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In the seventeenth century new scientific discoveries called into question established Christian theology. In the past it has been claimed that contemporary thinkers contributed to this conflict model by using the discoveries of the natural world to prove the existence of God. Calloway challenges this generalized view through close examination of five key texts from the period. She shows that there was considerable difference amongst natural theologians, not just in their aims and arguments but also in their style of rhetoric. This has important lessons for contemporary scientific and theological debates and will be of interest to scholars of religious history, philosophy and literary studies.
Introduction
1 Rational Theology: Henry More's An Antidote against Atheism (1653)
2 'Prudent Charity': Richard Baxter's The Reasons of the Christian Religion (1667)
3 A Settled Mind? John Wilkins's Of the Principles and Duties of Natural Religion (1675)
4 God's Naturalist: John Ray's The Wisdom of God (1691)
5 God's Philologist: Richard Bentley's The Folly of Atheism (1692)
Conclusion
