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Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins: Cosmology, Geology, and Biology in Christian Perspective
The question of origins remains a stumbling block for many. But just as the Psalmist gained insight into God's character through the observation of nature, modern scientific study can deepen and enrich our vision of the Creator and our place in his creation. In this often contentious field Bishop, Funck, Lewis, Moshier, and Walton serve as our able guides.
Based on over two decades of teaching origins together in the classroom, the authors present a textbook exploring mainstream scientific theories of origins in astronomy, cosmology, chemistry, geology, biology, physical anthropology, and genetics. While many authors engage origins from a Christian perspective, this is the first work offering a full-fledged discussion of the scientific narrative of origins from the Big Bang through humankind, from biblical and theological perspectives accessible to a lay audience.
Topics include
• Principles of biblical interpretation
• Close readings of relevant Genesis texts
• A comprehensive Trinitarian doctrine of creation
• Cosmic origins
• The geologic history of Earth
• The origin of life on Earth
• The origin of species and diversity of life
• Human origins
• New creation and creation care
• Science education
Rather than the familiar scenario where science and faith compete, this book seeks to diffuse tensions by taking the inspiration and authority of the Bible seriously while respecting and honoring God's revelation through creation.Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins gives the reader a detailed picture of the sciences of origins along with how they fit into the story of God's creative and redemptive action.
Based on over two decades of teaching origins together in the classroom, the authors present a textbook exploring mainstream scientific theories of origins in astronomy, cosmology, chemistry, geology, biology, physical anthropology, and genetics. While many authors engage origins from a Christian perspective, this is the first work offering a full-fledged discussion of the scientific narrative of origins from the Big Bang through humankind, from biblical and theological perspectives accessible to a lay audience.
Topics include
• Principles of biblical interpretation
• Close readings of relevant Genesis texts
• A comprehensive Trinitarian doctrine of creation
• Cosmic origins
• The geologic history of Earth
• The origin of life on Earth
• The origin of species and diversity of life
• Human origins
• New creation and creation care
• Science education
Rather than the familiar scenario where science and faith compete, this book seeks to diffuse tensions by taking the inspiration and authority of the Bible seriously while respecting and honoring God's revelation through creation.Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins gives the reader a detailed picture of the sciences of origins along with how they fit into the story of God's creative and redemptive action.
650 pages, Hardcover
First published December 4, 2018
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203 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 21, 2019
"Understanding Scientific Theories Of Origins: Cosmology, Geology, and Biology From Christian Perspective" is THE best book that BioLogos has produced by far and is the best Evolutionary Creationist book I've ever read, PERIOD. The theological material, the biblical material, and the scientific material are all masterfully dealt with by each of the authors corresponding to each author's field of expertise. I have complained before that every Evolutionary Creationist book I have read has felt incomplete. They either deal heavily with the science material while being light on the scriptural and theological issues or they're heavy on the biblical material, but don't address much of the science. In one sense, this is to be expected. I wouldn't expect someone like Francis Collins or Ken Miller to necessarily be an expert biblical scholar nor would I expect an Old Testament professor like John Walton to necessarily know a lot about physics and biology. The problem though is that you've got to buy more than one book to find satisfying answers. When people have asked me "What book should I read on Theistic Evolution?" I had to give a list of top 5 (usually John Walton's Lost World books, and Aaron Yilmaz' book "Deliver Us From Evolution?") But with "Understanding Scientific Theories Of Origins" , the theological and scientific issues are dealt with in equal length. This is the "One Stop Shop" I thought didn't exist. Now, when someone asks me "What book [singular] should I read on Theistic Evolution?" or "What book should I read on the relationship between Christianity and modern science?" I can now give them an answer that doesn't include a small stack of books.
In "Understanding Scientific Theories Of Origins", the biblical and theological material is mostly covered by Old Testament Professor John Walton. Richard Bishop deals with the astronomy and physics (his chapters on Big Bang theory and the fine-tuning of the laws of physics is excellent)! Stephen I Moshier discusses the geology department. Raymond Lewis deals with the biological material. Funk deals with Chemistry.
