Time&Eternity

Biblical and Theological Conceptions of Time 121
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Time in the Formulation of
Scientific Theory
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On the Dialogue between Science and Theology
For anyone seeking a dynamic relational model for the relationship of
time and eternity, the words of the theologian Gabriel Daly must sound like
sweet music: “The flowering of atomic and sub-atomic physics is revealing a
cosmos of startling and beautiful complexity which is marked above all by
motion and the wonders of systemic interrelationship.” 1 I consider Daly’s
description both correct and auspicious for my study. His emphasis on motion
and systemic interrelationship especially catches my attention because,
over the course of this study, it is precisely motion, dynamics, and relation
that have come forcefully to the forefront as the decisive fundamental concepts
in the search for appropriate formulations related to a theology of
time.
Such positive expectations for the dialogue with natural scientific disciplines
are certainly not self-evident, however. There are also voices asserting
the opposite: “If theology wishes to cling to its subject matter, then it
should not concern itself with the diverse philosophical, scientific, and historical
concepts of time and eternity .l.l.” 2
With regard to the dialogue between natural sciences and theology/religion,
a variety of fundamental directions can be observed. In general, however,
this dialogue has experienced an exciting development over the course
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