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On the Seventh Day: Forty Scientists and Academics Explain Why They Believe in God
For all their intellectual gifts, those with PhD's are hungry for the same thing the rest of the population seeks; peace and spiritual fulfillment. Some hide behind a cool, clinical exterior, yet grapple with internal insecurities, fears, and disappointments. The scientific mind is eager to find truth; indeed, the very pursuit energizes scientists from a plethora of disciplines and backgrounds. This book was compiled for them. It contains not only "scientific" inquiries into the miraculous, but personal and poignant travels on the road to serenity. Over 40 PhD's in this book explore the linkage between science and faith, and what that means not only to individuals, but to the entire planet, as well. For example, If you are a friend who wants to introduce your scientist friend to God, then you've found the perfect gift with On the Seventh Day . If you are a skeptic, have a read. You?ll be amazed that you've taken this path in your search for truth. In this book, you too can find rest from this hard business called life.
292 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2002
About the author
John F. Ashton
16 books8 followersDr. John F. Ashton PhD CChem FRACI is an Australian scientist. He writes, edits and co-authors books which provide evidence for creation and the historical accuracy of the Bible. He also co-authors books on health and nutrition.
He holds research degrees in both chemistry and philosophy and is a Chartered Chemist and Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Applied Sciences at RMIT University, Melbourne and as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Biomedical and Health Sciences at Victoria University.
He holds research degrees in both chemistry and philosophy and is a Chartered Chemist and Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Applied Sciences at RMIT University, Melbourne and as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Biomedical and Health Sciences at Victoria University.
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May 11, 2013
Book Review - On The Seventh Day by John F. Ashton, Editor
One of the things I hear quite often in conversations concerning origins is that "all real scientists have given up belief in God." For a time, I wondered if that were true. I wondered how science and faith could ever be compatible. But then I was introduced to a brilliant scientist who worked with a creation organization and realized that faith and science are not incompatible. In fact, they dovetail together almost perfectly. Meeting that scientist occurred almost twenty years ago, and since then, I've been exposed to dozens of people who work in various areas of science who have a tremendous faith in God. I've found hundreds of resources that reinforce that. And I've become closely affiliated with at least tow different organizations that attempt to teach the historicity and validity of Genesis as fact.
One of those organizations is Master Books. I have several of their books on my shelves, and am always excited to receive another. And I was pretty excited when I opened the mail and saw On The Seventh Day, edited by John F. Ashton PhD. Aston has compiled short testimonies from over forty different scientists describing why they believe in God.
Certainly, these men and women go against the flow, at least the flow as described by the popular media and the atheistic element in the science community. However, I'm beginning to suspect that those elements might actually be in the minority, or at least much less of a majority than they seem to present. I suspect that there are multitudes more in the scientific community who keep their lives focused on the Creator as they strive to understand his creation.
Aston has organized more than forty short chapters from believing scientists from all over the world. These scientists come from all sorts of fields, including physics, aerospace engineering, psychology, biology, chemistry, linguistics, information science, math, medicine and more. They come from all over the world, from places such as Australia, Europe, the UK, America, and others. The people and places, and the sciences they represent are as varied as can be, yet all are believers in the same Creator God.
Ashton has divided On The Seventh Day into two different categories.
The first is Reason and Faith. In this section, Ashton has placed the essays that focus on giving the reasons the authors believe in God. These chapters tell of the thought process the authors went through, discovering the overwhelming design by a Creator in their fields. These chapters describe the "why" behind these authors' decisions to follow God.
The second section is Faith and Experience. In this section, Ashton collected the essays that deal more with a personal experience based upon the author's faith. This section is full of stories of men and women seeing God act in their day to day lives, from resolving job situations to financial crises to rescuing one even from the occult and satanic activity.
To be honest, this wasn't really what I expected On The Seventh Day to be. I wasn't familiar with the book, and wasn't sure what it was like. But I was highly encouraged by reading many of these stories. I sat down and read it straight through in a couple of evenings. I'm not sure that's the best method though. I would recommend that you read no more than a chapter or two each day, maybe as devotional material, or along with your normal daily devotional reading. I think you'll be greatly encouraged as well.
