Riding on the heels of his first two volumes in his Scientific Theology, the first on the understanding of nature in the sciences and in theology and the second on the nature of reality, McGrath culminates his Scientific Theology with an extended look at theory. As we have noted above, this takes him on a trajectory through an understanding of theory in the two disciplines of natural science and theology, through a look at how reality is represented, through a reflection on the place of explanation, and finally to an appraisal of the role of the contested discipline of metaphysics in these two disciplines. This final volume again expounds McGrath's great themes of his Scientific Theology, such as the place of "scientific" formulation as an a posteriori reflection on the revelation of God, especially in Jesus Christ, as opposed to a priori theorizing or confining of the Truth of theology to the truths of modern-day philosophy or culture. He also again demonstrates how science can play the role of ancilla theologiae.
McGrath begins his formidable argument in this volume by reflecting on the formulation of theories in both the sciences and in theology. He points out the inevitability of theory as a response to the reality that is encountered in the world.
In this volume, as in the other two volumes of his Scientific Theology, McGrath utilizes the natural sciences as ancilla theologiae, as dialogue partner with theology. At every turn he is careful to show how the method of the natural sciences is analogous to that used in theology. While not uncritical of the sciences and their presuppositions or overstatements, he shows how parallel methodologies can and should be used to inquire into theological truths. At many points, it would seem he uses the legitimacy that the natural sciences has in today's philosophy and culture to combat the hostility and criticism that is often leveled against theology through demonstrating similarity of their methods.
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