Rating: 
Summary: A hidden treasure indeed!
Review: "Professor Schaefer's book is an inspiring contribution that is backed with solid arguments, which in turn make you reflect very seriously about your own position on the issue. This is not only a wonderful reaffirmation of the coherence between science and religion, but also a warm and optimistic story of the random walk the author took toward the most important discovery he ever made. I really hope the reader considers and meditates carefully on the questions that this stellar and distinguished scientist poses and the answers he provides. Within is a hidden treasure to be found indeed. This is a book that ends with a very positive message; one that will make you stop and reflect on where your life is heading."
Rating: 
Summary: Best Apologetics Published
Review: At last I read a book which convince me that bible is probably right. My major is food scince and I find that the author, despite his chemical physics background, tells the principles of genetics and microbiology correctly. One should expect he presents a long list of bibliography. Sadly, I saw none. He stated in the Preface that the book is a collection of his 10 years popular lecture. That is possibly explain also why I met replications of the story of his colleague scientists between chapters. However, we must assume he'd read the multitude literature cited all along the book.
Wan can this book offer? It doesn't discuss various traditional creation myths in the Bible, nor does it deal with recent debate between Jewish: if God really created ex nihilo, then who created sin. Actually, it dedicated one chapter giving us tips about soteriology, playing a bit around doctrine of God, of man, of sin, etc, with the same brilliance fashion, but less argumentative (unless the circular ones are counted). The contemporer archeological findings are also beyond the scope of this book. BUT, it will bring vividly to your mind that a lot of famous scientists that are also very commited christians have been with us through out history, and that modern scientific theories (centralized in Big Bang and anti-Darwinism, as always) are fit into the Bible. I believe that is what the book was written for. Highly Recomended.
Rating:
Summary: No conflict between science and Christianity
Review: Because of the philosophical pronouncements of some scientists and non-scientists, many people today assume that there is a conflict between science and Christianity. But the eminent physical chemist and devoted Christian, Henry Schaefer, shows in Science and Christianity: Conflict or Coherence? that there need be no conflict. This delightful set of essays, arising out of lectures that Professor Schaefer has delivered at hundreds of leading academic institutions around the world, answers many questions that people have about the relationship between science and Christianity and also gives examples of many leading scientists who are Christians. Science reveals the intelligibility of the universe;
the Bible reveals the Intelligence behind the universe.
Rating:
Summary: Schaefer¿s Science and Christianity: Conflict or Coherence?
Review: Department of Chemistry and Physics
University of North Florida Dr. Henry Schaefer is arguably among the top twenty living research chemists in the world in the influence of his work on chemistry. His research specialty is the same as mine, quantum chemistry. He is also a deeply committed thinking Christian. He is therefore ideally suited to address his subject. This book belies the common misconception that there is a conflict between the revelation of Christianity and the results of science. To be sure, there are sharp exchanges when Christians confuse the roles of religion and science, or when prominent and outspoken scientists pontificate about religion. The book deals with the specific claims of a few prominent scientist critics of Christianity. It also convincingly shows that by and large the people who know science best, those who do it professionally, have "the same range of attitudes about religious matters as does the general public." The book provides a veritable "who's who" of prominent scientists, past and present, who claim Christ as Lord. Dr. Schaefer addresses the most frequent general questions related to belief in God, as seen from the perspective of a scientist. He also addresses specific issues in scientific areas that overlap significantly with his specialized expertise: quantum mechanics, cosmology and the chemistry of the origin of life. Although the book is intellectually satisfying, it is not merely intellectual. Dr. Schaefer ends the book by describing his personal journey discovering Christ in the midst of a meteoric scientific career, and outlines the Christian revelation as it has found a home in his life. Though I do not agree with him in every detail, I recommend this excellent book to anyone interested in science or in Christianity, and who desires to integrate knowledge from these important streams of thought in modern society.
Rating:
Summary: Schaefer¿s Science and Christianity: Conflict or Coherence?
Review: Department of Chemistry and Physics
University of North Florida Dr. Henry Schaefer is arguably among the top twenty living research chemists in the world in the influence of his work on chemistry. His research specialty is the same as mine, quantum chemistry. He is also a deeply committed thinking Christian. He is therefore ideally suited to address his subject. This book belies the common misconception that there is a conflict between the revelation of Christianity and the results of science. To be sure, there are sharp exchanges when Christians confuse the roles of religion and science, or when prominent and outspoken scientists pontificate about religion. The book deals with the specific claims of a few prominent scientist critics of Christianity. It also convincingly shows that by and large the people who know science best, those who do it professionally, have "the same range of attitudes about religious matters as does the general public." The book provides a veritable "who's who" of prominent scientists, past and present, who claim Christ as Lord. Dr. Schaefer addresses the most frequent general questions related to belief in God, as seen from the perspective of a scientist. He also addresses specific issues in scientific areas that overlap significantly with his specialized expertise: quantum mechanics, cosmology and the chemistry of the origin of life. Although the book is intellectually satisfying, it is not merely intellectual. Dr. Schaefer ends the book by describing his personal journey discovering Christ in the midst of a meteoric scientific career, and outlines the Christian revelation as it has found a home in his life. Though I do not agree with him in every detail, I recommend this excellent book to anyone interested in science or in Christianity, and who desires to integrate knowledge from these important streams of thought in modern society.
