The open secret : a new vision for natural theology /

McGrath (Univ. of Oxford)--perhaps best known for his book on atheism, The Dawkins Delusion (2007), and for other works including Christianity's Dangerous Idea (CH, Apr'08, 45-4323)--holds advanced degrees in both science and theology, providing strong background for what he calls an "essay" outlining a new vision of natural theology. Unlike earlier discredited versions of natural theology that grew out of the Enlightenment--attempting to make a leap from rational observations of nature to claims about transcendent realities--McGrath's book starts from distinctively Christian Trinitarian theology and then develops what the author sees as ways for Christian beliefs to create a means of seeing nature with a new sense of vision--with the purpose of understanding the connections between Christian belief and natural science. The Open Secret begins with a review of the history of earlier forms of natural theology, moves into a careful description of a Christian approach to the field, and ends with a discussion of how this new vision relates to traditional philosophical topics of beauty, truth, and goodness. It is extremely well-researched and footnoted, with an extensive bibliography of sources cited. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above. C. L. Hansen formerly, Midland Lutheran College