Revd Dr Rodney Holder

Biography

Rodney Holder read mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge, and researched for a D.Phil. in astrophysics at Christ Church, Oxford. Following 14 years working for the UK Ministry of Defence, he returned to Oxford to read theology and was ordained in the Church of England in 1997. After several years of parish ministry he was appointed Course Director of the Faraday Institute from its inception until his retirement in January 2013. Rodney has explored ways in which science and faith complement each other in a number of books and is a regular speaker on the relationship between religion and science, especially cosmology. He was Reviews Editor of Science and Christian Belief and was on the national committee of Christians in Science from 2006-2017. In addition, he is a Fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion, and a member both of the Society of Ordained Scientists and of the Science and Religion Forum. He is also a trustee of The Faraday Institute.

Selected Publications

• Holder, R. (2020), Ramified Natural Theology in Science and Religion: Moving on from Natural Theology (Abingdon, Oxon, and New York, NY: Routledge).
• Holder, R. D. (2019), ‘Is the Universe Designed?’, in Denis Alexander (ed.), Has Science Killed God? The Faraday Papers on Science and Religion (London: SPCK), 156-168.
• Holder, R. D. (2019), ‘Natural Theology’, in Denis Alexander (ed.), Has Science Killed God? The Faraday Papers on Science and Religion (London: SPCK), 93-104.
• Holder, R. D. (2018), ‘Afterword: Faith in a World of Science’, in Roland Ashby, Chris Mulherin, John Pilbrow, and Stephen Ames (eds.), A Reckless God: Currents and Challenges in the Christian Conversation with Science (Melbourne, Australia: ISCAST Nexus books, Morning Star Publishing), 325-338.
• Holder, R. D. (2017), ‘Thomas Torrance: Science, Theology, and the Contingent Universe’, Participatio: The Journal of the T. F. Torrance Theological Fellowship, vol. 7, 27-48.
• Holder, R. D. (2017), ‘Gaia Hypothesis’, ‘Hoyle, Fred’, ‘Lakatos, Imre’, ‘Libertarian Free Will’, ‘Popper, Karl’, in Paul Copan, Tremper Longman III, Christopher L. Reese, and Michael G. Strauss (eds.), Dictionary of Christianity and Science(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan), 297-298, 365-366, 404, 413-415, 522-523.
• Holder, R. D. (2016), ‘Explaining and Explaining Away in Cosmology and Theology’, Theology and Science14(3), 234-255, http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14746700.2016.1191876 .
• Holder, R. (2014), Longing, Waiting, Believing: Reflections for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany(Abingdon: The Bible Reading Fellowship).
• Holder, R. (2014), ‘Can a Multiverse Provide the Ultimate Explanation?’, Faith and Thought56, 4-18.
• Holder, R. (2013), ‘Why We Need Ramified Natural Theology’, Philosophia Christi,15 (2), 271-282.
• Holder, R. (2013), Big Bang, Big God: A Universe Designed for Life?(Oxford: Lion Hudson).
• Holder, R. and Mitton, S. (eds.) (2013), Georges Lemaître: Life, Science and Legacy. Royal Astronomical Society-Springer.
• Holder, R. and Mitton, S. (2013), ‘Georges Lemaître: A Brief Introduction to His Science, His Theology, and His Impact’, in Rodney Holder and Simon Mitton (eds.) (2013), Georges Lemaître: Life, Science and Legacy, 1-7.
• Holder, R. (2013), ‘Georges Lemaître and Fred Hoyle: Contrasting Characters in Science and Religion’, in Rodney Holder and Simon Mitton (eds), Georges Lemaître: Life, Science and Legacy, 39-53.
• Holder, R. (2013), ‘Natural Theology in the Twentieth Century’, in Russell Re Manning (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Natural Theology, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Holder, R. (2012), ‘An Augustinian Perspective on Creation and Evolution’, in John Doody, Adam Goldstein and Kim Paffenroth (eds.) (2012), Augustine and Science,Series Augustine in Conversation: Tradition and Innovation, Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.
• Holder, R. (2012), ‘Lemaître and Hoyle: Contrasting Characters in Science and Religion’, Science and Christian Belief24 (2), 111-127.
• Holder, R. D. (2012), ‘Quantum Theory and Cosmology’, in J. B. Stump and Alan G. Padgett (eds.), The Blackwell Companion to Science and Christianity(Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell), 220-230.
• Holder, R. D. (2012), The Heavens Declare: Natural Theology and the Legacy of Karl Barth(West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Press).
• Holder, R. D. (2011), ‘God and the Multiverse: A Response to Stephen Hawking’, Faith and Thought51, 3-17.
• Holder, R. D. (2009), ‘Beyond Science: Answering the Boundary Questions’, in A. M. Herzberg (ed.), Statistics, Science and Public Policy XIII: Responsibility, Prosperity and Culture. Proceedings of the Conference on Statistics, Science and Public Policy held at Herstmonceux Castle, Hailsham, UK, April 16-19, 2008, 79-84.
• Holder, R. D. (2009), ‘Thomas Torrance: ‘Retreat to Commitment’ or a New Place for Natural Theology?’, Theology and Science 7(3), 275-296, informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a912448732
• Holder, R. D. (2009), ‘Science and Religion in the Theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’, Zygon 44(1), 115-132.
• Holder, R. D. (2008), Nothing But Atoms and Molecules? Probing the limits of science, Third Edition (Cambridge: The Faraday Institute) (First Edition, Crowborough: Monarch Publications, 1993).
• Holder, R. D. (2008), ‘Modern Science and the Interpretation of Genesis: Can We Learn from Dietrich Bonhoeffer?’, Theology and Science6(2), 213-231, informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=1474-6700&volume=6&issue=2&spage=213
• Holder, R. D. (2007), ‘Creation and the Sciences in the Theology of Wolfhart Pannenberg’, Communio ViatorumXLIX, 210-253.
• Holder, R. D. (2006), ‘Fine-tuning and the Multiverse’, Think12, 49-60.
• Holder, R. D. (2005), ‘God and Differing Interpretations of Quantum Theory-Response to Paul’, Science and Christian Belief17(2), 177-185.
• Holder, R. D. (2004), God, the Multiverse, and Everything: Modern Cosmology and the Argument from Design(Aldershot, and Burlington, VT: Ashgate).
• Holder, R. D. (2002), ‘Fine-tuning, Multiple Universes and Theism’, Noûs36, 295-312.
• Holder, R. D. (2001), ‘The realization of infinitely many universes in cosmology’, Religious Studies37, 343-350.
• Holder, R. D. (2001), ‘Karl Barth and the Legitimacy of Natural Theology’, Themelios26, 22-37.
• Holder, R. D. (2001), ‘Fine-Tuning, Many Universes and Design’, Science and Christian Belief13, 5-24.
• Holder, R. D. (1999), ‘Multiple Universes as an Explanation for Fine-Tuning’, Science and Christian Belief11, 65-66.
• Holder, R. D. (1998), ‘Hume on Miracles: Bayesian Interpretation, Multiple Testimony, and the Existence of God’,  J. Phil. Sci.49, 49-65.

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