, and God - Trinity Press International, 2002, ISBN 1563383934
- Spiritual Transformations: Science, Religion, and Human Becoming - Augsberg Fortress - eBooks Account, 2008, ISBN 0800663209
External links
- Institute on Religion in an Age of Science (IRAS)
- Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science
- LibraryThing Review of Spiritual Transformations: Science, Religion, and Human Becoming
- LibraryThing Review of Dancing with the Sacred: Evolution, Ecology, and God
- Religious Naturalism Information
- Religious Naturalist