Science
in Christian Perspective
Since 1941
PSCF Book Reviews September 2008
Science
in Christian Perspective
Since 1941
PSCF Book Reviews September 2008
Index
IGNORING THE APOCALYPSE: Why Planning to Prevent Environmental Catastrophe Goes
Astray by David Howard Davis.
IMITATING JESUS: An Inclusive Approach to New Testament Ethics by Richard A.
Burridge.
THE AGE OF EVERYTHING: How Science Explores the Past by Matthew
Hedman.
FAITH AND HEALTH: Religion, Science, and Public Policy by
THE LIGHT: How Stress Poisons the Central Nervous System and Causes ADHD, Parkinsons Disease, Schizophrenia, Autoimmune Response and More by Ruth Whalen. www.lulu.com: Lulu Enterprises, 2007. 196 pages. Paperback. ISBN: 9781430329916.
THE DIALOGUE OF CIVILIZATIONS IN THE BIRTH OF MODERN SCIENCE by
Arun Bala.
RELICS OF
SCIENCE, EVOLUTION, AND CREATIONISM by the
RANDOM DESIGNER: Created from Chaos to Connect with the Creator by Richard G.
Colling.
A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE: Putting Christian Truth Claims to the Worldview Test by
K. R. Samples.
DID MY NEURONS MAKE ME DO IT? Philosophical and
Neurobiological Perspectives on Moral Responsibility and Free Will
by Nancey Murphy and Warren S. Brown.
EVOLUTION AND EMERGENCE: Systems, Organisms, Persons by
Nancey Murphy and William R. Stoeger,
eds.
RECONSTRUCTING A CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY OF NATURE: Down to Earth by Anna
Case-Winters.
DO YOU BELIEVE? Conversations on God and Religion
by Antonio Monda.
Translated by Ann Goldstein.
THE BEGINNING OF ALL THINGS: Science and Religion by Hans
Kung. Translated by John Bowden.
THE GOD OF NATURE: Incarnation and Contemporary Science by Christopher C.
Knight. Theology and the Sciences series.
RELIGION AND THE CHALLENGES OF SCIENCE by William Sweet and Richard
Feist, eds.
GODS MECHANICS: How Scientists and Engineers Make Sense of Religion by Brother
Guy Consolmogno.
GOD AND THE NEW ATHEISM: A Critical Response to Dawkins, Harris, and
Hitchens by John F. Haught.
THE DAWKINS DELUSION?
Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of Divine
by Alister E. McGrath and Joanna
Collicutt McGrath.
THE GOD THEORY: Universes, Zero-Point Fields, and Whats
Behind It All by Bernard Haisch.
LIBERAL PROTESTANTISM AND SCIENCE by Leslie A. Muray.
THE SPIRITUAL TECHNOLOGY OF ANCIENT
A SCIENTIFIC SEARCH FOR RELIGIOUS TRUTH by Phil Mundt.
EVOLUTION FOR EVERYONE: How
UNEXPECTED GRACE: Stories of Faith, Science, and Altruism by Bill Kramer.
EVOLUTION AND RELIGIOUS CREATION MYTHS: How Scientists Respond by
CREATIVE TENSION: Essays on Religion and Science by Michael Heller.
EXPLORATIONS IN NEUROSCIENCE, PSYCHOLOGY, AND RELIGION by Kevin S. Seybold.
EX-GAYS? A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation by Stanton L. Jones and Mark A. Yarhouse. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007. 420 pages. Paperback; $24.00. ISBN: 978083082846X.
THE RECEPTION OF JACQUES ELLULS CRITIQUE OF TECHNOLOGY: An Annotated Bibliography of Writings on His Life and Thought by Joyce Main Hanks. Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2007. 546 pages, indices. Hardcover; $139.95. ISBN: 9780773453739.
TECHNOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY: How the Information Revolution Affects Our Spiritual Lives by Stephen K. Spyker. Woodstock, VT: SkyLight Paths, 2007. 158 pages. Hardcover; $19.95. ISBN: 9781594732188
The Reviews
IGNORING THE APOCALYPSE: Why Planning to Prevent Environmental Catastrophe Goes
Astray by David Howard Davis.
I would imagine that most environmental scientists marvel at the ability of human beings, and most especially American human beings, to be cavalier about their damage to the planet in the face of strong scientific evidence and worrisome trends. As D. H. Davis points out, scientific consensus was achieved on the basic facts of global warming by 1985, but in the ensuing twenty-three years, frustratingly little effective action has been taken to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Why not?
Setting out to answer questions such as this, Davis, a political scientist,
dispassionately lays out the history of a handful of central ideas: the use of
statistics and modeling to predict catastrophes and shortages, the tools of
planning especially as they relate to energy supplies, efforts to limit
population growth through controls on immigration and reproduction, the
implications of nuclear war and disarmament treaties, and the long-delayed
international efforts to address global warming. Each section begins with a
timeline, which is followed by a detailed political history that focuses largely
on post-war
With careful research,
Looking back, it is easy to see that many environmental catastrophes have been ignored in spite of multiple warnings, and that the results have been bad. Planning to prevent them would have been good, but often does not occur.
Again we ask, why not? The strength of the authors neutral stance is that
readers can draw their own answers from the history assembled.
Reviewed by David O. De Haan, Associate Professor of
Chemistry,
ETHICS
IMITATING JESUS: An Inclusive Approach to New Testament Ethics by Richard A.
Burridge.
Imitating Jesus
offers a comprehensive and methodologically careful review not only of New
Testament ethics but also of contemporary New Testament research, in at least
three areas: Jesus studies,
The thesis of the book is carried forward from beginning to end with
metronomic efficiency. Burridge argues first that
genre matters profoundly in the interpretation of the New Testament, and that
the genre of the Gospels is biographical, at least as biography was done in the
ancient Greco-Roman world. The figure whose story is being told is the
historical Jesus, whose life left such a powerful imprint that all of these
Gospel writers, and
In exploring the details of the actual ethics one finds in Jesus life and
teachings, Burridge finds a consistent pattern.
Jesus offers extraordinarily rigorous moral teaching about important matters of
everyday life, grounding all teachings in the love command; but he creates a
mixed, inclusive community of quite flawed followers who respond as best they
are able to this man and his demanding teachings. A symbol of this creative
tension between demand and grace is found in the way that parallel texts (Matt.
At the end of the book, when Burridge turns to the South African situation as a kind of case study of bad New Testament ethics, he shifts gears. He introduces a different literature, sometimes called the use of the Bible in ethics literature, which emerges mainly from the field of Christian ethics, and tries to offer guidance for the constructive application of scripture to contemporary contexts and problems. He shows how the primary options available for employing the Bible in ethicsmoral rules, moral principles, moral examples, and an overall symbolic worldviewall proved susceptible to abuse by pro-apartheid South African scholars and church leaders. However, lest we fall into despair that the Bible is infinitely malleable and abusable, Burridge goes on to argue that one path remains: reading together in an inclusive community. What matters is not just that we read scripture looking for clues for what it might mean to imitate Jesus, but that we do so in as inclusive a reading community as possible. It would have been impossible to sustain the tortured pro-apartheid readings of scripture if, for example, oppressed black South African Christians had been invited to participate in the community of those reading and interpreting the Bible. This is a hopeful move, though sadly no such strategy is foolproof. Even inclusive communities will find ways to mess up the reading of scripture.
Imitating Jesus is a hugely important book that belongs in the library of everyone who is serious about the Bible and about Christian ethics. It is like a cathedral in its massiveness and in the care taken in its construction over many years of research and writing. There was no haste in writing this book; neither can it be read hastily. But for both writer and reader, it is well worth the effort.
Reviewed by David P. Gushee, Distinguished
University Professor of Christian Ethics,
GENERAL SCIENCES
THE AGE OF EVERYTHING: How Science Explores the Past by Matthew
Hedman.
This book, based on a series of popular lectures, explores how researchers in a wide variety of fields determine the ages of things (p. 2). It is not intended to provide an exhaustive catalog of every single dating technique. I found this book to be an enjoyable and informative read.
In addition to the introduction, the book is divided into eleven chapters. Some illustrate one primary method of assessing an age of an object or an event. Many, however, demonstrate how one dating procedure can be utilized to constrain another to provide acceptable estimates of age. Thus, for example, historic dates for Egyptian artifacts are utilized to correct radiocarbon ages while in general validating the radiocarbon technique (pp. 635).
The overall organization to the book is logical and draws the reader in. The
author begins with Maya calendric glyphs,
specifically examining the chronology of the ruler of the Mayan city of
My one dissatisfaction with the volume was the general absence of text
describing how most of the various dating techniques were originally discovered.
The Mayan calendar glyphs, for example, are depicted, translated, and promptly
utilized to interpret the life history of Yuknoom
Cheen without any reference to some of the lengthy
history of their decipherment by Foerstemann and
others. Willard Libby is mentioned in passing but his development of the
radiocarbon technique is not narrated. I would have appreciated perhaps two
extra pages per chapter, offering a reader the opportunity to understand some of
the dynamics of discovery for many of these methods. Some readers more inclined
to skepticism might thus suspiciously ask questions like, how can we trust
these translations of the Mayan characters? To Hedmans
credit, he includes avenues for further reading at the end of each chapter, and
these include sources for investigating the histories of the various techniques.
I think the book should appeal to many kinds of potential readers. Compiling cases from many different fields has yielded an overview that will retain the interest of most scientists and students. The writing style will permit the nonscientist to grasp the principles for many of these techniques. The book is recommended.
