Through a glass darkly : journeys through science, faith and doubt – a memoir
by Alister McGrath Hodder & Stoughton, 2020 225 pages ISBN 978 1 529 327 601
also available as an ebook
Alister McGrath takes us through his life’s journey from an ardent atheist as a teenager and a temporary flirt with Marxism leading to an Oxford professorship in science and religion.
His deep commitment to both science and the Christian faith is abundantly evidenced on every page of this book.
Written in a style that betrays incisive intellect as well as a compelling mastery of language, the author reveals a hungry mind and an enquiring spirit that want to learn as much as can be absorbed from philosophers, historians, theologians, scientists, academics – thinkers all – whom he has read or met in person
CS Lewis has clearly had a powerful influence on the author’s thinking as he uncovers the intellectual coherence and richness of Christianity.
While learning to live with the uncertainty inherent in both science and faith, the most productive approach to them is to see that they are complementary ways of attempting to understand the world in which we have our being.
Wisdom comes from the ability to pin down and accept their limits, living with a degree of uncertainty, rather than adopting the view that the one or the other is sufficient, in and of itself, to provide a comprehensively satisfying basis for belief and behaviour.
All in all, biographically fascinating and intellectually stimulating.
You might also be interested to watch 12 videos (20 minutes each) by Prof. McGrath following the same ideas as the book. Go to alistermcgrath.net ‘Island of Faith’