I am something of an artist and the son of an artist. I love color. But color is not just the purview of the Artists, Werner's Nomenclature of ColoursI am something of an artist and the son of an artist. I love color. But color is not just the purview of the Artists, Werner's Nomenclature of Colours by Patrick Syme was the book used by naturalists in the 1800s (originally published in 1814) to describe the colors of animals, vegetation and minerals they encountered in the natural world. It is the book that Charles Darwin drew on to describe colors of nature on his Beagle voyage. The colors are listed, with a description of what other colors or pigments are mixed in to achieve a particular hue. As someone who paints (oils), this is fascinating to me. And there are tables with little squares of color, describing what animal, vegetable and mineral approximate each hue. This is the sort of book you need if you hope to be a modern major general....more
When I was a teenager, in my fundy evangelical days, I was taught to be suspicious of science. Scientists were you using their big bang black magic, tWhen I was a teenager, in my fundy evangelical days, I was taught to be suspicious of science. Scientists were you using their big bang black magic, their carbon-dating-voodoo, and evolutionary processes to explain away the Creator. My youth leaders would do role-playing exercises designed to help us take a brave Christian response to our godless philosophy or biology professors when we got to college (I'm convinced that the entire plot toGod's Not Dead was written in a youth group). I was told if Genesis 1 was not literally how God created the earth, that would mean you couldn't trust anything in the Bible (there is a logical fallacy there, see if you can spot it).
I can't say this is all entirely to blame for my undergrad, underachieving self, but it is pretty hard to make yourself try hard in class if you think your Geology professor is lying to you (I think this suspicion of sciences is also partly to blame for certain Christians' ambivalence to global warming or evidence-based research).
Thankfully, there are a number of Christians today which are exploring the interconnection between science and faith. Among them is Greg Cootsona. Cootsona directs Science and Theology for Emerging Adult Ministries (STEAM) at Fuller Theological Seminary and teaches religious studies and humanities at Chico State. He wrote Mere Science and Christian Faith: Bridging the Divide with Emerging Adultsas a manifesto for pastors, emerging adult ministries leaders, and emerging adults themselves (18 to 30-year-olds). He discusses the disconnect between science and faith, places where they may be brought into greater integration and dialogue, and he provides various case studies of relevant issues to faith and science.
Mere Science and Faith unfolds in eight chapters. In chapter 1, Cootsona describes his own history of science and faith—his Christian conversion in college at UC Berkley, and subsequent antagonism toward faith he experienced from faculty and fellow students. He then introduces his thesis, an integrative approach to faith and science. In chapter 2, Cootsona cites psychological and social scientific research to discuss how to engage science and faith with emerging adults (18 to 30-year-olds). He concludes that the conversation between faith and science has shifted with the development of new technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence, transhumanism, screen time), new understandings of faith, and the eclectic "Spotify mix" style of engaging faith and science of emerging adult Christians today which breaks down some of the old dichotomies (28-29). A bricolage of mismatched ideas (Spotify) instead of an LP album, allows emerging adults to see connections between science and faith, or at least regard them as independent spheres without any felt antagonism. Cootsona extends this analysis in chapter 3 ("Emerging Adults: Are They None and Done?").
Chapter 4 and 5 are a crash course on biblical hermeneutics. Chapter 4 has an eye to how best make sense of the creation passages in our Scientific age. Cootsona discusses creation narratives of Genesis 1-2, and other relevant passages. Chapter 5, looks at Adam and Eve and human history. Cootsona concludes this section on hermeneutics with 5 reflections on reading the Bible:
1. We hold to the Bible because there we find our relationship to God through Jesus Christ. 2. Although we seek integration, we need to interpret Scripture with a sufficent dose of independence between science and faith when necessary 3. The interests of the interpreter are critical to the task of interpretation [i.e. we bring ourselves to the text and engage it with critical realism] 4. Science is not the sole arbitrator of truth. 5. Our biblical interpretation is about learning to live with the narrative of Scripture (96-98).
These hermeneutical reflections help Christians navigate truth in science and Scripture while acknowledging that each has a peculiar lens for comprehending reality. Chapters 6 and 7 describe the gifts and limits of technology and chapter 8 concludes the book.