Reviewed by Ralph Stearley, Professor of Geology,
HEALTH & MEDICINE
FAITH AND HEALTH: Religion, Science, and Public Policy by
I found the book to be well rounded in regard to the subjects that are
covered in eleven chapters. The first two chapters deal with human suffering and
end-of-life decision making in the ICU. Both chapters are well written, and I
would highly recommend them to medical students who are starting their clinical
rotations and are beginning to have patient interactions. Chapter 3 evaluates
Chapters 4 through 6 can be summarized as addressing end-of-life and aging issues, the patient right-to-die debate, and physician-assisted suicide. Again, I thought that chapter 4 (Aging as an Assault on Human Dignity: Spirituality and End-of-Life Decision-Making) was particularly intriguing, and it should be required reading for pre-medical college students or medical students. The reader should be aware that Simmons does have strong opinions about right-to-die issues as well as physician-assisted suicide. These chapters are not objective but are extremely well researched. Any physician who has significant objections to physician-assisted suicide would disagree with some of the authors beliefs about how far suffering prevention should occur, as there will always be moral constraints placed by many health-care providers. Yes, physicians always should want to remove suffering, but not all would agree that helping end a patients life should fit in the spectrum of treatment options.
Interestingly, chapters 7, 8, and 11 deal with artificial organs and the potential of cyborg creation, composite tissue allotransplants (for example, face and hand transplants), and demonic exorcism as a treatment option for psychiatrists. These chapters are extremely entertaining, informative, and a quick read.
Sections that deserve particular mention are chapter 9 dealing with stem
cells and chapter 10 discussing abortion. The author makes many clear points
about the validity of stem cell research and makes excellent arguments, in a
manner similar to
In conclusion, this book is an excellent overview of current medical ethics issues that deal directly with Christianity. I would put it in a must read category for Christian physicians and health care workers although Simmons opinions will not be congruent with all readers.
Reviewed by John F. Pohl, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Scott and White
Hospital,
THE LIGHT: How Stress Poisons the Central Nervous System and Causes ADHD, Parkinsons Disease, Schizophrenia, Autoimmune Response and More by Ruth Whalen. www.lulu.com: Lulu Enterprises, 2007. 196 pages. Paperback. ISBN: 9781430329916.
This book is a unique opening into the world of patients who have suffered from central nervous system disease, including mental illness, written from the perspective of Ruth Whalen, a medical laboratory technician who has suffered from a variety of symptoms that she relates to caffeine toxicity. Her life story is interesting, and she is very open about her history of horrific child abuse and subsequent stress-related illnesses that she relates to caffeine ingestion.
Whalens hypothesis is that she has an allergic reaction to caffeine.
Interestingly, the foreword of her book is written by Abram
Hoffer, MD, PhD, who is the president of the International Schizophrenia
Foundation. He describes her theory fairly clearly.
Cathecholamines (the so-called stress hormones) are
methylated to reduce damage to the human body caused
by oxidative stress; however, Whalen believes that a surplus of
methylated compounds such as a continued presence of
methylated catecholamines
and methylated dopamine eventually cause diseases
such as ADHD, schizophrenia, depression, autism, and other well-known mental
health disorders as well as other diseases. The methyl surplus, exacerbated by
substances such as caffeine, hinges on the belief that excess methyl groups
cause a variety of diseases, especially in individuals who are under constant
stress. The author is not particularly even-handed in her theory. Yes, excess
methylation may cause or signal certain cancers, but
methylation also is necessary for early embryo
function.
I do have some strong reservations about this book. I would agree with the author that many of the more complicated diseases that we have to deal with in medical practice and in life, including cancer, autoimmune disease, and mental illness, are multi-factorial and can be tragically dismissed as I dont know, go see a specialist by some primary-care physicians. However, I do have a hard time relating all of these diseases purely to excess methylation. There is essentially no mention by the author of genetic factors involved with certain mental illnesses (for example, the association of serotonin transporter genotypes in depression or cannabinoid receptor gene single nucleotide polymorphisms and ADHD). Thus, mental illness and cancer have genetic causes, perhaps influenced by methylation, but also perhaps not. A tragedy of this world is that dysfunctional family structure will cause many mental disorders, and this reality should be firmly recognized.
Some statements in the later chapters are questionable, and the overall format of the book becomes choppy in sentence structure and disjointed in paragraph sequencing. The statement that Excess iron, copper, and zinc do not belong in the body either, and metals may not belong in the body at all is misleading. Yes, too much of any substance is toxic, but we all need trace minerals for the cellular processes of replication, immune function, and nutrient absorption. The author states that after the body is detoxified, a person recovers more fully, including a return of the so-called sixth sense. To be honest, I have found that when patients remove themselves from stress, eat right, and exercise (and if they truly follow this advice), they often make remarkable advancements in health and lifestyle. Finally, the discussion in the book regarding the importance of future astrologic signs and how Peter and the early church tricked people into believing that Catholicism is true Christianity, the word of God is not necessary and is misleading to the reader.
In summary, I would recommend the book if one is a health care provider who is interested in learning about some of the alternative theories of disease being discussed by the lay community. The lack of objectiveness in the book otherwise prevents it from being helpful to clinicians or researchers.
Reviewed by John F. Pohl, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Scott and White
Hospital,
HISTORY OF SCIENCE
THE DIALOGUE OF CIVILIZATIONS IN THE BIRTH OF MODERN SCIENCE by
Arun Bala.
Arun
Bala provides a history of science that stresses
essential contributions from
Disclaiming the centrality of European science in the development of modern science requires significant mental gymnastics. Balas approach is to first argue that prior scholarship arbitrarily dismisses earlier scientific contributions from non-European cultures. Citing historian Colin Ronan, Bala claims, His whole exercise of arbitrary dismissal without presenting any counter evidence to claims by dependable Greek writers seems solely designed to support his opinion (p. 18). Although an amateur reader of science and religion, this reviewer believes that Bala overemphasizes other writers glosses to unfairly support his opinion. Why, for example, does Bala not cite any of the writings of Stanley Jaki who was a major proponent of science having to emerge from a Christian, western cultural milieu?
In one of the more interesting chapters, chapter 5, Bala examines
what evidence would adequately validate a transfer of intellectual ideas from
The remaining chapters sequentially show how European astronomy, optics,
atomic structure, and cosmology required key ideas from intellectual Indian
communities. [W]e cannot ignore the possibility that the
Kerala School of Indian mathematics influenced the
Scientific Revolution in modern
Reviewed by Fraser F. Fleming, Professor of Chemistry,
NATURAL SCIENCES
RELICS OF
In Relics of Eden: The Powerful Evidence of
Evolution in Human DNA, Daniel Fairbanks summarizes the molecular evidence for
human evolution. As a distinguished professor at
McClintock focused on transposons, DNA elements that excise themselves and move to other places in the genome, much like the cut-and-paste function of a computer. Retroelements use a copy-and-paste process instead of the cut-and-paste process of transposons.
In chapter seven,
Each time a chromosome replicates, a bit of telomere DNA erodes away, but a protein called telomerase restores the eroded ends to reconstitute the telomeres. Thus, telomeres function as buffer zones to protect the important DNA within the chromosome from erosion. If not for telomeres and telomerase, our chromosomes would progressively erode inward from the ends until they could no longer function.
It should be pointed out, however, that this book is not written for a
completely scientifically naive audience. One probably does need a basic college
biology course to fully understand the evidence that
In the final chapters,
Reviewed by Dawne Page, Professor of Biology,
ORIGINS & COSMOLOGY
SCIENCE, EVOLUTION, AND CREATIONISM by the
The original edition of this book was published in 1984 by the National Academy of Sciences, an organization of outstanding scientists recognized by their peers in specific fields. Now in its third edition, the book affirms evolution as a widely accepted theory in the scientific community, and claims that the theory should be taught apart from religious studies. Additional examples and up-to-date information have been added to this new edition, enabling readers to understand the relation of evolution and religion in the school curriculum.
The book is divided into four chapters, with the last chapter serving as a brief conclusion. Following the chapters, the book offers answers to nine frequently asked questions concerning evolution and creationism. The book also includes several bibliographies and committee member biographies.
The first chapter briefly explains the process of evolution, the nature of
science, and the differences between science and religion. The chapter briefly
refers to several different religious leaders and prominent scientists
(including Kenneth Miller and ASA member
This book is an excellent handbook for explaining evolutionary theory to laypersons, offering evidence for evolution, detailing its contributions, and describing the relationship of the theory to various creationists views. The book argues that evolution must be accepted as a scientific truth about the natural world, and that evolution continues to shape all living organisms, including humans. Consequently, the study of evolution in science classes must be autonomous, free from the influence of creationists.
This book admits that many questions concerning evolution remain unanswered. The most difficult questions, however, do not concern the facts of evolution, but the meaning and the purpose of natural selection. The exploration of evolutions meaning and purpose requires the complementary input of religious faith. Such input should properly be pursued in a religion class. There, students may learn that many religious denominations have accepted evolution as a natural phenomenon, and that the study of evolutionary theory can complement their religious belief.
The books writing style is easy to read, and the illustrations are brilliant and attractive. The contributors are authoritative, and the additional readings are extensive and up-to-date. This book can well be enjoyed by student, professional, and any layperson. Further, it is worthwhile whatever ones faith commitments may be. While this book is inexpensive, it also can be downloaded for free from www.nap.edu/catalog/11876.html.
Reviewed by Wilkin W. Cheung, Adjunct Faculty, Science Department,
RANDOM DESIGNER: Created from Chaos to Connect with the Creator by Richard G.
Colling.