Do you know of any scientists who are firm believers in God, despite the "trend" among scientists to not believe? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
One of the things I hear quite often in conversations concerning origins is that "all real scientists have given up belief in God." For a time, I wondered if that were true. I wondered how science and faith could ever be compatible. But then I was introduced to a brilliant scientist who worked with a creation organization and realized that faith and science are not incompatible. In fact, they dovetail together almost perfectly. Meeting that scientist occurred almost twenty years ago, and since then, I've been exposed to dozens of people who work in various areas of science who have a tremendous faith in God. I've found hundreds of resources that reinforce that. And I've become closely affiliated with at least tow different organizations that attempt to teach the historicity and validity of Genesis as fact.
One of those organizations is Master Books. I have several of their books on my shelves, and am always excited to receive another. And I was pretty excited when I opened the mail and saw On The Seventh Day, edited by John F. Ashton PhD. Aston has compiled short testimonies from over forty different scientists describing why they believe in God.
Certainly, these men and women go against the flow, at least the flow as described by the popular media and the atheistic element in the science community. However, I'm beginning to suspect that those elements might actually be in the minority, or at least much less of a majority than they seem to present. I suspect that there are multitudes more in the scientific community who keep their lives focused on the Creator as they strive to understand his creation.
Aston has organized more than forty short chapters from believing scientists from all over the world. These scientists come from all sorts of fields, including physics, aerospace engineering, psychology, biology, chemistry, linguistics, information science, math, medicine and more. They come from all over the world, from places such as Australia, Europe, the UK, America, and others. The people and places, and the sciences they represent are as varied as can be, yet all are believers in the same Creator God.
Ashton has divided On The Seventh Day into two different categories.
The first is Reason and Faith. In this section, Ashton has placed the essays that focus on giving the reasons the authors believe in God. These chapters tell of the thought process the authors went through, discovering the overwhelming design by a Creator in their fields. These chapters describe the "why" behind these authors' decisions to follow God.
The second section is Faith and Experience. In this section, Ashton collected the essays that deal more with a personal experience based upon the author's faith. This section is full of stories of men and women seeing God act in their day to day lives, from resolving job situations to financial crises to rescuing one even from the occult and satanic activity.
To be honest, this wasn't really what I expected On The Seventh Day to be. I wasn't familiar with the book, and wasn't sure what it was like. But I was highly encouraged by reading many of these stories. I sat down and read it straight through in a couple of evenings. I'm not sure that's the best method though. I would recommend that you read no more than a chapter or two each day, maybe as devotional material, or along with your normal daily devotional reading. I think you'll be greatly encouraged as well.
Do you know of any scientists who are firm believers in God, despite the "trend" among scientists to not believe? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
May 9, 2013
When it comes to the opinion of the secular scientific community regarding evolution and creation, one of the constant phrases you hear thrown around is “All scientists agree that……” In reality, since views are always changing with the advancement in scientific discoveries and there are often numerous scientific theories supporting these discoveries and their implications, scientific consensus is not always as much of a consensus as we are led to believe.
When you do some digging you will begin to realize that there are numerous credible scientists and academics who are Christians that do not accept evolution as a viable theory of origins and the like. Though contrary to popular belief, their lack of belief in evolution does not impede their ability to do their jobs as scientists and experts in their fields.
On the Seventh Day: Forty Scientists and Academics Explain Why They Believe in God edited by John F. Ashton is a small collection of short accounts from Christian scientists and academics telling us how they became Christians and why they believe in creation.
The accounts are broken into two categories. First, there are accounts under the label reason and faith. These are accounts of people who were brought to faith in Christ through their scientific and academic studies. As they studied they were brought face to face with the truth that evolution is not a credible explanation for life and all it encompasses. Whether in school or working in their field of study, these Christians were hit with the truth of God as creator. There are aerospace engineers, doctors, physicists, educators, psychologists and more.