Interspersing these chapters are various case studies exploring: the New Atheism, Cognitive Science, the Big Bang and Fine Tuning, Intelligent Design and the problem of irreducible complexity, climate change, and human sexuality. If the chapters are more conceptual, these case studies explore the nature of the dialogue between faith and science as they relate to particular issues.
I didn't have this book during my own emerging adulthood, but somehow I discovered that pressing into scientific questions (e.g. evolution, cosmology, geology) and adjusting how I understood particular passages, did not cause my faith in God to slide down a slippery slope toward secularism. For myself, it was exposure to Christians outside my narrow evangelical bubble that enabled me to make my peace with science, but certainly, a book like this would have been quite helpful. As an erstwhile and intermittent pastor, I appreciate the sound advice which Cootsona offers in guiding emerging adults to greater integration of science and faith. I particularly liked the emphasis on hermeneutics. I was reminded of one of my seminary professors saying, "When science and faith disagree, there is always a hermeneutical problem. Either we are misreading God's Special Revelation (i.e., the Bible) or we are miss reading Creation. Or both." Cootsona explores how to navigate the issues well (I did wish his chapters on technology probed the issues a little more, but this is a short book).
This is a book about science, but not really a science book. Cootsona mentions research and some important thinkers, but this is pretty accessible to us non-scientists. I give this four stars - ★★★★
Notice of material connection: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Marchant is a popular science writer with a PhD in genetics and medical microbiology who has written for New Scientist, Nature, the Guardian, and the Marchant is a popular science writer with a PhD in genetics and medical microbiology who has written for New Scientist, Nature, the Guardian, and the Smithonian . She is rigorously skeptical of alternative therapies and the miraculous; however she isn't dismissive of the fact that people are sometimes helped by them. Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind Over Body is her examination of the mind's power to influence physical health and well being. She reviews various scientific studies, interviews those who have participated in them, and explores what the brain can or cannot do as far as healing our bodies.
Marchant observes a well known phenomena in contemporary medical research: the placebo effect. She cites research which shows that in some instances, a placebo works even if the person knows they are getting the placebo, though it impacts symptoms rather than the disease itself (still valuable for quality of life). She also notes the 'nocebo effect' where a person's health declines because of the belief that something is causing them harm (i.e. believing you were poisoned, or had a curse put on you). Placebos can be a powerful counter medicine to these psychosomatic ailments and empathetic patient care does make a real difference in prognosis. So Marchant admits some value in alternative medicines:
Therapies such as homeopathy and Reiki contain no active ingredient and show no benefit in rigorous clinical trials. They are based on principles that from a scientific point of view are nonsensical—almost certainly do not work in the way they claim they do. But with long, personal consultations and empathetic care, they are perfectly honed to maximize placebo responses. For that reason they probably do provide real relief, particularly for chronic ailments that conventional medicine is not well equipped to treat (39) Marchant examines the benefits of combining a placebo with Pavlovian conditioning, the benefits of cognitive therapies in fighting Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, hypnosis in treating Irritable Bowl Syndrome, and the benefits virtual reality for Pain management. In the latter part of the book she talks about how stress affects health, the benefits of meditation the importance of relationships and positive outlook for aging well, and how manipulating the vagus nerve through electricity may impact our immunity. Her final chapter examines the role of faith in healing, specifically at Lourdes.
Marchant doesn't believe in miracles and treats religious ritual like a powerful placebo. She does volunteer at Lourdes and record her observations of a worship service she participated in:
I feel out of place amid all the singing and signing. I've never attended a Catholic Mass, and I usually try my hardest to avoid religious ceremonies. I get uneasy about the idea of substituting reason and clear thinking for robes, incantations and mysterious higher powers. But at the same time it is beautiful; a hugely impressive assault on the senses. (266). Later she writes, "Lourdes didn't turn me into a believer. But after attending this giant underground service, I'm struck by the physical force that religious belief can have" (227). She sees the power of religion to effect people's health, for good or ill, in mechanisms like stress and ritual. She prefers a naturalistic interpretation of how healing occurs—a scientific explanation of how healing took place invalidates it as a miracle (which she doesn't believe in anyway).
