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Science and Apologetics in the Early Boyle Lectures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2009

John J. Dahm
John J. Dahm
Affiliation:
Mr. Dahm is an assistant professor of history inthe University of Missouri—Rolla, Rolla, Missouri
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Extract

With the endowment of a lectureship for the defense of the Christion faith, the distinguished English natural philosopher, Robert Boyle, gave the Anglican church a unique opportunity to counter the atheistic currents of thought which were posing a challenge to the faithful in the late seventeenth century. Of the Boyle lectures preached between 1692 and 1713, the most important and popular ones incorporated the new natural philosophy of the age—including some of the recently published ideas of Newton—in an apologetic which was remarkable for its flexibility and its concern with contemporary theological issues. Within the institutional framework which Boyle's generosity had provided, certain of the Anglican clergy devoted themselves anew to the age-old exercise of utilizing the discoveries of science in the service of their faith. It was particularly appropriate that they do so since many of the challenges were based implicitly or explicitly on a materialistic and mechanistic science.

Type
Research Article
Information
Church History , Volume 39 , Issue 2 , June 1970 , pp. 172 - 186
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Church History 1970

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References

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53. Newton made the suggestion in Query 20 of the Latin edition of the Opticks (1706). This query is number 28 in subsequent English editions.