The second category of testimonies is under the label faith and experience. These conversion accounts are a little different in that they focus not on how each person was brought to faith in Christ because of their professional work but, rather, these testimonies tell the story of how they were brought to faith in their everyday lives. The focus here is on how they experienced God working in their lives through a miraculous healing, Gods presence through traumatic life experiences, God’s provision through other believers and other similar type experiences.
The value of a book like this is that it points to the reality that faith (as secularists and atheists want to define it) is not belief in something in spite of the evidence or because of the lack of evidence, but rather, it is belief because of the evidence. These testimonies contribute to the reality that Christianity is an intellectually defensible and reasonable belief. This book might be good for those who are doubting their faith (both Christian and non-Christian alike) and for those who are looking for some further confirmation of their faith in Christ as the maker and sustainer of the universe. These testimonies are encouraging to read. I suggest reading one chapter a day with your devotions to help the book have the most impact on a persons life.
NOTE: I received this book for free from Master Books in exchange for my honest review. The words and thoughts expressed here are my own and I was under no obligation to provide a favorable review.
When you do some digging you will begin to realize that there are numerous credible scientists and academics who are Christians that do not accept evolution as a viable theory of origins and the like. Though contrary to popular belief, their lack of belief in evolution does not impede their ability to do their jobs as scientists and experts in their fields.
On the Seventh Day: Forty Scientists and Academics Explain Why They Believe in God edited by John F. Ashton is a small collection of short accounts from Christian scientists and academics telling us how they became Christians and why they believe in creation.
The accounts are broken into two categories. First, there are accounts under the label reason and faith. These are accounts of people who were brought to faith in Christ through their scientific and academic studies. As they studied they were brought face to face with the truth that evolution is not a credible explanation for life and all it encompasses. Whether in school or working in their field of study, these Christians were hit with the truth of God as creator. There are aerospace engineers, doctors, physicists, educators, psychologists and more.
The second category of testimonies is under the label faith and experience. These conversion accounts are a little different in that they focus not on how each person was brought to faith in Christ because of their professional work but, rather, these testimonies tell the story of how they were brought to faith in their everyday lives. The focus here is on how they experienced God working in their lives through a miraculous healing, Gods presence through traumatic life experiences, God’s provision through other believers and other similar type experiences.
The value of a book like this is that it points to the reality that faith (as secularists and atheists want to define it) is not belief in something in spite of the evidence or because of the lack of evidence, but rather, it is belief because of the evidence. These testimonies contribute to the reality that Christianity is an intellectually defensible and reasonable belief. This book might be good for those who are doubting their faith (both Christian and non-Christian alike) and for those who are looking for some further confirmation of their faith in Christ as the maker and sustainer of the universe. These testimonies are encouraging to read. I suggest reading one chapter a day with your devotions to help the book have the most impact on a persons life.
NOTE: I received this book for free from Master Books in exchange for my honest review. The words and thoughts expressed here are my own and I was under no obligation to provide a favorable review.
July 13, 2013
No one wants to be alone. The only one standing for a cause against an innumerable force.
We cry out as Elijah, fearing we are left all alone and destined to fall.
“I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” (1 Kings 19:10, ESV)
The Lord answered this fear by reassuring Elijah that not only was God in control of the situation, but that he also had seven thousand more who were faithful to him in Israel. Though Elijah may feel alone in his trial, there were in fact many who stood just as he.
Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” (1 Kings 19:18, ESV)
We need this same assurance today. That we are not alone and that God is in control. We need to see the seven thousand.
This is why a book such as, On the Seventh Day, is so important. In the fields of science and academics the pressure to conform to the secular ideas of evolution and humanism can be overwhelming. Believers can feel isolated and alone, without the support they need to continue on in their faith.
On the Seventh Day is comprised of articles written by forty of these believers who struggle to shine as lights in these dark places. In it they share their love for Jesus and science, how they came to faith, and remain faithful in an environment that has mostly rejected even the idea of God.
