Fortress Press

MINNEAPOLIS (May 16, 2005) — Three books from Fortress Press, Nature, Human Nature and God by Ian G. Barbour, Technology and Human Becoming by Philip Hefner, and Creation by Alister McGrath have been chosen for the newly selected 2005 Books of Distinction by the Templeton Foundation Press.

The Books of Distinction is a distinguished group of books that was selected by a panel from the Templeton Foundation Press. In announcing these books, Sir John Templeton helps to reiterate his mission and the driving force behind the John Templeton Foundation: "For two hundred years research has been devoted to science, technology, and economics. We have benefited enormously — yet recently more and more people are realizing that 'something' is missing. As we begin the 21st century, there is a renewed thirst for spirituality and for research into spirituality. We have an incredible opportunity before us: if we now dedicate research to spirituality, and information grows just 5% yearly, we will have more than a 100-fold increase in a single century!"

The Books of Distinction program for 2005 features twenty-nine books. Books of Distinction, launched in 2004 with thirty-nine books, is a marketing and promotion campaign through which books from publishers in the USA and the UK benefit from a supplemental promotion and marketing program funded by the John Templeton Foundation and managed by Templeton Foundation Press. The criteria for inclusion in the program is that the book advances the science and religion dialogue by increasing awareness of spirituality in our understanding of the workings of the universe and in our daily lives.

Joanna Hill, director of Templeton Foundation Press and manager of Books of Distinction, adds, "Each of the books selected for the Books of Distinction program brings us a bit closer to the possibility of vastly increasing our awareness of spirituality. Whether the topic is scientific research, cosmological speculation, philosophy, psychology, theology, or another field, each book contributes in a significant manner to the growing dialogue between science and religion, to the promotion of ethical values and the development of character, and to a humble approach in all of life's endeavors."

Books of Distinction are featured in a direct mail piece that is sent to scholars, researchers, libraries, and other organizations and individuals, with the goal of encouraging classroom adoption, group sales, and individual sales. Advertisements for the books run in national publications and press releases focusing on several books at a time are issued throughout the year.

Preface


1. Introduction
   
   
2. God and Evolution
   Darwinism Evolving
   Biological Processes
   Models of God's Action in Nature
   God's Action in Process Theology
   
   
3. Evolution, Genetics, and Human Nature
   Human Evolution
   Human Nature in Theology
   Genetic Determination and Human Freedom
   
   
4. Neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence, and Human Nature
   Neuroscience and Selfhood
   The Self in Theology
   Artificial Intelligence and Human Nature
   Philosophical Interpretations of Consciousness
   Process Philosophy
   
   
5. God and Nature: A Process View
   Historical Background
   God's Self-Limitation
   Process Theology
   
   
6. Theology, Ethics, and the Environment
   Historical Background
   God and Nature
   Humanity and Nature
   Justice, Technology, and the Environment
   
   Acknowledgments
   Notes
   Index of Authors
   Index of Subjects