Besides the vast amount of content this book covers, this book is accessible to laypeople. When I first got the book, I was afraid that the authors would go over my head when I got to the scientific portions of the book, but I could perfectly understand what I've read. There were a few areas that got heady, but those were kept to a minimum. These sections of the book that I found heady were mostly confined to explaining how radiometric dating is conducted and the section on the origin of life.
The book is thick, REALLY thick. Indeed, it's meant to be a textbook. However, every page is worthwhile. Not only is it informative, but it's also fascinating. I got through this book relatively quickly because on two different weekends, I spent BOTH all morning and all afternoon reading it. Every other day, I read two chapters. I couldn't put it down!
If you're someone who struggles to reconcile science and faith, get this book. If you're a non-Christian wondering how science and faith can co-exist, get this book. If you're a Christian Mom or Dad hoping to homeschool your child and you want a science textbook from a Christian perspective that doesn't promote ridiculous views like young earth creationism, you should get this book.
I know that this is a big book, but trust me, it is well worth the time it takes to read it. And it is worth every bit of the 50 dollars I spent on it. I honestly cannot praise this book highly enough.
In "Understanding Scientific Theories Of Origins", the biblical and theological material is mostly covered by Old Testament Professor John Walton. Richard Bishop deals with the astronomy and physics (his chapters on Big Bang theory and the fine-tuning of the laws of physics is excellent)! Stephen I Moshier discusses the geology department. Raymond Lewis deals with the biological material. Funk deals with Chemistry.
Besides the vast amount of content this book covers, this book is accessible to laypeople. When I first got the book, I was afraid that the authors would go over my head when I got to the scientific portions of the book, but I could perfectly understand what I've read. There were a few areas that got heady, but those were kept to a minimum. These sections of the book that I found heady were mostly confined to explaining how radiometric dating is conducted and the section on the origin of life.
The book is thick, REALLY thick. Indeed, it's meant to be a textbook. However, every page is worthwhile. Not only is it informative, but it's also fascinating. I got through this book relatively quickly because on two different weekends, I spent BOTH all morning and all afternoon reading it. Every other day, I read two chapters. I couldn't put it down!
If you're someone who struggles to reconcile science and faith, get this book. If you're a non-Christian wondering how science and faith can co-exist, get this book. If you're a Christian Mom or Dad hoping to homeschool your child and you want a science textbook from a Christian perspective that doesn't promote ridiculous views like young earth creationism, you should get this book.
I know that this is a big book, but trust me, it is well worth the time it takes to read it. And it is worth every bit of the 50 dollars I spent on it. I honestly cannot praise this book highly enough.
January 18, 2019
This book will make an excellent college textbook on the subject of science and Christianity. It covers a lot of material and flows well, starting with biblical interpretation, then up-to-date material on the origins of the universe, the earth, life, species, and humans. Each section concludes with a chapter on biblical and theological perspectives.
The authors clearly favor non-concordist (“parallels between biblical texts and scientific statements are not required and there are no expectations of biblical texts having scientific implications”) over concordist (“presupposing that biblical texts have scientific import”) of Scripture.
Throughout the book, the authors refer to a doctrine of functional integrity of creation, by which they mean that “creation can accomplish what the Father intends it to accomplish in the Son through the Spirit.” They discuss the material means by which God’s intentional creative process occurs.
One of the more interesting aspects of the book is that the authors clearly describe what science knows and doesn’t yet know, particularly in the chapters on the origin of life, where open questions are brought up and discussed.
My only issue with the book is that it contains more than I needed to know about the scientific details and less than I wanted to know about some of the theological issues that result from accepting the science, such as the fall and original sin.
The authors clearly favor non-concordist (“parallels between biblical texts and scientific statements are not required and there are no expectations of biblical texts having scientific implications”) over concordist (“presupposing that biblical texts have scientific import”) of Scripture.
Throughout the book, the authors refer to a doctrine of functional integrity of creation, by which they mean that “creation can accomplish what the Father intends it to accomplish in the Son through the Spirit.” They discuss the material means by which God’s intentional creative process occurs.
One of the more interesting aspects of the book is that the authors clearly describe what science knows and doesn’t yet know, particularly in the chapters on the origin of life, where open questions are brought up and discussed.
My only issue with the book is that it contains more than I needed to know about the scientific details and less than I wanted to know about some of the theological issues that result from accepting the science, such as the fall and original sin.