The book is broken into two sections. The first includes writings on the reasons the writers have embraced the faith, while the second deals more with what the individuals have experienced as the result of their faith in their studies and work.
The charge has been made that Christians are afraid of science and reason, yet it is science and reason themselves that often reveal to many the reality of our Creator God.
One of the surprising finds, is that the same curiosity and desire for knowledge is one of the main factors in many of those who contributed for believing in God. As they examined the beauty and complexity of nature and life, they arrived at the logical conclusion that there must be a designer who created with a purpose and plan. Time and chance could not explain what they have seen.
In the second half of the book, they share their experiences. They tell of God's supernatural leading in their lives. How what at the time may have confused them, turned out to be for their own good and God's glory. Each of them reveals how though they love science, they haven't closed their eye's to the miraculous.
I recommend this book to those who are in or looking to have a career in science or academia. The message is that, You are not alone. There are believers out there. You don't have to choose between on or the other. You can love and obey the God who has established all science.
I would like to thank Master Books, a division of New Leaf Publishing Group, for this free review copy.
We cry out as Elijah, fearing we are left all alone and destined to fall.
“I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” (1 Kings 19:10, ESV)
The Lord answered this fear by reassuring Elijah that not only was God in control of the situation, but that he also had seven thousand more who were faithful to him in Israel. Though Elijah may feel alone in his trial, there were in fact many who stood just as he.
Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” (1 Kings 19:18, ESV)
We need this same assurance today. That we are not alone and that God is in control. We need to see the seven thousand.
This is why a book such as, On the Seventh Day, is so important. In the fields of science and academics the pressure to conform to the secular ideas of evolution and humanism can be overwhelming. Believers can feel isolated and alone, without the support they need to continue on in their faith.
On the Seventh Day is comprised of articles written by forty of these believers who struggle to shine as lights in these dark places. In it they share their love for Jesus and science, how they came to faith, and remain faithful in an environment that has mostly rejected even the idea of God.
The book is broken into two sections. The first includes writings on the reasons the writers have embraced the faith, while the second deals more with what the individuals have experienced as the result of their faith in their studies and work.
The charge has been made that Christians are afraid of science and reason, yet it is science and reason themselves that often reveal to many the reality of our Creator God.
One of the surprising finds, is that the same curiosity and desire for knowledge is one of the main factors in many of those who contributed for believing in God. As they examined the beauty and complexity of nature and life, they arrived at the logical conclusion that there must be a designer who created with a purpose and plan. Time and chance could not explain what they have seen.
In the second half of the book, they share their experiences. They tell of God's supernatural leading in their lives. How what at the time may have confused them, turned out to be for their own good and God's glory. Each of them reveals how though they love science, they haven't closed their eye's to the miraculous.
I recommend this book to those who are in or looking to have a career in science or academia. The message is that, You are not alone. There are believers out there. You don't have to choose between on or the other. You can love and obey the God who has established all science.
I would like to thank Master Books, a division of New Leaf Publishing Group, for this free review copy.
May 10, 2013
As a homeschooler, my boys have had the advantage of being taught as youngsters that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, thus creation is just as the Bible says it is, not full of evolution. We have been able to firm up a foundation for them on how science is created by God and that the two can work in harmony together. This was the first year where my oldest was exposed to community college teachers who felt differently. Evolution is rampant in the school, from English to Psychology class. The 'educated' teachers made it very clear that my son was in the wrong, and their way was right. What to do when a teacher makes you feel as if you are immature for believing that God is the ultimate creator? You read a book like on the seventh day! 40 educated, some very educated scientists and other academia share their personal testimonies on how they believe in God as creator. This was a very refreshing look at a variety of people, female and male, from the UK, USA, Australia and more, who share their personal reflections on God. A few of them were a bit too scientific for me personally, but others were down to earth, simple testimonies of how they can connect their wisdom from God. Great encouragement for teens and adults in the world today!
October 18, 2012
An intriguing book, really worth checking out.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews