The Language of Science and Faith: Straight Answers to Genuine Questions

Karl W. Giberson, Francis S. Collins

InterVarsity Press, Feb 28, 2011 - Religion - 250 pages

Christians affirm that everything exists because of God--from subatomic quarks to black holes. Science often claims to explain nature without including God at all. And thinking Christians often feel forced to choose between the two. But the good news is that we don't have to make a choice. Science does not overthrow the Bible. Faith does not require rejecting science. World-renowned scientist Francis Collins, author of The Language of God, along with fellow scientist Karl Giberson show how we can embrace both. Their fascinating treatment explains how God cares for and interacts with his creation while science offers a reliable way to understand the world he made. Together they clearly answer dozens of the most common questions people ask about Darwin, evolution, the age of the earth, the Bible, the existence of God and our finely tuned universe. They also consider how their views stack up against the new atheists as well as against creationists and adherents of intelligent design. The authors disentangle the false conclusions of Christians and atheists alike about science and evolution from the actual results of research in astronomy, physics, geology and genetics. In its place they find a story of the grandeur and beauty of a world made by a supremely creative God.

What people are saying

User Review -

Very much enjoyed. I especially appreciated the background on the young earth creationists (YEC). I didn't realize how recent a trend that is and how dogmatic they are about a view that is from a 7th day Adventist. This expresses in very clear terms how a belief in God and a belief in science are not at odds, but can be made to be so by extremists on either end of the spectrum. Very elegant last chapter--endorses a God who is more creative than we could ever imagine and just enjoys all the details and interesting things he set in motion. 

Contents

• Do I Have to Believe in Evolution?: 29
• Can We Really Know the Earth Is Billions of Years Old?: 53
• How Do We Relate Science and Religion?: 80
• Can Scientific and Scriptural Truth Be Reconciled?: 104
• Science and the Existence of God: 124
• Why Is Darwins Theory So Controversial?: 151
• What Is the FineTuning of the Universe and How Does It Serve as a Pointer to God?: 176
• Evolution and Human Beings: 197
• The Grand Narrative of Creation: 215
• Annotated Bibliography: 222
• Notes: 227
• Name Indexes: 243
• Subject Index: 245
• Index of Questions: 248

About the author

Karl Giberson (PhD, physics) is an internationally known scholar, speaker and writer. He has written or coauthored nine books and lectured on science and religion at the Vatican, Oxford University, London ́s Thomas Moore Institute and many prestigious American venues including MIT, The Harvard Club and Xavier University. Dr. Giberson has published more than two hundred reviews and essays, both technical and popular, in outlets that include the New York Times, CNN.com, The Guardian, USA Today, LA Times and Salon.com. He is a regular contributor to the public dialogue on science and faith, and has appeared as a guest on NPR ́s Morning Edition and Talk of the Nation as well as other radio programs. He blogs at The Huffington Post where his articles have generated thousands of comments and are frequently featured. From 1984 to 2011, Dr. Giberson was a professor at Eastern Nazarene College (ENC) where he received numerous recognitions and awards. From 2007 to 2010 he headed the Forum on Faith and Science at Gordon College. For three years, ending in 2009, he was the program director for the prestigious Venice Summer School on Science & Religion. Dr. Giberson now teaches writing and science and religion in the Cornerstone Program at Stonehill College.

Francis S. Collins (M.D., Ph.D.) is a world-renowned physician-geneticist known for his discovery of the causes of many human genetic diseases. He is also known for spearheading the Human Genome Project, which produced the first complete sequence of human DNA in 2003. In 2006, he published The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, which spent fourteen weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. In 2007, he founded The BioLogos Foundation to respond to the many queries he receives about science and faith. Since August 2009, he has served as the director of the National Institutes of Health. His most recent books, all authored prior to his current government position, include The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution in Personalized Medicine and Belief: Readings on the Reason for Faith.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Language of Science and Faith: Straight Answers to Genuine Questions
• Authors: Karl W. Giberson, Francis S. Collins
• Publisher: InterVarsity Press, 2011
• ISBN: 0830868445, 9780830868445
• Length: 250 pages
• Subjects: Religion / Religion & Science