Editors note: When Random Designer was published several years ago, it initially appeared as a modest, self-published book. Since then, however, it has generated controversy within the Church of the Nazarene, raising issues of academic freedom at the denominations various colleges and universities.
Once upon a time, creation was a perfectly respectable term that credited matter, energy, and life to the Judeo-Christian deity. Lately, though, one can scarcely use this word without invoking narrowly prescribed views regarding the chronology and methodology of Gods work. Similarly, evolution once meant a series of gradual changes, and it could be mentioned in polite company without being mistaken for a theological statement. No more. When several prominent thinkers insisted that evolution was aimless and blind, many agreed and thus rejected the theory.
In response, theistic evolution became a useful phrase that denoted divinely guided natural development. But even this term has become problematic as many persons of faith now see it as an oxymoron, the equivalent of religious atheism. We thus need new terminology to replace words that became casualties of the culture-war over origins. Richard G. Colling proposes the term Random Designer. This books central thesis is that God uses random variation and natural selection (among other methods) to accomplish his purposes.
In Section I, Colling points out that randomness is integral to several natural processes that do not provoke religious controversy. According to the Gibbs equation, many biochemical reactions are thermodynamically feasible only because entropy is increasing. In a widely accepted view of the immune system, B cells generate innumerable variations on an antibody protein sequence, some of which eventually prove useful against pathogens.
Colling presents random mutation/natural selection as a mechanism by which organisms adapt to changing conditions. He illustrates with the familiar example of bacterial antibiotic resistance. Few people dispute this processcommonly labeled microevolution, although Colling does not use that termbecause science can document that it happens here and now. Colling presents a complete molecules-to-humans spectrum, and makes it clear that he regards all aspects of evolution (including speciation and prebiotic chemistry) as compatible with his faith.
In Section II (subtitled Searching for Purpose and Meaning in a Randomness-Driven World), Colling shares personal reflections as a biologist who seeks to integrate scientific knowledge with religious faith. Anecdotes involving his wife and their four sons provide insights to illustrate his walk with God. These chapters might not provide support for his views on origins; however, Colling seeks to present an integrated worldview. If nothing else, this section demonstrates the orthodoxy of his Christian beliefs.
Colling
always capitalizes the phrase Random Designer, and he clearly uses it in
reference to deity. For example, his discussion of all life forms having
descended from one original progenitor cell concludes with the Random Designer
says that this grand drama was simply an early part of the magnificent plan
designed to accomplish his purposes (p. 63). This reflects
Collings conviction that God works through natural processes. Such a
conviction does not sit well with many Christians, as they have been persuaded
that any scientific explanation precludes divine action.
opposes any godless interpretation of the origin of the universe and of humankind. However, the church accepts as valid all scientifically verifiable discoveries in geology and other natural phenomena, for we firmly believe that God is the Creator (Church of the Nazarene 2005 Manual, Articles I.1., V.5.1, VII).
We are embroiled in a cultural war in which many conservative Christians cling tenaciously to traditional values and cherished beliefs. They need to be persuaded gently and respectfully if they are to change their thinking about biblical interpretation, especially regarding origins. A writer who addresses that audience needs to be careful not to assault their religious sensibilities. I suspect that some readers were offended by the parody of Jesus Sermon on the Mount on this books dust jacket: You have heard it said that God created the world 12,000 years ago. But I tell you God has revealed that five billion years is a closer approximation (etc.).
The world needs more people like Richard Colling who are fully persuaded of the harmony between scientific truth and biblical belief. Those who read Random Designer to the end with an open mind will be helped by it.
Reviewed by Joseph H. Lechner, Professor of Chemistry,
PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY
A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE: Putting Christian Truth Claims to the Worldview Test by
K. R. Samples.
Kenneth Samples is the senior research fellow at Reasons
To Believe, a theological think-tank that seeks to communicate the
uniquely factual basis for belief in the Bible as the error-free Word of God and
for personal faith in Jesus Christ as Creator and Savior. Moreover, Samples is
an adjunct instructor of apologetics at
In the first few chapters, Samples gives a laudable development of a worldview perspective that is in line with the biblical texts. Moreover, he delineates the importance of the Apostles Creed for the foundation of a Christian worldview. This alone makes this volume worth its price. In another chapter, Samples expounds the basis of a Christian worldview by engaging its authority in all matters, i.e., Scripture. He goes on to give an excellent survey of the Christian view of God and its import in the derivation of a Christian worldview. Another chapter contains an enlightening discussion of the historic Christian view of humankind, correlating it to the development of a truly Christian worldview. In later chapters, Samples identifies and interacts with several opposing worldviews, including naturalism, postmodernism, pantheism, and Islamic views.
A notable strength of the volume is Samples inclusion of discussion questions at the end of each chapter that more fully explore the implications of the material covered. Thus, this book could well be used in small-group studies within the local church. A second notable strength of this book is the concise, acute, and accurate coverage of the distinctive Christian doctrine, the Trinity. Samples presents a plethora of biblical support for the doctrine of the Trinity and its implications upon a Christian worldview. An added plus are the charts that Samples employs to summarize the arguments in each chapter.
Noting these strengths, however, I would urge that caution be exhibited by the readers of this book for the sole reason that Samples is unabashedly Reformed in his theology. Consistently, throughout the book, Samples equates Reformed doctrine with what is largely called either Protestant or evangelical. Consequently, if the reader is not careful in noticing Samples confessional stance, he or she may interpret Samples to be supporting the notion that the sole theological disposition that is coherent is the Reformed position. This equating of evangelical/historic Christian doctrine with Reformed theology is disturbing to me, as one can be an evangelical in keeping with historic doctrine, while at the same time choosing to be Arminian or Wesleyan in theology. In fact, one finds little reference to scholars who write from a non-Reformed position, but nearly all of the cited material comes from other Calvinistic/Reformed scholars.
Another weakness is Samples minimal use of primary source material, choosing instead to rely upon compendia, survey volumes, encyclopedias, and dictionaries for his argument(s). A complete bibliography for the sources that are cited is absent. Instead we encounter select bibliographies at the end of each chapter with endnotes including the material cited. Even with these reservations, however, I heartily advocate the purchase and perusal of this book by readers of this journal.
Reviewed by Bradford McCall, Divinity Department,
DID MY NEURONS MAKE ME DO IT? Philosophical and
Neurobiological Perspectives on Moral Responsibility and Free Will
by Nancey Murphy
and Warren S. Brown.
This is the first volume co-authored by these two scholars, professors at
Fuller Theological Seminary: Murphy of philosophical theology and Brown of
physiological psychology. They have previously co-authored articles and edited,
with H. Newton Malony, Whatever Happened to the
Soul? (2001, Fortress). The present volume is a
magnum opus of their work together and is an extensive consideration of
materialistic reductionism coupled with an affirmation of top-down causation as
it relates to consciousness and free will. Readers of PSCF will find that
reading this volume leaves them much more appreciative of the imago Dei and much
more confident in the possibilities of human beings to participate in emergent
restoration of this world to the will of God.
Labeling themselves, in both this and their previous volume, as nonreductive physicalists, Murphy and Brown present a view that human mental functioning, while embedded in the brain, cannot be explained either by biological reductionism (bottom-up causation) or Cartesian dualism (physical body, nonphysical mind). Instead humans are best understood as agents in a social world whose functioning is best understood through a top-down model in which higher level capacities (e.g., language, consciousness) function systemically to constrain the physiology of the brain in an emergent manner that results in reason, freedom, moral responsibility, and self determination.
There is a sense in which this volume could be considered a penetrating survey of modern philosophy. One might have hoped that the views expressed here would have included an equal balance of current thinking in psycholinguistics, learning theory, and cognitive psychology. As it stands, the volume is weighted heavily toward philosophy. Only the Gifford lectures of Donald MacKay, the noted Scottish neuro-psychologist, are referenced in any consistent manner. Even here, MacKays well-known counter to reductionist determination is curiously absent. MacKay is often referenced as noting that even if a behavior is predicted to occur (on the basis of physiology, environment, or past training), humans can always say I dont think Ill do it.
This is not a book for the unsophisticated in either philosophical or neurological terminology. The questions the book addresses are, nevertheless, foundational, if not universal. Yet, the authors make little accommodation for the implied average reader in the fetching title of the book, i.e., Did My Neurons Make Me Do It? While the title indicates an intention, the writing style does not support it. Understanding the content would have been greatly enhanced by more human examples. The most memorable illustrations of their conceptualizations were from lower forms of life.
At the same time, this is a foundational volumeerudite and convincing in a way that does indeed affirm the unique capacities of the human being. While B. F. Skinner is often maligned as an advocate of social control through mindless behaviorism, it should not be forgotten that Skinner would agree that all organisms, especially humans, are active social agents whose actions are emitted rather than elicited. While Murphy and Brown spend much less effort than Skinner in describing the social outcomes of their theorizing, they are, by implication, much more hopeful that the humans they describe can create a society where moral reasoning and free will have full sway. Their thinking goes far beyond either environmental or neurological determination. While they continue to malign Cartesian mentalism, they affirm the importance of social interactionism. As their postscript states, Go meta, regularly: remember the value of self-reflection.
Reviewed by H. Newton Malony, Senior Professor,
EVOLUTION AND EMERGENCE: Systems, Organisms, Persons by
Nancey
Murphy and William R. Stoeger,
eds.
