Coming to Peace With Science: Bridging the Worlds Between Faith and Biology

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: "Coming to Peace with Science" is a wonderful blend of science and the biblical account of creation. The book provides compelling evidence of what science is telling us about our origins while maintaining reverence for God's word. Dr. Falk gives specific examples of our origins using several different fields of science and shows how the bible agrees with this evidence.

This book highlights the importance of modern-day Christians' acceptance of well-established science and warns of the dangers of rejecting this science in the name of God.

Whether you are a scientist, laymen, Christian, or athiest, this book will open your eyes to a new way of thinking.


Rating:
Summary: Well worth the enlightening read
Review: Coming to Peace with Science, in an orderly fashion, brought together the topics concerning the evidence of evolution and benchmarked the evidence based on three different views, of which the gradual creation view seemed to fit best in all scenarios with the logic and scientific evidence at hand. Since the book was written for a Christian audience, there is a serious and legitimate caution for scriptural and spiritual awareness throughout the book.

Falk immediately makes the distinction that there are several respectable ways of interpreting scripture, including a view that not all scripture is literal, and a poetic device can be used. He also clarifies that the Bible is not a text book and later makes mention of the reason creationism should not be taught in the grade school science classroom, is that it is not science, whereas evolution is.

Falk decodes the Biblical creation story, pointing out its message to present God as the Creator that instituted marriage and desires our obedience along with promoting community. It is brought up also in this chapter the antitheistic pressure that the church has felt from some evolutionists that could be the motivation for the aggressive response.

The evidence of the Earth's age is made accessible by the presentation of dating methods and the agreement of these tools of modern physics on an Earth that is around 4.6 billion years old with the use of the stars, the Earth's magnetic poles, and isotope ratios. With this platform established, it was easy to jump into the next section, dealing with the fossil record. He starts out with presenting questions on the legitimacy of the evolution of a cell into a multicellular organism and mentions Gould's theory of the Cambrian explosion.

Geographical in many interesting and well described examples are presented and explored in a "does this make sense" manner, where, of course, the answer is a definite yes. This was an aspect of evolution that I felt was touched on more in depth in this book than in others. The use of Hawaii, New Zealand, Lakes, and fur as geographical isolation examples were concrete in the way they showed species evolving in their isolated environment.

Genetic proof for gradual creation is revealed through the exploration of introns and exons in species allowing us to track their lineage through the investigation of the similar mutations in introns that aren't subject to natural selection due to their lack of expression


Rating:
Summary: True to Science - True to Core Christian Beliefs
Review: Particularly well-suited for college-age students, "Coming to Peace with Science" may be one of the most important books addressing the science/faith issue written to date.

With remarkable precision and clarity, Falk lays out a broad array of essential evidence demonstrating the reality of evolution and the inter-connectedness of all life on Earth. The truth, which is strongly confirmed throughout this book, is that critiques of science and evolution emanating from various Christian circles are simply no longer tenable. And Christian credibility is not well-served when truth is the casualty of faith doctrine.

For years, many have insisted that understanding in science, especially biology, is simply inconsistent with Christian belief. What I especially appreciated about Falk's approach is that he effectively weaves his understanding of science together with his Christian faith in ways that are not only scientifically compelling, but personally satisfying.

If this book has a weakness, in my view it is that Falk is not quite as forthright about the conclusions of science as are justified by the scientific data. But Falk is quick to acknowledge that his goal is not to convince or persuade, but rather to encourage honest discussion, and most importantly, mutual acceptance among people within the Christian faith.

Falk's own personal Christian convictions, which are readily apparent throughout, make this book an excellent resource that Christian parents and pastors should not only read and understand themselves, but also put into the hands of college-bound students and anyone interested in understanding how biology and faith can co-exist with integrity. If Christians are to be regarded as `salt and light' to the world, the foundation must be solid and built on truth. Falk bridges the perceived gaps as well as anyone I have seen, and does so with extraordinary sensitivity. Don't miss this one!