Rating:
Summary: Heads, Hearts and Hands
Review: Dr Schaefer's new book will serve as an inspiring introduction for thoughtful people who are seriously interested in understanding the origin, function and future of our universe. But the book is not a cold compendium of facts and figures. It is highly personal, drawing on the author's personal experiences and surveying, with characteristic good humour, the breadth and depth of Christian belief in scientists across the ages. This is a book to inform the mind, warm the heart, and inspire the evangelical lifestyle that has always been the hallmark of true Christianity.
Rating: 
Summary: Anthropomorphic God lives here
Review: Dr. Henry Schaefer may be among the top living research chemists in the world but his deep Christian belief in an anthropomorphic God shows through and makes him ill suited to address this subject objectively.
This book does nothing but convey to the sceptic the impression that he is reading a collection of sermons intended to proselytize a college freshman class.
The conflict between the revelation of Christianity and the results of science remain untouched and instead the reader is bombarded with an endless collection of prominent scientists pontificating about their view of a caring and personal Christian God as their Lord and Savior. The book makes short work of the specific claims of a few prominent scientist critics of Christianity and of 'french' postmodern philosophy. What it does most convincingly is to show that scientists have "the same range of attitudes about religious matters as does the general public," but that is a far cry from addressing legitimate arguments from modern scientists and philosophers. For an academic perspective at the modern debate in psychology, physics and philosophy I recommend looking through the website of the University of Arizona and upcoming international conference "Toward a Science of Consciousness" http://consciousness.arizona.edu/conference/tucson2004/index.php
Dr. Schaefer leaves me wondering why he chose to leave areas like psychology and sociology completely out of the discussion, when a belief in heaven and an afterlife would warrant a thorough discussion of what selfhood entails and of how a disembodied self would exist in such a place - never mind the much needed discussion of how a disembodied anthropomorphic (read white male) God can exist in a world under the dominion of the known laws of nature. Dr. Schaefer ends the book by describing his revelation that to stay a Christian he needed to believe the literal interpretation of the Bible that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. I personally remain unconvinced that the Bible can be read as a historical document or that Christians can choose the parts they read literally and the parts they interpret in analogy.
While Dr. Schaefer is certainly an intelligent and caring man who is sincere in his beliefs this book is far from satisfying.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in the psychology of Christianity, and who desires to understand how naïve Christian religious beliefs can thrive in our modern society.
Rating:
Summary: Coherence!
Review: Dr. Schaefer allows us to poke into his personal and professional life in this candid collection of essays. Bonded together by the common theme of "Science and Christianity", we are offered a detailed account of his own conversion experience as well as anecdotes from his friends and colleagues. He also offers a brief history of Christian scientists - identifying both current professionals and historical pioneers of science. Because these are a collection of essays, there is some overlapping material - there are some paragraphs that are reapeated in other essays, for example. And though he quotes heavily in some essays, there are no footnotes/endnotes for documentation or further study. But these are small complaints and easily looked over when you consider the format.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring and Meaningless
Review: Dr. Schaefer appears here as a shining example of the fundamentalist Christian and the dichotomy they embrace. On the one hand, Christianity is based on unending love and mercy; and science is good because it is skeptical and objective. On the other hand, the Christian God will cast you into Hell (I challenge the reader to come up with a more horrific and barbaric punishment)if you don't believe in him and any skepticism regarding religion is totally intolerable!
As far as the conflict between science and religion goes, the truth of the matter is that there really isn't much of one. They seek to answer completely different questions. Science tries to explain how things work while religion tries to give meaning to life. The only conflict comes when religion tries to make statements of fact about history or the workings of the universe. The reasonable solution in this case, which the Vatican has adopted, is to regard any mistakes in religion in regard to the physical world as metaphors and really irrelevant in regard to religion's true purpose.
A conflict does come in the underpinnings of science and fundamentalism. Science is skeptical and inquisitive. An idea must be tested and varified by multiple observations to be accepted. Conversely, fundamentalists believe that no one should ever question their particular religion, and if one does it's because they are evil and licentious and want to do a lot of "sinning" without having to worry about a future judgement. Dr. Schaefer tries to adhere to both though. He attempts to dispell the conflict by saying science supports his religion. This idea is completely silly because modern science is composed almost entirely of mathematical equations and dry secular explanations. To say that science, which is completely devoid of spiritual references, endorses one particular religion is totally absurd.
Finally, Dr. Schaefer engages in petty attacks and cruel extrapolations. When writting about his debate with Steven Weinberg, he mentions that he was told that Weinberg sometimes opens his mail during other professor's lectures. What does that have to do with anything? What he is implying is that Weinberg is a ignoble person and that he himself is better than Weinberg. Therefore, since he is the good person he is correct on the topic of religion! You see here how Schaefer cannot distinguish between the world of morality and that of objective inquiry. He also makes use of a suppossed friend's agonizing death to try and show that atheism is wrong and that all atheists die lonely and scared (implying the opposite is true for good Christians like himself).
Finally, science will never abolish religion because it cannot explain the meaning of life, which, for most people comes from religion. What will abolish fundamentalists like Schaefer is their own closed mindedness, shallowness, fear, and disrespect for others who hold different views.
Rating:
Summary: A Breath of Fresh Air
Review: Dr. Schaefer is an articulate and convincing writer who winsomely attracts non-scientists to science and unbelievers to Christ. Had this book been available in my teen years, I might have pursued a scientific career--or at least enjoyed many more science courses. I might also have become a Christian early in life. Any scientist, artist, agnostic, aetheist, Christian or religious person would find this book worthwhile and stimulating.
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