One might wonder why emergence is drawing so much attention from scholars across a number of disciplines. Perhaps theologians, computer scientists, biologists, and sociologists are all intrigued by emergence because it depicts a common human experience. These experiences are typically routine, but can also provoke in us a sense of wonder and bewilderment. While chemical reactions, organism organization, and human social behaviors are clearly different, a common logic is inherent to each. That is, at a basic stage each exhibits a special relationship between parts and a whole. Examples that take these unique parts to whole relationships are all around us. Some would even argue that as you read this sentence an instance of emergence is occurring. Simply put, the parts in your brain (neurons) are interacting in a specific way giving rise to the whole (ideas) necessary to comprehend this sentence. In addition, the very sentence forms a complex of parts and wholes on several different levels. That common experience is the impetus for exploring emergentism. In Evolution and Emergence, the various essays seek to move emergentism beyond mere phenomenological alignment toward a legitimate explanatory option.
This book, edited by Nancey Murphy and William R. Stoeger, offers a collection of essays from philosophers, scientists, and theologians on the topic of emergent evolution. Fittingly, the books three sections deal with Philosophy, Science, and Theology.
The first section deals with philosophical notions of emergence. The article contributed by Nancey Murphy continues an argument she has made for years. In her view, emergence should be favored over reductionism due to the reality of downward causation exhibited by complex systems. Murphys chapter is followed by two chapters from Robert Van Gulick. His first chapter is a summary of the primary reductionist, nonreductionist, and emergentist options available in the philosophy of mind. His second chapter addresses the difficult issue of mental causation and its possible reality.
In the final chapter of this section, Terrence Deacon notes that moving from
mechanism to teleology requires a massive ontological jump. Instead of trying to
reduce phenomenology to physics or to show them to be ultimately
incommensurable, he focuses on the possibility that a mediating domain of causal
dynamics can fill this gap. To serve this role, he looks to processes in which
form generation and propagation are more prominent than either simple
mechanistic/thermodynamic processes or fully teleological processes. For Deacon,
this means exploring the dynamics of emergence as a naturalistic or bottom-up
process, much the way other scientific explanations are understood. From this
perspective, Deacon strives to demonstrate how semiotic processes which provide
the framework for dealing with such human dilemmas as intention, desire,
meaning, and even moralityare both physical processes in every sense of the
word and yet can exhibit a causal character that appears to run counter to the
most basic tendencies characteristic of other simpler physical processes.
Deacons central contribution is to precisely identify two fundamental
inflection points where such fundamental symmetry breaking occurs in dynamic
processes of increasing complexity and thus where the apparent directionality
of causal dynamics diverge. The first inflection
point leads to a dynamic dominated by formal rather than energetic relationships
(morphodynamics), and the second leads to a dynamic
dominated by represented ends and functions rather than mere forms (teleodynamics).
Warren Browns chapter describes a bare bones outline of a robust model for mental causation. The structure of this model includes a look at several challenging issues, including the nature of learning, the function of action loops, and symbolic representation, among others. His primary claim is that the best way to establish mental causation is to acknowledge that mind is embodied and embedded in action in the world. By affirming embodied mind, Brown is a physicalist. With the mind embedded in action, he is a proponent of mental causation. Along these lines, Browns use of emergence is not one of radical discontinuity between mental functions in humans and those in nonhuman animals; instead, he blurs this continuum. It is not that human mental causation is merely quantitatively different from other animals. The emergence of symbolic abilities and language allow for a qualitative difference as wellagain, not in any discontinuous sense (human mental abilities find their precursors in our nonhuman relatives). Browns efforts to establish downward/mental causation is laudable, but many questions remain: Does mental causation operate via efficient causes? If so, how? If not, what kind of cause is it? As an admittedly bare bones attempt, Browns is an intriguing first step.
In section three, we move to theological chapters. William R. Stoeger has contributed an article that assesses the intricate relationship between emergence and reductionism. This interaction, he believes, offers a valuable resource for the wider interaction between theology and science, generally, and issues on divine and human action, specifically. Arthur Peacocke continues an argument he has made consistently for some time now. He believes that the picture of reality set forth through emergence is monistic and hierarchicalfeatures that allow theologians purchase with regard to whole-part causation. Niels Henrik Gregersen explores artificial life as a possible resource for theologians with its emphasis on novelty, its attention to the actual and possible, and its awareness of the emergence of autopoietic systems all of which have religious and theological repercussions. The final chapter is Philip Claytons preliminary attempt to construct a Christian theology of emergence.
Catholic theologian John Haughts chapter describes and assesses the insufficiency of scientific naturalism. For him, this position is exemplified by two commitments: first, there is nothing beyond nature, and second, the natural sciences are touted as the only accurate explanatory schema for dealing with this reality. Haught believes this scientistic view is fatally flawed because it ignores or dismisses the reality of subjective experiences which are clearly part of the natural world. Emergence provides Haught the means for affirming novelty, striving, and subjectivity as real and irreducible aspects of the world. Following the work of Alfred North Whitehead, Bernard Lonergan, Michael Polanyi, and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Haught argues for a richer empiricism that takes seriously the widest possible range of what we actually experience in the world (emphasis in original). There is certainly a type of naturalism that fits the model Haught has developed here, but naturalism is not the problem. Instead, it is the eliminative approach that some take either reducing to basic particles or inflating to subjective ideals. Emergence is not a rigorous position because it eliminates reduction, but because it establishes a middle ground between the physicist and phenomenologist.
Overall, this is a helpful addition to the study of emergence. Several of the
articles may be a bit challenging for the nonscientific reader, but the struggle
is worth overcoming. Oddly,
Reviewed by James W. Haag, Postdoctoral Visiting Scholar,
Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences,
RECONSTRUCTING A CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY OF NATURE: Down to Earth by Anna
Case-Winters.
Charges that Christianity has been responsible, in whole or in part, for our current environmental problems have been common since Lynn Whites 1967 article The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis. Anna Case-Winters, professor of theology at McCormick Theological Seminary, takes this charge seriously and responds by developing a Christian theology of nature with guidance from the theology of John Calvin and process-panentheism.
The author begins with discussions of the state of the world and the state of theology. She notes some of the problematic ways that traditional theology has treated nature and its relationship to God and humanity, and suggests critiques from the standpoints of feminist and process thought. The views of two theologians who will be mentioned frequently in a planned sequel, Sally McFague and Gordon Kaufman, are then set out and critiqued.
Case-Winters focuses next on the Reformed tradition, especially John Calvin. She argues that this provides a healthier approach to questions about the relationships of God and humanity to the natural world than critics have sometimes suggested. Then she discusses insights from ecofeminist sources, process thought, and religion-science dialogue. Chapters on The Promise of Process-Panentheism and ethical implications of the preceding discussions conclude the book.
There is a good deal that is helpful in this book and it may be especially useful for readers unfamiliar with ecofeminism, process theology, or panentheism. At the same time, there is some tension between the authors favorable view of these recent theological trends and the apparent desire to remain in contact with the traditional views of Reformed theology. Of course, it would be a terrible anachronism to ask about Calvins position on ecofeminism or process theology, but it would have been helpful to explore this tension.
The treatment of dialogue between religion and science in chapter 6 concentrates on the relationship between humanity and the rest of nature and the meaning of the imago Dei. Philip Hefners idea of the human as the created co-creator receives particular attention in connection with the latter topic. Preliminary steps in this chapter discuss methodological naturalism, Intelligent Design, and miracles. While these are helpful investigations, the topic of divine action deserved more detail.
The book contains some good content, but unfortunately readers are likely to be distracted continually by an appalling number of typographical errors and an apparent lack of proofreading.
Reviewed by George L. Murphy,
RELIGION & BIBLICAL STUDIES
DO YOU BELIEVE? Conversations on God and Religion
by Antonio
Monda. Translated
by Ann Goldstein.
This book is not what it first appears. Given the title and its description
as a series of conversations about faith with noted cultural figures, one might
expect something parallel to Philosophers Who Believe by Kelly James Clark,
Professors Who Believe by
Unlike these volumes, Mondas subjects are, for
the most part, unabashedly nonbelievers or at least fairly unorthodox in their
belief. They are drawn largely from the
For his part, Monda is a believer (Catholic,
Apostolic, Roman) but very much at home in the culture in which his subjects
circulate. He is a filmmaker and film critic who teaches in the
Kanbar Institute of Film and Television at
Monda
is best when he extracts from them what might be termed confessions regarding
the subtle (or sometimes explicit) theological statements in their works,
with which he is both aware and frequently enamored. The respectful tone was
apparently helpful in eliciting some highly personal, even vulnerable,
reflections from the subjects, along with some great one-liners, some of which
made it into the table of contents as chapter headings. (See, for instance, the
chapter on Saul Bellow, titled I Believe in God but I Dont Bug Him, or on
The first name that comes to mind is obviously Antoni Gaud. But in some ways its too obvious. Ive always been fascinated by the inescapable spirituality of a person considered a heretic, like Le Corbusier, or a mystic, like Mies van de Rohe, who read St. Thomas and St. Augustine and kept their books beside his bed. I would conclude by saying that there hasnt been a great architect who didnt have a strong element of spirituality (p. 103).
How can one find that anything but fascinating, except to complain that Monda did not follow up on that intriguing final comment?
A few appeal to science as part of their reflection on faith. Michael Cunningham notes that he suspects there are profound and as yet undiscovered relationships between God and the principles of physics, adding and I do believe in physics. He finds the search for order in the universe, as exemplified in the hunt for the GUT (grand unifying theory) as a search for God, of sorts. And Saul Bellow hints at some sort of life beyond death: I dont think everything is resolved with the destruction of the body. What science has to say seems to me insufficient and unsatisfying (p. 33). Most, however, reflect a largely existentialist mindset.
