Oxford theologian Leonard Hodgson's first course of Gifford Lectures surveyed the revealed structures that undergird natural theology. For this his second course of lectures, published as For Faith and Freedom volume two and delivered in 1956/7, Hodgson presents a ten-part exposition of key Christian Doctrines which point to the revelation of God in the Person and Work of Christ. Hodgson argues that this revelation is evidenced in the fabric of cosmic history and epitomised by the eschatological and messianic community of the Christian Church.

Taking as his first premise that man’s attitude to nature is intimately connected with and powerfully influences his conception of God, an examination of man’s attitude towards nature is therefore a prerequisite in any study of religion. In the first series of lectures, Raven examines man’s attitude toward nature from the time of the early Church to the present.

Heidi Poon
University of Edinburgh

In Biblical Faith and Natural Theology, based on his 1991 Gifford Lectures at the University of Edinburgh, James Barr argues that the Bible not only endorses elements of natural theology, but also is heavily dependent on natural theology both in its composition and for its responsible interpretation. Interacting throughout with the influential views of Karl Barth, Barr thus offers a devastating critique of the notion that natural theology is at odds with biblical theology.