ID#6_Calvary Presbyterian Church_Readings Packet #2
Contents of Second Packet
Introduction to the readings
Questions for discussion
Readings
- Rachel Carson: The Presbyterian Genesis of Silent Spring by Mark Stoll
- Room for Reality (from Quantum Leap by Dean Nelson & Karl Giberson)
- From Atheism to Belief (from The Language of God by Francis S. Collins)
- How Do We Relate Science and Religion? (from The Language of Science and Faith by Karl W. Giberson & Francis S. Collins)
Introduction to the readings
The descriptions that follow of the books from which these readings come are from the covers of the books themselves or from the book listing on Amazon.com whose prices are shown.
- Rachel Carson: The Presbyterian Genesis of Silent Spring by Mark Stoll
This is from the 2010 FACE (Faculty Academic Contributions Exhibit) of the Texas Tech University Libraries. It is not, so far as we know, part of a book.
- Room for Reality (from Quantum Leap by Dean Nelson & Karl Giberson)
Title: Quantum Leap: How John Polkinghorne found God is science and religion
Author: Dean Nelson & Karl Giberson
Publisher: Monarch Books (September 1, 2011), Paperback, 192 pages
Price: Paperback, $9.62
Description: The Revd Dr. John Polkinghorne, KBE, FRS is a British particle physicist who, after 25 years of research and discovery in academia, resigned his post to become an Anglican priest and theologian. A professor of mathematical physics at Cambridge University, he was elected to the royal Society in 1974. As a physicist he participated in the research that led to the theory of the quark, the smallest known particle.
This engaging biography-cum-appraisal of his life and work uses Polkinghorne’s own story to explore the most important questions: a scientist’s view of God; why we pray, and what we expect; does the universe have a point?; what happens next?
About the authors: (from Amazon)
Dean Nelson is an award-winning journalist who writes for the New York Times as well as Sojourners and Christianity Today. He is author of 14 books, including God Hides in Plain Sight. He lives in San Diego, California.
Karl Giberson, a physicist, is the director of the Forum on Faith and Science at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts. He has written more than 100 articles on science and religion, and seven books including The Language of Science and Faith and Saving Darwin: How to Be a Christian and Believe in Evolution.
- From Atheism to Belief (from The Language of God by Francis S. Collins)
Title: The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief
Author: Francis S. Collins
Publisher: Free Press (2006), Paperback, 303 pages
Price: Paperback $10.87
Description: It has long been believed that science and faith cannot mingle. Faith rejects the rational, while science restricts us to a life with no meaning beyond the physical. It is an irreconcilable war between two polar-opposite ways of thinking and living. Written for believers, agnostics, and atheists alike, The Language of God provides a testament to the power of faith in the midst of suffering without faltering from its logical stride. Readers will be inspired by Collin’s personal story of struggling with doubt, as well as the many revelations of the wonder of God’s creation that will forever shape the way they view the world around them.
About the author: (from Amazon)
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., helped to discover the genetic misspellings that cause cystic fibrosis, neurofibromatosis, Huntington's disease, and a rare form of premature aging called progeria. A pioneer gene hunter, he led the Human Genome Project from 1993 until 2008. For his revolutionary contributions to genetic research, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007, and the National Medal of Science in 2009. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and has a longstanding interest in the interface between science and faith. He currently serves as the Director of the National Institutes of Health. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland, and in his spare time he enjoys riding a motorcycle and playing guitar.Show More
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- How Do We Relate Science and Religion? (from The Language of Science and Faith by Karl W. Giberson & Francis S. Collins)
Title: The Language of Science and Faith: Straight Answers to Genuine Questions
Author: Karl W. Giberson & Francis S. Collins
Publisher: IVP Books (February 15, 2011), Hardcover, 251 pages
Price: Hardcover $13.29
Description: Christians affirm that everything exists because of God--from subatomic quarks to black holes. Science often claims to explain nature without including God at all. And thinking Christians often feel forced to choose between the two. But the good news is that we don't have to make a choice. Science does not overthrow the Bible. Faith does not require rejecting science. World-renowned scientist Francis Collins, author of The Language of God, along with fellow scientist Karl Giberson show how we can embrace both. Their fascinating treatment explains how God cares for and interacts with his creation while science offers a reliable way to understand the world he made. Together they clearly answer dozens of the most common questions people ask about Darwin, evolution, the age of the earth, the Bible, the existence of God and our finely tuned universe. They also consider how their views stack up against the new atheists as well as against creationists and adherents of intelligent design. The authors disentangle the false conclusions of Christians and atheists alike about science and evolution from the actual results of research in astronomy, physics, geology and genetics. In its place they find a story of the grandeur and beauty of a world made by a supremely creative God.
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About the authors: (see descriptions from #2 & #4 above)
Questions for discussion
1) Rachel Carson: The Presbyterian Genesis of Silent Spring by Mark Stoll
A) God and Nature
i) What part, if any, does nature play in your understanding of God and your faith?
ii) How does your faith inform your view of the natural world and our place in it?
B) In what ways, if any, do you see humans as part of nature?
C) How does your faith inform your career?
D) Beginning on page 53 Stoll paint an interesting picture of Presbyterians. To what extent does his portrait fit with your experience and is it in any sense relevant today?
2) Room for Reality (from Quantum Leap by Dean Nelson & Karl Giberson)
A) How do you understand the existence of evil in a world created “good” by a loving God?
B) Beginning on page 43 there is a discussion of the subjective aspect of not only faith but of science as well and of what Polkinghorne calls “motivated belief.”
i) How subjective is your faith and how subjective is your profession?
ii) How do you validate, or attempt to validate, your beliefs? (p47)
iii) What sustains your faith? What motivates it?
C) Is there room for doubt in your faith? Should there be? (p48)
3) From Atheism to Belief (from The Language of God by Francis S. Collins)
A) What do you think of Collins’s use of C. S. Lewis’s argument that a universal “moral law” provides proof of a personal God?
B) How did you arrive at your Christian faith and why do you hold to it?
C) Do you view science and religion as compatible, incompatible, problematic in their relationship or what?
4) How Do We Relate Science and Religion? (from The Language of Science and Faith by Karl W. Giberson & Francis S. Collins)
A) Do you see science and theology as separate or integrated aspects of your understanding of the world?
B) On p 88 the authors quote Galileo quoting St. Augustine on the authority of scripture. What do you think of biblical criticism, that is of the use of science and a scientific approach to shed light on scripture?
C) When science and scripture seem to be in conflict, what is your approach?
D) Science is self-correcting. Should faith be too?
E) On page 91 the authors introduce us to the five questions that Ernest Lucas says we should ask when reading scripture.
i) Do they make sense to you?
ii) Are they helpful?
iii) What do you think of his examples (pp 92-99)?