Monda begins and ends with a fascinating quotation from Jorge Luis Borges:
The idea of God as an omniscient, omnipotent being, who moreover loves us, is one of the most daring creations of fantastic literature. All the same, I would prefer that the idea of God belonged to realistic literature.
It is obvious that Monda believes that God resides in both literary forms and that most of his subjects who disagree with him echo Borges sentiment. They may believe they have killed God but they miss him nonetheless.
Reviewed by Anthony L. Blair, Dean of Academic Affairs, Eastern University,
RELIGION & SCIENCE
THE BEGINNING OF ALL THINGS: Science and Religion by Hans
Kung. Translated by John
Bowden.
Hans Kng is president of the Global Ethic
Foundation (
Kng claims to believe in the common faith of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, but few of his positions would resonate with sincere believers of any of those faiths. The closest he comes to recognizing God as a personal God is that he can be addressed. Passing reference is made to his trust in the crucified Christ, but he clearly sees all religions as many paths to a common end. While he argues that faith is the only hope-filled alternative to reductionistic materialism, the terms and meaning of this faith are vague and almost meaningless to evangelical Christians. The theological reflection is limited to vague universalistic concepts, with virtually no reference to the Bible. Consideration for evangelical Christian faith is largely limited to a consistent critique of American fundamentalism and literalistic readings of Scripture. This book is not particularly novel, but the breadth and lucidity makes it a worthwhile book to have on hand as a clear presentation of an ecumenical position. The book takes a historical critical view and assumes the JEDP hypothesis as a given.
Having said that, Kng challenges both fundamentalist believers and rationalistic scientists, both of whom are guilty of holding to a confrontational approach to theology and science, which he considers out-of-date. This book moves through paleontology, human origins, psychology, and brain science. Kng writes:
If god exists, then there is a fundamental answer to such questions: we can understand in depth why we are very finite, defective beings and yet have infinite expectations, hopes, and longings.
So, he holds to a theistic position even in the face of challenging scientific concepts and data. From this perspective, this book makes for persuasive reading. For example, criticizing biochemical reductionism, Kng denies that the mental is merely an epiphenomenon of the neural, or that our mental choices lack freedom because their biochemical or neural processes demand a given outcome. His arguments leave open the window of faith, even though the faith argued for lacks content. Regardless, these arguments toward the end of the book are powerful, and would carry weight with secular readers who do not have a theistic worldview. His style is winsome and his attitude humble. This book is very readable and addresses many disciplines and schools of thought. It could serve as an upper level college-level course in science and faith. Students would need to understand his premise, but it would lead them to references and paths of discussion that many simplistic faith and science discussions would not.
Reviewed by Mark A. Strand,
THE GOD OF NATURE: Incarnation and Contemporary Science by Christopher C.
Knight. Theology and the Sciences
series.
Knight is executive secretary of the International Society for Science and
Religion and a research associate of the Faculty of Divinity at the
By pansacramental naturalism, Knight attempts to get beyond both the deism characteristic of much of modern theology and the interventionist theism that marks much of contemporary reaction to deistic notions of science and its relationship to religion. The solution proposed reaches both forward and backward: forward to what many contemporary thinkers are calling a panentheistic view of the world as being within God and backward to classical Christian sources emphasizing a Neoplatonic understanding of time as the moving image of eternity, and the world as the unfolding of a once-for-all but yet perennially active God. In this framework, there are no interventionist acts that are needed to fix the world or keep it on course, but there also is no chasm between God and the world that needs to be bridged (even if God remains transcendent from the world as affirmed by classical theism). This allows Knight to affirm the evolution of the world through chance and natural lawthe major means of divine actionas well as to view the entire scope of the material world as a creation that manifests the handiwork of God. Such a pansacramentalism emphasizes a naturalistic ontology but not epistemology: just as the evolutionary unfolding of creaturely species depends on their different ecological niche-systems, so also does the evolutionary development of the various world religious traditions and their explanatory worldviews depend on their different socio-historical-cultural systems.
The two developments Knight proposes in this volume unpack the incarnational or Logos christology of Johns Gospel as that unfolded especially in the tradition of Eastern Christianity. A more or less recent convert to Orthodoxy, Knight draws particularly from the Logos-theology of Byzantine theologian and saint, Maximos the Confessor, focusing on the latters notion of the Logos as constituting the inner essence or telos of all things, and connects that with the inclusivistic pluralism (or pluralistic inclusivism, depending on ones point of view) of the twentieth-century Orthodox spiritual writer, Philip Sherrard. This Sherrard connection is what distinguishes Knights proposals from that of the Russian Orthodox scientist-theologian, Alexis Nesteruk, although it is unclear why Knight neither cites nor footnotes Nesteruks Light from the East: Theology, Science and the Eastern Orthodox Tradition (Fortress Press, 2003). In any case, the result is a reinterpretation of Maximos Logos-cosmology for the twenty-first century, consistent with modern scientific naturalism on the one hand, but yet also informed by ancient Orthodox apophaticism, spirituality, and teleology on the other. The incarnation is thus the fulfillment and completion of creation (rather than a special instance of Gods interface with the world) that allows for a naturalistic and yet pansacramental view of the world to come into focus.
Is Knight successful in what he attempts here? When compared with Nesteruks book, The God of Nature is less robust in terms of the science (Nesteruk is also a lab physicist) but perhaps more expansive in terms of theological vision (Knight is explicit about his being a fundamentally theological rather than scientific proposal, and his dialogue with Sherrard accentuates this aspect of the book). Attentive readers will also note, however, that as retrieved by Knight, the classical Christian traditions view of God, especially when set against the Neoplatonic (and Boethian) understanding of the relationship between time and eternity, may not be far removed from early modern deism in terms of how both paradigms explicate the God-world relationship. Yet the effort to add an Orthodox perspective into the science-theology conversation is surely reason enough to read this book.
Reviewed by Amos Yong, Professor of Theology,
RELIGION AND THE CHALLENGES OF SCIENCE by William Sweet and
Richard Feist, eds.
This volume appears thanks to the support of the Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council of Canada and the work of two Canadian philosophers,
William Sweet at
The first set of essays explores history and contexts in biology and
evolutionary theory with attention to The Declaration of Students of the
Natural and Physical Sciences from mid-Victorian Britain (Hannah Gay), Darwins
theological insights (Lamoureux), the work of Pierre
Theilhard de Chardin (Lodovico
Galleni and Marie-Claire
Groessens-Van Dyck), and a theology of
evolution (Arthur Peacocke). A second set of four
essays takes up physics, philosophy, and fine-tuning arguments. A third section
of four essays considers naturalism and the nonnatural,
and a final section of two essays looks at whether science can provide evidence
for metaphysics, and summarizes the various conceptual issues discussed in the
volume.
Reviewed by Dennis W. Cheek,
GODS MECHANICS: How Scientists and Engineers Make Sense of Religion by Brother
Guy Consolmogno.
Guy Consolmagno has a BS from MIT in earth and
planetary sciences and a PhD in planetary science from the
The book is written for a general audience. It is divided into five sections. The first two parts express Consolmagnos views on why it is reasonable for a technically minded person (a techie) to believe in God, and how a techie sees religious life. He makes some effort to show how techies differ in their way of approaching religious matters and in the types of questions they tend to ask, compared to the majority of parishioners in a typical church. Though he is discussing this in the context of fellow Catholics, the experience seems rather similar to my own and other technically minded people, whom he interviews in the third chapter. Some of the results of that survey are surprising and unexpected, both to him and to me. The fourth section provides a brief summary of historical theology and some of the questions that a typical engineer or scientist might be inclined to ask about religious matters. The final section explains why Consolmagno has chosen to be a Catholic and a Jesuit brother.
Early on, Consolmagno makes it clear that his treatise should not be seen as a kind of proof for Gods existence; rather he wants to show that it is rational for a techie to believe in Jesus. This fairly concise summary is similar to arguments I have heard before. It is unlikely to change the minds of most atheists, but it does offer a rational basis for faith which can help grant courage to a techie who still feels a yearning for eternity but does not know how to explain it.
For evangelicals, the book should be understood as one way a technically minded Catholic individual views these matters. I saw much that we share in common and, despite issues in which we differ, I found more benefit in listening since similar problems occur in our churches. Being Catholic, Consolmagno does not understand how techies in the evangelical churches learn to cope with such difficult matters as creationism, which can inflict heart-sinking embarrassment for believing scientists. He is not well acquainted with average church-going creationists or their way of thinking.
Overall, I felt this book was worth reading since it helps us understand how a fellow Christian is struggling to serve God while working as a professional scientist in a complex world.
Reviewed by Wayne Dawson, Research Scientist, Structural Biology Laboratory,
Chiba Institute of Technology,
GOD AND THE NEW ATHEISM: A Critical Response to Dawkins, Harris, and
Hitchens by John F.
Haught.
THE DAWKINS DELUSION?
Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of Divine
by Alister E. McGrath and Joanna
Collicutt McGrath.
Roman Catholic John F. Haught and evangelical
Anglican
Haught,
who writes prolifically and impressively on the borders of theology and science,
is plainly disappointed with the intellectually unchallenging character of the
new atheism of Dawkins and company. He has been used to conversing with old
atheists who maintain high standards and do not rely on invective. These
fellows such as Nietzsche and Freud thought more in depth about what atheism
entails and could understand what might interest thoughtful people in religion.
The new atheism in contrast is disinterested in fairminded
discussions about whether religion might actually have something to contribute
to human knowledge. In the new atheism (and it is not really new), readers are
not expected to understand religion or have any sympathy for it. Instead they
are exhorted to detest faith. Thus Haught is
disappointed that the new atheism does not explain things, even its own
convictions, such as where it finds the basis for its strong morality or how its
extra-strong confidence in reason is sustained.