I have participated and benefited from healing prayers, but I am also aware of studies on intercessory prayer that show no significant change, and reveal faith healers' success rates as equal to that of a placebo (about 29%). I don't share Marchant's skepticism of the miraculous. I do, however, appreciate her well-documented look at the science behind the power of the mind to influence physical health. Her bias towards a rigorous look at the evidence is what made me want to read the book. I especially found the studies of the placebo effect in the first part of the book interesting, and this is a fun read. I recommend this for anyone interested in our current understanding of the brain's ability to effect our body. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. I give this four stars.
Note: I received this book from Random House and Crown Publishers through the Blogging For Books Program in exchange for my honest review.
From the author of xkcd, and boasting celebrity endorsements from the likes of Bill Gates, Thing Explainer has diagrams and charts about how stuff wFrom the author of xkcd, and boasting celebrity endorsements from the likes of Bill Gates, Thing Explainer has diagrams and charts about how stuff works in the 'ten hundred' words that everyone knows.
This is informative and fun. Examining things like rockets, cars, space stations, nuclear power plants, helicopters, submarines, the U.S. Constitution (and the U.S.S. Constitution) and more. Part of the fun of the book is being occasionally perplexed about what Munroe is talking about. Using simple language means the words for stuff are really simple. Munroe doesn't talk about our cellular make-up or internal organs. Cells and organs are called bags. Other things are called boxes or boats. Sometimes he calls things by what they do. This is most fun when you have at least a rudimentary understanding of what you are looking at.
I got this for my Kindle. The physical book is a large hardback coffee table book. My Kindle is a small screen but you can zoom in and read the text. It only works on the Kindle Fire (or Fire HD). I think I would like this better if I could read it from my Kindle App on a bigger screen but as of yet, you cannot. ...more
Modern medicine poses ethical dilemmas for Christians. Controversial issues like abortion, euthanasia, in vitro fertilization, cloning and genetic engModern medicine poses ethical dilemmas for Christians. Controversial issues like abortion, euthanasia, in vitro fertilization, cloning and genetic engineering challenge Christian views of morality and human dignity. But how are followers of Jesus supposed to make decisions about health care and life and death?
Christian Bioethics was written to provide guidance for pastors, health care professionals and families. C. Ben Mitchell, PhD, and D. Joy Riley, MD conduct a dialogue on a range of topics. Mitchel is Professor of Moral Philosophy at Union University and Riley is physician specializing in Internal Medicine and the director of the Tennessee Center for Bioethics. Together they frame the issues, discuss relevant scriptures and share their suggestions of how Christians ought to respond.
Mitchell and Riley argue for a return to the Hippocratic and Christian tradition of medicine. They urge physicians to heal not harm and promote respect for the dignity of human persons. Their ethical discussion ranges from Taking Life (abortion and euthanasia) to Making Life ( Infertility and reporductive technologies, organ donation, cloning and animal-human hybrids) to faking/remaking life (aging and life extending technologies). The two of them are adept at framing the issue and limiting what they are talking about. They also say some thoughtful stuff. I particularly enjoyed their discussion on dying and their reference to both the Bible and to the Christian tradition. Quite a lot has been written on the topic of 'dying well' and Mitchell and Riley bring things together in a winsome and relevant manner.
Rather than sharing their thoughts on every issue, I would like to share what I found most helpful. I think the biggest value of the book is their ethical framework. On pages 41-2 they layout the process for medical ethical decision making:
Define the ethical issue or problem Clarify the issue. Pray for Illumination by the Holy Spirit. Glean the medical data on the issue What is the diagnosis? What are the available treatments? What are the possible outcomes Are there complications? Are there implications for spouse, family members, or others? What precisely is the moral question(s) to be answered? Glean the Scriptural data on the question, identifying the biblical issue: Precepts or Commands Principles Examples Study the scriptural instruction carefully: What does the text say? What does the text mean? What is the genre? What are the literary style and organization? What definitions and grammar are significant? What is the context? What are the overall theme, purpose and historical significance Apply the biblical instruction to formulate a potential answer. Engage in dialogue with the Christian community. Study the views of the church down through the ages Formulate a decision. (41-2) This method delineates the approach that Mitchell and Riley attempt throughout this book. I really appreciated the care by which they approached the issue and sought out the wisdom of scripture with hermeneutic sensitivity. They make judicious use of the Bible. I am in general agreement with their conclusions (pro life, human dignity and trust in God) but I think this hermeneutic piece is the most helpful, especially since neither is a specialist in theology or biblical literature.
