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Schleiermacher´s readers have long been familiar with his proposal for an ´eternal covenant´ between theology and natural science. Yet there is disagreement both about what this ´covenant´ amounts to, why Schleiermacher proposed it, and how he meant it to be persuasive. In The Eternal Covenant, Pedersen argues, contrary to received wisdom, that the ´eternal covenant´ is not first a methodological or political proposal but is, rather, the end result of a complex case from the doctrine of God, the notion of a world, and an account of divine action. With his compound case against miracles, Schleiermacher secures the in-principle explicability of everything in the world through natural causes. However, his case is not only negative. Far from a mere concession, the eternal covenant is an argument for what Schleiermacher calls, ´the essential identity of ethics and natural philosophy.´ Indeed, because the nature system is both intended for love and wisely ordered, the world is a supremely beautiful divine artwork and is, therefore, the absolute self-revelation of God. Schleiermacher´s case is a challenging alternative to reigning accounts of God, nature, divine action, and the relationship between religion and science.

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"That said, Pedersen´s book is to be highly recommended for its exposition of different aspects of Schleiermacher´s knowledge of the natural sciences through the works Pedersen´s research has identified as bis source material. lt is very eloquently written and compellingly argued. And it is to be applauded greatly for championing the eternal contract between the Christian faith and scientific research not only in its historical context but as an alternative account of God, divine action, and the natural world in contemporary discussions."
Anette Hagan in: The Journal of Theological Studies 69/2 (2018), 824-826

"Bei den von P. (Pedersen´s) aufschlussreich behandelten Themen ist für die Zukunft internationaler wissenschaftsaustausch sehr zu wünschen."
Anne Käfer in: Theologische Literaturzeitung 144 (2019), 492

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Daniel James Pedersen, Austin, TX, U.S.A.

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