The McGraths, on the other hand, take a somewhat
different tack, and go head to head with Dawkins in more of a no-holds-barred
apologetic battle. Since Dawkins is clearly out to make atheists of us all, the
McGraths are out to convert him. Perhaps Dawkins,
who succeeded Anthony Flew as the number one atheist in the world (Anthony Flew
having recently become a theist himself) will himself
bow the knee! The fact that Alister himself experienced conversion as a young
man might even make this unlikelihood more possible. In his book, McGrath takes
on four of the main issues. First, in regard to the existence of God, which
Haught is reluctant to view as a scientific
question, McGrath tells us that what ought to impress us are not the gaps in our
knowledge of the world but the fact that the world itself is intelligible. He
urges, following Richard Swinburne, another
Difficult too is the persistence of religion in a world thought to be utterly secular. Why is this? Dawkins is forced to see it as the by-product of one or another evolutionary mechanisms. More than that, it is that human beings know what it is to be drawn to truth and mystery. It is the experience of being grasped by what Tillich calls an ultimate concern. Evil can be blamed for a lot of suffering which we find in the world. (So can atheism for that matter.) But there is no reason to think that the elimination of religion would yield a peaceful planet. And for every tragedy, there are many acts of human kindness. Religion is not unambiguously good or evil.
What can explain the bitterness of the new atheists toward religion? It may be anxiety concerning the trends as regards its persistence. Are we dealing here with a Dawkins delusion?
Reviewed by Clark H. Pinnock, Professor Emeritus of
Theology,
THE GOD THEORY: Universes, Zero-Point Fields, and Whats
Behind It All by Bernard Haisch.
Bernard Haisch has spent most of his career in
astro-physics working at Lockheed-Martin in the
Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory in
PSCF readers who are expecting to gain a deep understanding of Christian theology (or even Buddhism for that matter) are certainly going to be disappointed by this book. Though he had a rather thorough grounding in a Catholic education and wanted to become a priest, he drifted away in his early 20s. Predictably, his comments about Christianity are little different from other popular writers. Most of the apologetics is rather old hat. However, if readers can view this as a work in progress, written by a scientist grappling with these matters from inside the scientific community, there are some valuable points worthy of appreciation.
Haisch disagrees with the currently fashionable trashing of all belief in God as something akin to a disease. He rails against those he calls fundamentalist reductionists: someone who truly believes that there is nothing beyond the physical (p. 24). Many Christians also share such objections. Although these are not new arguments, it is noteworthy that a serious scientist resists following the multitude and recognizes that something is seriously amiss in this model.
The issues of quantum field theory are also considered. Haisch does not accept the many worlds interpretation and considers it absurd and morally repugnant (p. 136). I disagree with Haisch on what constitutes a true vacuum, but do see merit in some of his insights as to how Christians might engage and understand the existence of multiple universes. The discussion of his scientific discoveries is rather exciting. He also has an interesting interpretation of Gen 1:3.
Unfortunately, the work seemed a bit rushed. I found the arguments on consciousness rather weak. Haisch appears to be a dualist, but Haisch fails to address some serious issues that dualists should acknowledge when presenting their views. In summary, I see an honest, and at times, quite daring work.
Reviewed by Wayne Dawson, Research Scientist, Structural Biology Laboratory,
Chiba Institute of Technology,
LIBERAL PROTESTANTISM AND SCIENCE by Leslie A.
Muray.
To be accurate, this book is not about liberal Protestantism and science. Were the volume to fulfill the promise of its title, it would doubtless be a delightful read �Ķ and a significantly larger book. That is to suggest that either the author or the editor (this volume is the seventh in the Greenwood Guides to Science and Religion, which have included surveys of how Judaism and Islam have approached science) neglected an imperative definitional task early on. And thus the text presents problems for the reader.
The first problem is defining liberal Protestantism. The sources for this
study are almost exclusively theologians. As one of that ilk, I do not
necessarily conclude that this is a bad thing �Ķ except for the fact that
individual theologians, typically ensconced in academic institutions, rarely
represent the movements in which they do their work. Muray,
professor of religion and philosophy at
The second problem is defining science. While Muray re-tells the familiar story of how the old mainline was more ready to absorb Darwinism than the fundamentalist stream of Christianity his discussion of science would be more accurately described as a survey of epistemology (he has a particular attraction to radical empiricism) and cosmology (in this case, the interaction or relationship between God and the natural world). The one exception to this rule is his chapter on ecotheology. But if one were to turn here to discover how the mainline understands the theological or moral implications of cloning, for instance, one would be disappointed. The same is true were the topic the ethical uses of technology or stem cell research or nuclear weapons.
Having complained about what the book does not provide, let us now turn our
attention to the text as written. Truth be told, Muray
does some things well. He provides the reader with a vivid contrast between
liberal and conservative approaches to science. Unfortunately he falls into the
familiar pattern of overstating the case, relying too heavily on the
fundamentalist reaction to Darwinism as representative of evangelical attitudes.
Yet his disavowal of warfare metaphors to describe the relationship between
science and religion will resonate with readers of this journal. Instead, often
untold is the long history of the radical, enthusiastic, unequivocal embrace of
modern science (and the secularity that usually comes with it) on the part of
Muray is also an excellent synthesizer of theological history. His historical survey begins with the Enlightenment, moves swiftly through the nineteenth century (he has little interest in the transcendentalists), stops briefly at William James, lingers for an affectionate embrace of Whitehead in the mid-twentieth century, and concludes with an introduction to a younger generation of contemporary scholar-theologians with whom the reader may be unfamiliar. Yes, the rhetoric is a bit conflated at times. (Try this from page 69: I have to confess that I have a tendency to read James through my Whitehedian lens, Whitehead through my Jamesian lens. Frasier Crane, where are you?) And while one may wish to quibble with him here and there on a particular point of interpretation, the quantity of individuals discussed and the manner in which they are juxtaposed with each other is impressive. Muray knows his stuff.
Were this volume subtitled How theologians associated with mainline
Protestantism have understood human knowledge of and divine interactions with
the natural world, or something of that sort, this review would conclude with a
recommendation that those so minded should by all means inform themselves with
this brief, authoritative historical analysis of those ideas. Unfortunately, for
those interested in how science has influenced or been influenced by mainline
Protestantism, i.e., many readers of this journal, this volume yields little of
value or interest. We hope for better from the remaining volumes in the
Reviewed by Anthony L. Blair, Dean of Academic Affairs, Eastern University,
THE SPIRITUAL TECHNOLOGY OF ANCIENT
The monuments of ancient
This book by Malkowski, a software developer and
historical researcher, falls into the latter category. The foreword is
contributed by Christopher Dunn, the author of numerous publications promoting
his ideas that the
In his pan-Egyptian explanation of the Bible, he holds that Moses learned not
only Egyptian traditions from his upbringing in the Pharaohs house, but also
the Akkadian (i.e., Babylonian) tradition from his
father-in-law Jethro, who was a
Midianite shepherd in northwest
The author alleges that the secret of
To support his wide-ranging interpretations, Malkowski cites an array of dubious authorities such as George G. M. James, Cheikh Anta Diop, Martin Bernal, and Immanuel Velikovsky.
In summary, though this book may be read for amusement, I would not recommend spending any money to purchase it.
Reviewed by Edwin M. Yamauchi, Professor Emeritus of History,
A SCIENTIFIC SEARCH FOR RELIGIOUS TRUTH by Phil
Mundt.
Author Phil Mundt is a retired geologist who
holds a PhD from
The book contains sixteen chapters and, while lacking footnotes, has an
extensive index and bibliography. The first ten chapters comprise the main body
of the book, while the last six chapters, collectively referred to as the
Science Annex, provide general science background (universe, solar system,
earth, life forms/evolution, DNA/genetics, humankind). The book begins with
Mundts purposes for undertaking this project (chap.
1) and a general introduction into the field of science and religion (chap. 2).
Next, the author presents background into scientific concepts that form the
framework for any science and religion discussion (chap. 3).
Mundt
then transitions in chapter 4 into the beliefs that scientists have in general
(i.e., deism, theism, agnosticism, atheism), and the particular beliefs of
notable scientists in history (
The book produces a potentially overwhelming wealth of information. At times, the book does not offer logical connections between different aspects of the material, and the flow can be confusing. Although the overall organization of the book and individual chapters could have been improved, this book still contains a large volume of information in a broad range of areas and is thus a useful resource for those beginning the foray into science and religion. In particular, this book serves as an introductory source on the history of the monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), and for the development and evolution of the Christian theological tradition. In addition, the aforementioned Science Annex will serve as a valuable resource for those who do not have a scientific background.
Mundts writing style tends toward conversational narrative, rather than dry academics. He takes the time to present material in such a way that all can be involved in the discussion. While most of the book is information presented objectively as fact, Mundt occasionally includes his own opinions and conclusions in a frank and pointed manner. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wished that he would have included more of this in the sea of information and historical background that otherwise comprises the book.
In sum, the book is a welcome addition to the field of science and religion but must be considered in its proper place. Mundt is not seeking to join the academic ranks, but instead, to take the reader through the wealth of information that has guided his faith development. I found it to be a refreshing read and would encourage others in a similar place to read this book and enjoy Mundts down-to-earth writing style.