September 4, 2019
This should be the way to understand reality: man is expressing his thoughts and emotions through language. Thus language has some connection to mans thoughts and emotions.
The argument of modern apologetics: here is our language, it is based solely on human reasoning and aims to construct a system, sola rationis, without grounding in human Experience. Thus we fill page after page with presumptuous metaphysical speculation to achieve this aim while ignoring faculties of the human soul; the heart and the kidney. Now what; a language with no connection to human experience? That does not seem very useful...Thus modern apologetics fail to provide man with a language helping him to understand reality.
I would rather listen to Dawkins on evolution because be seems to be more in touch with his own experience as a Homo Sapiens
The argument of modern apologetics: here is our language, it is based solely on human reasoning and aims to construct a system, sola rationis, without grounding in human Experience. Thus we fill page after page with presumptuous metaphysical speculation to achieve this aim while ignoring faculties of the human soul; the heart and the kidney. Now what; a language with no connection to human experience? That does not seem very useful...Thus modern apologetics fail to provide man with a language helping him to understand reality.
I would rather listen to Dawkins on evolution because be seems to be more in touch with his own experience as a Homo Sapiens
April 18, 2020
There are good aspects to this book—discussion of concordism, the recognition that science understood properly is revelation from God, and, for the most part, the presentation of cosmology and geology. However, the authors uncritically accept UCA, like other evolutionists, and read the data through this lens. There are other missteps along the way, but overall it is a good introduction to scientific concepts and terms, and a theistic evolutionist’s perspective.
July 24, 2019
“Science” can be somewhat of an offensive word to many evangelical Christians today. Especially when the science deals with the origin of species and seems to contradict the biblical account of creation. Their concern is understandable. If what we observe in the natural world contradicts what the word of God says, of course we should side with the infallible scriptures.
However, “Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins” seeks to “diffuse tensions by taking the inspiration and authority of the Bible seriously while respecting and honoring God’s revelation through creation.” A good portion of the beginning of this 700 page volume deals with interpretation and exegesis. Granted, many people will disagree with certain conclusions made, but the important principles of interpreting are present and explained in the opening chapter Principles and Methods of Biblical Interpretation. I think it is important to note this quote from point 1.2.3 “First, it is important to affirm that the truth of Scripture cannot be compromised. Truth is truth, and if we dilute scripture’s meaning to accommodate a scientific theory, we do the Bible a disservice.” So it would be wise to approach this book with an understanding that its authors are not simply trying to read their understanding of science onto the text. While a greater understanding of science has inspired many to reexamine what scripture might be saying does not necessarily mean that they are reading science into the Bible.
That being said, I am certainly cautious of the authors’ statements and assertions in various places. For example, in regards to the extent of the flood the ideas presented will make many fundamentalists uncomfortable. On page 242 there is a thought provoking list of logistic problems for believing in a global flood such as the rate of receding floodwaters, the dove flying at such high elevations, the amount of fresh water and other supplies needed for survival on the ark, etc. all of which are much more elegantly laid out in the book. The author of this portion does note that advocates for a global flood have formulated responses to some of the objections. Regardless of my personal view, I found this portion to be challenging and inspiring of deeper study.
Another beautiful cover from Intervarsity Press.
Unfortunately, I do not have much background in science and it has been a while since I took any formal classes on the topic, so I cannot really interact with a lot of the science of the book. However, at the end of each section is a chapter which focuses on the section in Christian perspective. These chapters I enjoyed the most, though there is scripture discussed throughout and many theological implications for the scientific explanations.
There are small sections interspersed throughout titled “Going Further” which explore interesting facts and how things work. Similar to this are the “Brief Biographies” of significant Christians who have contributed in some way to science such as Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Adam Sedgwick, and Theodosius Dobzhansky.
The question on most evangelicals minds when they see the title of the book is likely to be about Darwinian evolution. Naturally there is a section on the origin of species and the diversity of life and another on human origins (both titled as such) but other topics are also addressed such as cosmic origins and geologic history, which was surprisingly fascinating to me.
There are 5 contributing authors. The back of the book lists their names as well as their qualifications which I’ll copy here:
Robert C. Bishop (PhD, University of Texas) is associate professor of physics and philosophy and the John and Madeleine McIntyre Endowed Professor of Philosophy and History of Science.
