On Requested References

Given my interest in the interchange between science and religion, Debra @ Breathelighter asked me to post a few books for those wanting to know more. Besides, her request made me feel good, plus I know she enjoys when I post about this topic.

In order to provide a range of sources, I organized the books into thematic groups. Some of the books I reviewed here, so I also linked them as Past post.

FYI: I found many of these books through local libraries and inter-library loan systems.

The organizations list provide bountiful resources, including essays.

Historical
Saving Darwin (Karl Giberson)
The Evolution-Creation Struggle (Michael Ruse) Past post

Theologically Centered
Can You Believe in God and Evolution (Ted Peters and Martinez Hewlett)
Responses to 101 Questions about God and Evolution (John Haught)
God after Darwin: A Theology of Evolution (John Haught)
Questions of Truth: Fifty-One Responses to Questions about God, Science, and Belief  (John Polkinghorne)

Science Centered
Finding Darwin’s God (Ken Miller)

Biblical
The Lost World of Genesis One (John Walton) Past post

Personal
The Language of God (Francis Collins) Past post 

General
Origins (Deborah Haarsma and Loren Haarsma) (Review TBA)
When Science Meets Religion: Enemies, Strangers, or Partners? (Ian Barbour) Past post

Essays
By any of the above authors; plus, Denis Alexander, Peter Enns, George Murphy, Ron Numbers

Organizations (listed alphabetically)
American Scientific Affiliation
BioLogos Foundation
Center for Process Studies
Center for Theological Inquiry
Center for Theology and Natural Sciences
John Templeton Foundation
The Clergy Project
The European Society for the Study of Science and Theology
The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion
The International Society for Science and Religion
Vatican Observatory

On Language of Faith and Science

To appreciate and understand the layer requires an effort. One must understand science – its processes, its discoveries, and its way of enriching our understanding of creation. However, one must also understand that this understanding is not in conflict with a belief that God created a world and that God doesn’t overrule well-established scientific claims. There, The Language of Faith and Science is a good place to start. (from the book)

The interchange between science and religion is a subject that laypeople don’t jump on with profound interest. Ok – that mean I’m an exception to this rule of thumb.

Several years ago, I decided to tackle the topic on my own, and it has been a fascinating journey. (I’ve written much here.) The first book I read was Saving Darwin: How to be a Christian and Believe in Evolution by Karl Giberson; a physics professor at Eastern Nazarene College and the director of the Form on Faith and Religion at Gordon College. As a historical perspective, his book provides an excellent background.

Since then, my journey included the work of many prominent people in the field. Many titles later, I read The Language of God by Francis Collins, the former head of the Human Genome project and the current director of the National Institute of Health. (My post about this book.)

The Language of Science and Faith (2011) is a joint venture between Giberson and Collins. It’s chapters are in a logical sequence, and each chapter’s content focuses around individual questions. Here are several important item of note:

This book is for Christians who do not see science and faith as archenemies, and want to know more about the interchange between these two disciplines

The book is an excellent starting point, but for anyone seeking more information regarding either the science or the theology, more reading is required. (Yes, I can provide guidance for those desiring so.)

Being that I’ve already completed significant reading on the subject, I appreciate this book’s annotated bibliography – thus look forward to examining some of the online resources.

On a Collins Book

Dr. Francis Collins currently leads the National Institutes of Health (NIH) after directing the Human Genome Project (HGP). Since several sources mentioned his book The Language of God, I added it to my reading list regarding the interface between science and faith.

This book is an easy-to-read personal story with three key components: his personal faith journey, his work in science and medicine, and his view of the interaction between science and theology.

Dr. Collins’ family as agnostic, so faith had very little influence on him through early adulthood. A pivotal conversation with a medical patient stimulated his thinking and eventually led him to Mere Christianity, which is C.S. Lewis’ journey from atheism to Christianity.

Not surprisingly, Collins became interested in science during his youth and his college studies  started with chemistry. Interestingly to me, he stated that biology “just didn’t make sense.” (As a former biology teacher, I can understand.) Then a biochemistry course gave him more insight, which led him to medical school and eventually to research.

For those who do not know, HGP sought to identify all human genes and determine their DNA sequences. HGP is truly a remarkable feat that we will find beneficial for many years to come. Collins states the following about HGP, “the experience of sequencing the human genome, and uncovering this most remarkable of all texts, was both a stunning scientific achievement and an occasion of worship.”

The science-theology union conflicts with the atheists and agnostics who proclaim that science answers all questions and delivers do evidence for an existence of God – yet is also conflicts with the theology of those proclaiming that we must choose between science and theology.

These two polarizing camps are at obvious opposite ends of the science-theology spectrum –however, each disregards the integration between them where most of us actually lie – yet most of us also lack knowledge on the subject. Much of his integration with theology centers on the Moral Law – the law of right behavior; leading Collins to insist that “science is not threatened by God; it is enhanced” and “God is most certainly not threatened by science; He made it all possible.”

Since most people wonder (but do not know) about this possibility, The Language of God is a good, easy-to-read resource for someone early in their science and faith journey. Collins’ story is compelling and the infusion of science is accurate – yet importantly understandable for a layperson that may lack an accurate understanding of evolution. Although the theology is commendable, someone wanting more will find it shallow. However, there is enough to stimulate your thinking.