Reviewed by Justin Topp, Postdoctoral Fellow,
Department of Biochemistry,
EVOLUTION FOR EVERYONE: How
Matthew for Everyone, Mark for Everyone, etc., is a series of popular
commentaries by N. T. Wright, and helpful little books they are. Now David Sloan
Wilson has written Evolution for Everyone, which presents the gospel of
evolution in a book that I found to be both fascinating and exasperating. Among
evolutionary thinkers,
I found the book fascinating, especially the first half. Describing some
wonderful examples from the natural history of animals,
In the second half of the book, there is an exasperating and different train of thought. From natural selection and group selection, the argument moves to group phenomena, group dynamics, and human culture. Yes, there are many things in nature and in human life that have a connection to groups: cancer is caused by groups of cells, hunting in primitive human societies often takes place in groups, and religions are practiced by groups. But this interesting train of thought does not make religion a product of biological evolution any more than a group of automobiles in a parking lot are a product of such evolution.
Human beings have a biological past, in my view, but Christians and many
non-Christians believe that humans have a unique task and place in this world.
This is reflected in the fact that several levels of complexity are involved in
what it means to be human. Complexity is not adequately dealt with by
The physical level of functioning, i.e., the world of chemistry and nonliving
things, and its role in originating living things, is mentioned only in passing
in Evolution (pp. 1378). Yes,
More pertinent to the topics covered in
Religion is a major theme in the book, which is understandable since
Interestingly,
Read this book for the lovely descriptions of behavioral ecology, and as an illustration of an evolutionary thinker who decides that he can include religion in the class of phenomena that have evolved. Do not take the book for gospel truth, for its gospel is a poor substitute for the real thing.
Reviewed by Harry Cook, The Kings
UNEXPECTED GRACE: Stories of Faith, Science, and Altruism by Bill
Kramer.
Kramer is a freelance writer who has written for magazines, nonprofit organizations, corporations, theater, and film. Several of his plays have been produced and two of his screenplays have won independent film festival awards. For nearly thirty years, he has practiced meditation and, as a result, is deeply interested in the way individuals attempt to integrate spiritual beliefs with the challenging circumstances of real-world social agendas. Unexpected Grace, which is his first book, brings storytelling to science with compelling narratives about the investigators and participants in four studies, all of which have social and spiritual significance.
The idea for this book took hold over meals on the campus of
The first of the four studies is an account of what took place at
The other three studies were university based and more quantitative in
nature. The first of these was carried out at the
The overriding focus of psychology for the past century has been the study of human darkness and evil. Only in the last few decades has psychology begun to explore human virtues such as compassion, forgiveness, friendship, empathy, and altruism. The four studies included in this book are excellent examples of this more positive approach to human psychology. Hopefully, these studies will encourage even more scientists and theologians to pursue research into humanitys higher nature. The lessons learned from studies like these can then be applied to some of the more pressing social problems that we face as a nation.
Reviewed by J. David Holland, Biology Instructor,
EVOLUTION AND RELIGIOUS CREATION MYTHS: How Scientists Respond by
Authors
The book has a preface, seven chapters, two appendices, a glossary, and index. There are no footnotes, but instead a list of books and websites recommended for further study. The book begins with a description of creationism and intelligent design (ID) in which ID is presented as a newer, but quite similar, version of creationism. Next, the authors provide the reader with a historical overview of evolutionary theory and its development as it incorporates evidence from biology, molecular genetics, population genetics, archaeology, and anthropology. This overview is followed by a rebuttal of creationist purpose and irreducible complexity. The next three chapters focus on the evolution of Homo sapiens, the origin of life and the cosmos, and the evolution of the DNA world. The last chapter is a polemic on the dangers of creationism.
The authors present evolution clearly and concisely, and are fair to the
evidence, rightfully admitting that we do notknow
everything there is to know about evolution. As expected, while earlier chapters
are laced with strong arguments for the validity of evolution, the chapters on
the origins of life and the evolution of the DNA world are quite speculative and
optimistic. The authors are clearly in their element when describing evolution.
Their argument suffers, however, when they move to attacking creationism and
intelligent design (virtually the same in their eyes) as myth and unscientific.
The authors reduce ID to a defense of perfect design or teleological
purpose, then use that caricature to attack ID. Intelligent Design as a
movement is much broader, with science, philosophy, and theology components (see
Haarsma, PSCF 59, no.1 [2007]: 55). Reducing, if not misrepresenting, ID in such
a manner makes it easier for the authors to argue against ID, but it clearly
does a disservice to the movement and diminishes the integrity of the book for
ASAers.
The authors claim not to be against religion, but instead against those who
feel they must interject their religious beliefs into the scientific realm. For
the most part, the authors do remain neutral, or non-religious, but there are
several shots taken at scientists who argue that faith is supportedif not
enhancedby science. The idea that findings from science suggest there is a
purpose for our existence or the acknowledgement of the
anthropic principle particularly riles the authors, as they feel that
science and religion occupy separate, if not warring, domains. Their negativity
toward matters of science and faith seem to have fueled the concluding chapter
of the book The Dangers of Creationism, which is really an irrational rant
about how creationism and intelligent design will ruin the technological and
scientific supremacy of the
While the treatment of evolution is well written and the section on other
world religions responses to evolution is worthwhile, the issues noted and the
other capable offerings available make it difficult to recommend this book. For
those interested in evolutionary evangelism, read the better offering by
ASAer
Reviewed by Justin Topp, Postdoctoral Fellow,
Department of Biochemistry,
CREATIVE TENSION: Essays on Religion and Science by Michael
Heller.
Michael Heller is the 2008 winner of the Templeton prize in science and
religion and these essays demonstrate that the prize was well deserved. Creative
Tension was published in 2003; however, because Heller is from
Although each of the fourteen chapters could be treated as a stand-alone essay, they possess a natural flow from one to another. Part I consists of four essays grouped around the theme of methodological issues; Part II (also four essays) offers a historical perspective. Part III, titled The Work of Creation, is the heart of the book; the three essays deal successively with relativity, quantum mechanics, and probability theory, frequently using Hellers own research to illustrate ideas. Part IV (also three essays) focuses directly on science and faith issues.
While it is well known that religious people often employ a God-of-the-gaps theology, Heller points out that people on the science side of the dispute often employ it as well, in the form of a no gaps, no God argument. The first essay discusses examples of both forms drawn from big bang theory. The second essay tackles the theological interpretation of physical creation theories. Teller analyzes the nature of physical theories and argues that it is not possible for a philosophical or theological interpretation to be in strict agreement with a physical theorycommon language and the mathematical language of theory are too different. Thus at best such interpretations are metaphors. He also introduces a key themethe most important questions for theology that arise from science are not associated with particular theories but rather are, Why is there anything and why is the world comprehensible? The third essay defines the scientific image of the world as a global picture of the physical world, obligatory for scientists in a given epoch and highly influential on nonscientists. He carefully describes the medieval, enlightenment, and contemporary images and persuasively argues for the importance of theologians understanding the image within which their culture operates. The last essay briefly discusses a possible program for a theology of science. It discusses two aspects of the world inaccessible to both philosophy and sciencethe contingency of the world and the values present in itand offers some reflections on the rationality of the world. It then suggests that the principal role of revelatory data in consideration of science is not analysis of specific scientific theories (e.g., biological evolution or big bang cosmology) but rather consideration of the significance of the scientific endeavor.
Part II addresses the historical context of the religion-science conflict.
Chapter 5 discusses the nature of the Copernican revolution. In the popular
perspective, the pre-Copernican view placed humanity at the center of
the universe and Copernicus displaced it. Heller argues that the medieval image
was only vaguely geometric; it was more like a city with God (not humanity) in
the center. Thus the Copernican revolution can be seen as moving humanity from
the privileged margin to the average center. He also discusses the processes
that gave the Copernican revolution momentum and the strangeness the
revolution introduced between science and theologythat science aims for
intersubjective transferrable
information whereas religion, at its root, involves an intimate nexus between an
individual and God. Chapter 6 is critical to Hellers thought. He argues that
Christianity was not simply a vehicle to carry Greek thought to the modern era.
Rather, it introduced the notion that the world is contingent upon Gods will,
could have been made differently, and thus its nature cannot be discovered by
speculation. This opened the door to empirical investigation of nature. Heller
also points out that a deep tenet of science is that nothing should be accepted
without sufficient proof or argument. But there is no a priori justification for
this tenet; thus rationality becomes a moral choiceits successes can be viewed
as revealing the correctness of that choice. For Christianity, that Christ is
the logos implies that Gods immanence in the world is his rationality. There
is thus a profound affinity between Christian belief and science; nevertheless,
the age succeeding Copernicus was characterized by conflict between belief and
science rather than by symbiosis, and Heller analyzes the basis for this.
Chapter 7 is a brief analysis of the work of Teilhard
de Chardin. In the mid-twentieth century,
Chardins work demonstrated a possible synthesis of
evolution and Christian belief. But subsequent scientific advances have rendered
Chardins views out of date. Heller discusses three
ways in which this has occurred. Chapter 8 examines the work of Georges
Lemaitre, like Heller, a scientist and a priest.
Lemaitre lived in the early twentieth century when
logical positivism was ascendant. He was extremely careful not to mix his
scientifc and his religious convictions. But today,
even secular scientists speculate freely on religious and philosophical matters.
Thus Lemaitre illustrates how much the climate
surrounding these issues has changed.