One small criticism is that Mitchell and Riley claim this book is a 'guide for pastors, health care professionals and families.' I can readily see how pastors and families would benefit. I think health care professionals would to, but they spend too much time explaining medical terms, issues and procedures in dumbed-down layman terms for people in the discipline. I think most people who work in healthcare would find these parts of the book overly simple. I would think a more technical volume would probably be of more value for those in health care.
I am happy to have this book as part of my pastoral library (alongside other books like Shuman and Volck's Reclaiming the Body). It does a good job of connecting the Bible to contemporary life issues. I give this book four stars. ★★★★
Notice of material connection: I received this book from the publisher via Cross Focused Reviews in exchange for my honest review. ...more
John Medina's Brain Rules is one grumpy brain scientist's account of what we know about the brain and the possible implications for classroom and lifeJohn Medina's Brain Rules is one grumpy brain scientist's account of what we know about the brain and the possible implications for classroom and life. Medina identifies 12 brain rules which describe the best, scientific consensus of what we know of the brain. He also shares some ideas about how we ought to change the way we work/educate in keeping with what we know to be true about our minds.
This means: exercise to increase brain power, understanding the human brain's adaptability, understanding each brain is wired uniquely, using emotions, 'hooks; and focus in learning and understanding that the brain DOES NOT MULTITASK!, understanding the role of repetition in short term and long term memory, getting proper sleep, realizing how stress affects learning, reinforcing learning through sensory integration, understanding the primacy of vision for our sense perceptions, know the difference between male and female brains and what we can (and cannot) infer from this, and knowing that the human brains were built for exploration.
Many of the distinctives of the human brain point back to our evolutionary development (i.e. early human communities had to think on the run and adapt). But Medina includes only the non-controversial findings of neuro-science and psychology (reproducible results). He also does a good job of putting the cookies on the lower shelf for us non-scientists....more
In Rewiring Your Preaching: How the Brain Processes Sermons Richard Cox ((M.D., Ph.D. D.Min) issues a call to purposeful preaching . Cox is an ordaineIn Rewiring Your Preaching: How the Brain Processes Sermons Richard Cox ((M.D., Ph.D. D.Min) issues a call to purposeful preaching . Cox is an ordained minister (PCUSA) and teaches in the department of psychaitry and behavioral sciences at Duke Medical School. He believes that knowledge of modern medicine, psychology and neuroscience illumines how the brain makes sense of the sermon (or rejects it) and that this knowledge will help us preachers attend better to our task of proclamation. The Spirit of God is at work enlivening our preaching and speaking to hearts and minds in the congregation; however knowledge of how listeners’ brains process external stimuli can aid us in our sermon writing and presentation.
In fourteen chapters, Cox covers a number of aspects of preaching and the brain. In the first three chapters he addresses how the brain processes external stimulus, and in particular, preaching. It turns out that while the brain processes sermons like other stimuli, it also sees preaching as unique. Only in a church is truth proclaimed from a pulpit, and despite scandals of clergy misconduct, people still regard preaching (and the preacher) as an authority in religious matters. Whether or not the preacher’s message ‘connects’ with a hearer depends on how well the brain is prepared to ‘hear.’ All sound is heard and enters the brain, either as new information or confusion to be discarded. The difference is how the brain is prepared to hear the message and add new information to old. Cox calls the process religare- meaning ‘tying back.’ Through repeated listening to sermons and other messages about faith, the human brain is able to tie things together and make new connections.
