The Gifford Lectures
Advancing Natural Theology
Edited by Christopher R. Brewer
Provides an overview of the history of the Gifford Lectures
- Examines the history and origins of the Gifford Lectures
- Employs the Gifford Lectures as a way to understand trends and prospects in the humanities in a Scottish context
- Explores the enduring relevance of natural theology as an interdisciplinary conversation partner
- Discusses Scottish intellectual culture and the relationship between religion and science through the lens of the Gifford Lectures
The prestigious Gifford Lectures were established in 1887 by Adam Lord Gifford (1820–1887), a senator of the College of Justice in Scotland. The purpose of Lord Gifford’s bequest to the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews, and Aberdeen was to sponsor lectures to 'promote and diffuse the study of Natural Theology in the widest sense of the term–in other words, the knowledge of God'. After 135 years of lectures, this book presents a reflection and reevaluation.
What were the circumstances leading to the foundation of Gifford’s lectures? What were the aims of the lectures, and to what extent have the lectures delivered fulfilled these aims? And what might be the best approaches in the twenty-first century to honour that intent? This book examines the history of the Giffords in an effort to imagine its future trajectories.
Notes on Contributors
Foreword
Garrick V. Allen
Editor’s Introduction
Christopher R. Brewer
PART I. The Giffords and their Historical Context
- Promoting the Study of Natural Theology: Scotland, Philosophy and the Gifford Lectures
John Haldane - The Religious and Cultural Context of Lord Gifford’s Endowment
Stewart J. Brown - ‘That we may hear the living voice’: the Gifford Lectures as Lectures, 1888–1914
Martin Hewitt - The Giffords as Public Lectures
David Fergusson - Tumultuous Beginnings: The Gifford Lectures at the University of Glasgow
R. Scott Spurlock
PART II. The Intellectual Impact of the Giffords
- Expansive Naturalism and the Limits of Natural Theology
Fiona Ellis - Nurtured Natural Theology
Andrew Torrance - The Prospect of Natural Theology as Basis and Crown of Revealed Theology: Reflections on Five Series of Gifford Lectures
Mark W. Elliott - The Gifford Lectures and the Grammar of Science and Religion
Joanna Leidenhag - Lord Gifford’s Lectures and the Critique of Religion – The Case of Arend Theodoor van Leeuwen
Philip G. Ziegler - Self-transcendence: From Atheist Philosophy to Natural Theology
King-Ho Leung
Works Cited
From idealism to postmodernism, the Gifford lectures have reflected and shaped the public understanding of religion for over a century. This first-class collection throws new light on these sometimes rowdy and sometimes hotly debated lectures that have been a jewel in the crown of Scottish intellectual life.
