Professor Alister McGrath begins his second of six Gifford Lectures from 2009 with this quote, which he says highlights the ability of Christian theology to make sense in itself and to make sense of everything else. As McGrath puts it:

For Lewis, the Christian faith was like an intellectual sun, illuminating and irradiating the rich conceptual landscape of the natural world, enabling the observer to make sense of, and hence appreciate, the intricate patterns of the tapestry of human experience and thought.

McGrath also believes in this ability of the Christian faith to help shed light on the world around us, and uses it as a fundamental theme throughout his lectures. As McGrath puts it, Christianity’s ability to makes sense of what we observe and experience is precisely what allows this theology to have a meaningful and harmonious relationship with the natural sciences, as well as art and other religious traditions.

The transcripts of all six of Alister McGrath’s Gifford Lectures can be read for free on the University of Aberdeen’s Web site.  For more on this topic, be sure to visit our Question on Christianity at Biologos.org.