In chapters 4-7, Cox describes the power of the spoken word to impact the brain. He argues that brain-based-preaching brings healing because it provides the integration, synthesis and hope that the brain longs for. Furthermore, Cox asserts that preaching allows the brain to rethink and construct new neurological pathways. Through preaching, people can enter a new way of thinking and this has implications for behavioral change as well.
In chapter 8 Cox describes the way the work of ’the pastor’ differs from the work of ‘the preacher.’ Each role that a minister takes (preacher or pastor) occupies it’s own unique sphere and requires particular skills. On the other hand each role reinforces the other (a good pastor enlivens the hearing of their congregation, a successful preacher is able to care well for the flock).
In Chapters 9-14 Cox talks about the nature of healing, the brain and preaching. In chapter 9 he discusses the unique contribution of theology (and the power of sacrament, symbol and liturgy to help people make new connections). In chapter 10 Cox looks at how the brain processes pain and the way preaching can bring hope and peace to the one suffering. Chapters 11-13 discuss the way the brain interacts to bring healing to the soul, the mind and the body. Cox argues that the spoken word has real power to impact a person’s whole well-being. In the final chapter Cox discusses how the brain is impacted by social realities and how a word rightly spoken from the pulpit may bring healing to community.
Cox is able to effectively communicate knowledge of the brain in non-technical language. He offers much food for thought. I particularly was struck by his insight that symbol, liturgy and sacrament open up the brain to process and make sense of new stimuli. He also makes an impassioned case for purposeful preaching: preaching should call people (their brains and all) to action. Cox is able to demonstrate that it is impossible for the brain to process information and not act on it; either by synthesizing or discarding it. Effective preaching should enable congregants grow in understanding, faith and aid in their spiritual transformation.
Cox has many wonderful things to say about what is going on in the brain when we preach. If his only contribution was to show how fearfully and wonderfully humanity is made and how our brains interact with the spiritual life, it would be enough. Yet all who preach will be encouraged and exhorted by this book. This is not a ‘how to’ book on preaching. But it will get you thinking about your role as preacher and the ways you can preach more effectively.
Thank you to InterVarsity Press for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for this review....more
In Seven Glorious Days: A Scientist Retells the Genesis Creation Story, author Karl W. Giberson re-presents the Genesis 1 narrative in light of the beIn Seven Glorious Days: A Scientist Retells the Genesis Creation Story, author Karl W. Giberson re-presents the Genesis 1 narrative in light of the best scientific explanations of our origins. Thus the seven days are re-written to explore elements of creation through the lens of contemporary cosmogony, astronomy, quantum physics and biology. Giberson teaches Science and Religion at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts, a fellow of the American Scientific Affiliation (ASA), a regular contributor to various journals and periodicals and has written extensively on the relationship between science and faith. He is also popular lecturer and author, he has been a presenter (and vice president) of the BioLogos Foundation and the editor of Science and Spirit for the Templeton Foundation. In this book, Giberson brings together his skill as a scientist and his literary skill as a lay Christian theologian.
The result is a popular level book which culls together the best of human inquiry into Creation and presents it in a warm engaging way. The chief value of this book is not apologetic--I doubt that the young earth creationists or ardent atheists would be convinced by Giberson's prose; however for those with eyes to see and ears to hear (and other powers of observation) this book is a hymn of praise and wonder to God for our fine tuned universe. The topics which Giberson covers range from the Big Bang (neither big nor a bang), the formation of matter at an atomic level, the existence of supernovas and their contribution to the development of the elements in the periodic table, the precise conditions and various factors which conspired to make life possible, and the mysteries of human development. So while his 'rewriting of Genesis 1' is a radical departure from the biblical narrative, he covers significant ground and I found it fascinating. This is not a book which explores in depth the biblical account for its theological import. It's aim is much more modest: to show how our scientific knowledge bears witness to our Creator.
I liked this book a lot. One of the joys of reading this book is that Giberson does more than present a God friendly cosmogony; he also tells a little of the history of science and the way in which our current scientific knowledge testifies of the remarkable world we live in. This is a beautiful, worshipful book and well worth reading.
Thank you to Paraclete Press for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for this review....more
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