Larry L. Funck (PhD, Lehigh University) is professor emeritus, having taught inorganic chemistry for over forty years.
Raymond J. Lewis (PhD, University of California, Santa Barbara) is associate professor of biology.
Stephen O. Moshier (PhD, Louisiana State University) is professor of geology and chair of the geology and environmental science department.
John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament.
Overall, I’d say I thoroughly enjoyed learning from this work, though I am cautious of some conclusions. “Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins” will most certainly cause young earth creationists and many evangelicals discomfort. Even so, I think this book is a wonderful resource for challenging what one believes and provoking deeper thought regarding scripture, creation and science in Christian perspective.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.
However, “Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins” seeks to “diffuse tensions by taking the inspiration and authority of the Bible seriously while respecting and honoring God’s revelation through creation.” A good portion of the beginning of this 700 page volume deals with interpretation and exegesis. Granted, many people will disagree with certain conclusions made, but the important principles of interpreting are present and explained in the opening chapter Principles and Methods of Biblical Interpretation. I think it is important to note this quote from point 1.2.3 “First, it is important to affirm that the truth of Scripture cannot be compromised. Truth is truth, and if we dilute scripture’s meaning to accommodate a scientific theory, we do the Bible a disservice.” So it would be wise to approach this book with an understanding that its authors are not simply trying to read their understanding of science onto the text. While a greater understanding of science has inspired many to reexamine what scripture might be saying does not necessarily mean that they are reading science into the Bible.
That being said, I am certainly cautious of the authors’ statements and assertions in various places. For example, in regards to the extent of the flood the ideas presented will make many fundamentalists uncomfortable. On page 242 there is a thought provoking list of logistic problems for believing in a global flood such as the rate of receding floodwaters, the dove flying at such high elevations, the amount of fresh water and other supplies needed for survival on the ark, etc. all of which are much more elegantly laid out in the book. The author of this portion does note that advocates for a global flood have formulated responses to some of the objections. Regardless of my personal view, I found this portion to be challenging and inspiring of deeper study.
Another beautiful cover from Intervarsity Press.
Unfortunately, I do not have much background in science and it has been a while since I took any formal classes on the topic, so I cannot really interact with a lot of the science of the book. However, at the end of each section is a chapter which focuses on the section in Christian perspective. These chapters I enjoyed the most, though there is scripture discussed throughout and many theological implications for the scientific explanations.
There are small sections interspersed throughout titled “Going Further” which explore interesting facts and how things work. Similar to this are the “Brief Biographies” of significant Christians who have contributed in some way to science such as Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Adam Sedgwick, and Theodosius Dobzhansky.
The question on most evangelicals minds when they see the title of the book is likely to be about Darwinian evolution. Naturally there is a section on the origin of species and the diversity of life and another on human origins (both titled as such) but other topics are also addressed such as cosmic origins and geologic history, which was surprisingly fascinating to me.
There are 5 contributing authors. The back of the book lists their names as well as their qualifications which I’ll copy here:
Robert C. Bishop (PhD, University of Texas) is associate professor of physics and philosophy and the John and Madeleine McIntyre Endowed Professor of Philosophy and History of Science.
Larry L. Funck (PhD, Lehigh University) is professor emeritus, having taught inorganic chemistry for over forty years.
Raymond J. Lewis (PhD, University of California, Santa Barbara) is associate professor of biology.
Stephen O. Moshier (PhD, Louisiana State University) is professor of geology and chair of the geology and environmental science department.
John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament.
Overall, I’d say I thoroughly enjoyed learning from this work, though I am cautious of some conclusions. “Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins” will most certainly cause young earth creationists and many evangelicals discomfort. Even so, I think this book is a wonderful resource for challenging what one believes and provoking deeper thought regarding scripture, creation and science in Christian perspective.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.
December 20, 2019
Finished at last! A well constructed, highly intellectual and thought provoking book. While this is a great attempt at integrating science and Christian theology, at times, it is simply too complex to really connect with the general population. Of course, that is probably not the intent? It is a textbook after all. But, as I struggled through this massive work, I kept thinking to myself ... who are they trying to impress? Unfortunately an opportunity to truly encourage and educate America’s young Christians who love and study science has been missed ... but that’s just one person’s opinion.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews