Christianity, Radical Reformed, Issues in Science and Religion

The Radical Reformation began in Switzerland and southern German in the 1520s, when participants in the mainline Reformation objected to state control over churches. The Schleitheim Confession of 1527 was an attempt by Radical Reformers to distinguish their movement from other Protestants. The Radical Reform movement supported baptism for believers, separation from the world, selection of pastors from within the congregation, and the refusal to swear oaths. These elements were designed to nullify the effects of Constantinianism, the identification of the church first with empire and then with nation state.

The Radicals objected to the use of coercion and violence in the name of God. In this sense, they believed God's action in the human world to be noncoercive. Accordingly, they rejected violence and adopted the ban (exclusion from the shared life of the community in accordance with Matthew 18) as the most severe form of punishment. The Radicals continue to believe that Christianity has more to do with changing the world than interpreting its meaning, and therefore they have rarely engaged with scientific developments. Nevertheless, it can be argued that understanding God's action in the natural and social world as noncoercive has important consequences for interactions with the natural and social sciences.

When Isaac Newton's (1642–1727) Laws were accepted as a complete account of all the movements of matter in the universe, it became difficult to conceive of God's action in the world. Modern liberal and conservative views differed over characterizations of divine action. Liberal theologians generally rejected the concept of special divine acts because it seemed self-contradictory for God to break natural laws. Conservative theologians, on the other hand, generally accepted that God could and did miraculously break into the natural causal order. By contrast, Radical Reformed theologians claimed that while God does act in the world, God does so noncoercively. With developments in quantum physics, it has become easier, though still not unproblematic, to make sense of this claim. For example, it would not be inconsistent, or coercive, for God to manipulate quantum events since it is widely agreed that there is no self-determination at this level for God to overrule.

Whereas conflict with the natural sciences has not been an issue for Radical Reformed theologians, there are inherent tensions between Radical Reformed thought and modern social science because of the movement's attempt to embody the Sermon on the Mount. From the early modern period, the dominant assumption in social science has been that coercion, and ultimately violence, is necessary to maintain order in society. However, according to the Radical Reformed view the church itself provides empirical evidence that a society based on noncoercive reconciliation is possible. The church can be understood as an experiment whose existence demonstrates that violence is not a necessary part of social relations. From this perspective, a new vision can emerge for society and social science. One concrete example is Jesus' rejection of retribution as a model for justice in the Sermon on the Mount. In its place, the sermon provides for an understanding of justice that focuses on reconciliation and restoration.

See also Christianity, Anglican, Issues in Science and Religion; Christianity, Evangelical, Issues in Science and Religion; Christianity, Lutheran, Issues in Science and Religion; Christianity, Orthodox, Issues in Science and Religion; Christianity, Pentecostalism, Issues in Science and Religion; Christianity, Reformed, Issues in Science and Religion; Christianity, Roman Catholic, Issues in Science and Religion; Science and Religion, History of Field

Bibliography

murphy, nancey, and ellis, george f. r. on the moral nature of the universe: theology, cosmology, and ethics. minneapolis, minn.: fortress press, 1996.

murphy, nancey. reconciling theology and science: a radical reformation perspective. kitchener, ont.: pandora press; scottdale, pa.: herald press, 1997.

yoder, john howard. the original revolution: essays on christian pacifism. scottdale, pa.: herald press, 1971.

zehr, howard. changing lenses: a new focus for crime and justice. scottdale, pa.: herald press, 1995.

christian early

nancey murphy