Title

Integration of Faith and Mathematics from the Perspectives of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness

School/Department

School of Science Technology and Health

Publication Date

6-2015

Abstract

How should the enterprise of mathematics-faith integration be classified? In his essay, “The Matter of Mathematics,” Russell Howell groups contemporary mathematics faith integration into five categories: foundational, worldview, ethical, attitudinal, and pranalogical. In this article, an alternative approach is proposed using Alister McGrath’s scheme of truth, beauty, and goodness. While Howell’s categories are somewhat mutually exclusive, truth, beauty, and goodness are viewed as different perspectives of the same mathematical phenomena. In addition, throughout this article, the faith-learning integration scheme of John Coe is applied to the subject matter. Coe asserts that there are conceptual, methodological, and teleological dimensions to all faith-learning integration. The complementary approaches are intended to enrich the project of mathematics-faith integration, and help apply it not only to the head but also to the heart. The perspectives and dimensions described may be viewed as providing mathematics educators with ways to go beyond the usual secularized mathematical content and connect it with the Creator and the students’ relationship with him.

Keywords

Mathematics; Faith

Publication Title

Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith

Volume

67

Issue

2

First Page

100

Last Page

110

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