Part IV focuses on the limits of science, acknowledging that limits may be
a poor metaphor as there are no sharply defined boundaries. Chapter 12 is titled
Illicit jumpsthe logic of creation and focuses on the interplay between
syntaxis and semantics in language. The leap from
syntaxis to semantics is often a source of
paradoxfor example, This sentence is false. But it works in three important
examples: in the genetic code, syntax generates semantics; in the human neuronal
system, signals give rise to consciousness; and showing that mathematical laws
could make it possible for something to arise out of nothing (as some have
argued) does not account for the origin of the laws. But he cautions against
God-of-the-gaps inferences here. Chapter 13 addresses the concept of
rationality. Its tempting for empiricists to identify rationality with the
mathematical-empirical method. But there exist other ways of knowing that seem
rational. Consider the statement The mathematical-empirical method is
rational. This cannot be verified by the mathematical-empirical method. Heller
suggests some thoughts on what such a broadened concept of rationality might
look like. Chapter 14 concludes the book with some thoughts on science and
transcendence, noting that contemporary science teaches us as never before a
sense of mystery; it ends with a collection of thoughtful questions that foster
this sense. The book includes an appendix describing the work of the Center for
Interdisciplinary Studies in
Creative Tension is well written and stimulating reading. Anyone trained in physical science or mathematics should have sufficient background to understand all of the technical concepts; someone in the social or life sciences may need to skip some technical explanations; a person trained in the humanities can still find much here but will need to read selectively. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the science-religion conflict.
Reviewed by James Bradley, Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, Emeritus,
Department of Mathematics and Statistics,
EXPLORATIONS IN NEUROSCIENCE, PSYCHOLOGY, AND RELIGION by Kevin S.
Seybold.
In this volume, Seybold, Professor of Psychology at
For the uninitiated, this volume could well serve as an introduction to neurology as well as a survey of current philosophical and psychological reasoning about higher mental processes. Chapters include Neuroscience, Psychology, Religion, Philosophy of Science, Integration Issues, Brain and Religion, The Self, Evolutionary Psychology, Religion/Spirituality and Health, and The Future.
The writing is succinct and the chapters are well organized. Seybold reflects an involvement in the Templeton Foundation seminars on science and religion. He has probably received some foundation support for course preparation as well as encouragement to prepare the present volume. The content of the book seems grounded in a number of their concerns about the relation between religion and the physical sciences. As a compendium of the philosophical and theological implications of developments in neuroscience, the volume certainly seems to have accomplished its intent.
Seybold argues that while human life is embedded in physical and social reality, selfhood, religious faith, and morality are more than the products of biological evolution. He follows Nancey Murphy in identifying himself as a non-reductive realist. He includes a comprehensive survey of evolutionary psychology in general and Edmund Wilson in particular. For Seybold, religion and ethics are more than superficial solutions to the human needs for security and selfishness. He counters Wilsons assertion that these are culturally regressive accretions that are falsely based on transcendental foundations.
Nevertheless, Seybold considers how a physicalist, such as himself, can avoid a dualists understanding of the human soul and what are the ramifications of his position for the Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead. He offers no rational solution to this dilemma and simply notes the importance of embodied selfhood implicit in the churchs resurrection faith. He discounts any presumption that belief in the human spirit means eternal life will involve non-embodied souls floating around on clouds.
I found Seybolds treatment of a basic philosophical issue of neuroscience, consciousness, somewhat undeveloped. Although the index refers to this concept fourteen times, he does not deal with the issue in more than a cursory manner. Particularly in the discussion of evolutionary psychology, the unique feature of self-awareness among humans would have seemed to be of central concern. Of course, it should be noted that the issue of the emergence of consciousness coupled with an empathy for self-awareness in other people remains somewhat of a mystery in almost all fields.
The section on philosophy of science was especially informative. The discussion considers the positivism of B. F. Skinner and others in the light of post-positivismthe view that all science is theory laden. Following Kuhn, science is best seen, not as a continuing straight line of discoveries built, but as theories that are tested until they are questioned and other paradigms are presented. Seybold suggests that science has a social nature in that scientists come together in groups to assess facets of the theories that guide them.
However, the hierarchical model of the sciences that he presents, wherein physics is pictured at the bottom and theology is pictured at the top, would not seem to fit into Seybolds basic system. On the one hand, only a few theologians would label theology as a science and, on the other hand, the model implies reductionisman implication I do not believe Seybold would espouse.
In sum, readers of PSCF will find this volume well worth readingboth for the surveys it supplies and for the paradigm that it affirms. Seybold can assume he has a place as a seminal Christian psychologist.
Reviewed by H. Newton Malony, Senior Professor,
SOCIAL SCIENCE
EX-GAYS? A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation by Stanton L. Jones and Mark A. Yarhouse. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007. 420 pages. Paperback; $24.00. ISBN: 978083082846X.
Society at large and the professional psychological and psychiatric communities as represented by their leading professional associations consider male homosexuality to be not a choice, but a predetermined way of life. Attempts to change male homosexuals orientation are considered harmful and impossible to sustain. This remarkable study presents scientific evidence that such claims have to be modified in light of contradictory findings. On the other hand, the study also suggests that glib evangelical claims that homosexuality can be easily changed and is merely a moral choice are also overstated.
The senior author is provost and professor of psychology at Wheaton College
(IL). His junior author is a graduate of Wheatons doctorate of psychology
program and is professor of psychology and director of the Institute for the
Study of Sexual Identity at Regent University, VA. Using funds provided by
evangelical ministries, the authors set out to study, in a rigorous longitudinal
manner, ninety-eight subjects who were thought to be representative of males
seeking change through Exodus, a Christian ministry to the gay community. The
main hypothesis was the standard professional view, that change of sexual
orientation is impossible and that the attempt to change is highly likely to
produce harm for those who make such an attempt. Their two main findings were
that it is possible for some to embrace chastity and reduce the prominence of
their homosexual desire, and that in some cases homosexual attraction can
diminish and heterosexual attraction can increase with a resultant satisfactory
heterosexual adjustment.
Reviewed by Dennis W. Cheek,
TECHNOLOGY
THE RECEPTION OF JACQUES ELLULS CRITIQUE OF TECHNOLOGY: An Annotated Bibliography of Writings on His Life and Thought by Joyce Main Hanks. Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2007. 546 pages, indices. Hardcover; $139.95. ISBN: 9780773453739.
Jacques Ellul (19121994) would certainly make a short list as one of the most influential Christian thinkers of the twentieth century. His prolific writings have evoked admiration and controversy in many different arenas of academic and public life including the environmental movement, biblical and theological circles, social criticism, political theory, ethics, philosophy, and finally, law, the area in which he was formerly trained and worked as a university professor at Bordeaux. (He also was a lay preacher in the French Reformed Church.) The far-ranging nature of his writings and the provocations they encapsulated are still invoked by an extraordinarily diverse group of people across the sociopolitical spectrum.
Hanks, a professor of French language and literature at the University of Scranton, has been a long-time member of the International Jacques Ellul Association and very active in scholarship related to this seminal thinker. She is widely known as the premier bibliographer of Ellul, who left behind a huge volume of materialmuch of it totally disorganized and scattered. Her most recent effort along these lines before this volume was Jacques Ellul: An Annotated Bibliography of Primary Works that was published as Research in Philosophy and Technology, Supplement 5 in 2000 by JAI Press. This volume is the result of a multi-year effort to collect in one volume significant writings in English and French about Elluls work and life from the 1930s to the present, based largely but not exclusively on collections at Regent College Library in Vancouver, BC, and Wheaton College, IL. Entries are grouped into three main categories (chapters): (1) books, articles, and interviews; (2) dissertations; and (3) reviews of Elluls books. Notes for each entry range from a few words to a few paragraphs. A very comprehensive set of indices covers authors and subjects. This resource is invaluable for anyone who wants to explore the impact and ideas of Jacques Ellul as viewed through the eyes of others.
Reviewed by Dennis W. Cheek,
TECHNOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY: How the Information Revolution Affects Our Spiritual Lives by Stephen K. Spyker. Woodstock, VT: SkyLight Paths, 2007. 158 pages. Hardcover; $19.95. ISBN: 9781594732188
Most of us are not terribly reflective about the technologies we use. So asserts Stephen K. Spyker in the first line of the book. Spyker is an engineer and technologist by disposition with thirty-five years of experience at the intersection of technology and spirituality. He currently serves as the director of information technology at Earlham School of Religion and Bethany Theological Seminary.
Spyker pays particular attention to how technologies shape our spirituality. He employs the device or concept of matrix to describe the rather complex relationship between ones spirituality and technology. He borrows this concept from the fields of mathematics and computer science and uses it in two different, yet related ways. First, a matrix represents a place of origination. In order for us to understand something as multifaceted as technology, we need a matrix to represent the varied imagery associated with a complete definition of a given technological concept or the emergence of a given technology. A matrix implies that technology is much more subtle and less well defined than most people realize. Technology, in fact, operates at a much deeper level than is usually considered.
Secondly, the matrix represents the interconnectedness of technology and ones spirituality. In other words, there are many levels or planes of relationships on which technology and spirituality exist and many lenses through which to view these relationships. The book employs eight of these lenses to observe the influence that technology has on our spirituality. The lenses are simplicity, transparency, community, identity, relationship, velocity, connectivity, and liberty. Spyker devotes one chapter to each of these lenses, demonstrating how they allow readers to evaluate the impact of emerging technologies on their life.
For the first of these lenses, simplicity, he reminds us that the promise of
technology was a simpler life. He goes on to ask if certain technologies have
had the opposite effect. Other discussions include how technology has increased
the speed or pace of our lives, how it has tailored some of our goals and
ambitions, the way in which it shapes or influences ones own identity, and the
ways that it filters our view of the Divine. Spyker
extends this dialogue quite successfully to the areas of daily life that
technology affects and insightfully demonstrates how entrenched technology has
become in our lives.
Reviewed by Kyle Hilton,