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Superb - - in style. impact. timeliness. A must read for anyone of scientific or spiritual bent.
Lewis - along with others from 19th century Presbyterian theologian B.B. He can be worshipped in the cathedral or in the laboratory. In Part One, Collins chronicles autobiographically his own journey from atheism to belief. Augustine and C.S. Augustine and C.S. In the final chapters of this book Collins unpacks what he sees as the four options available to any thinking person seeking to come to some resolution when faced with seeming tensions between faith and science. "The Language of God" is broken up into three parts. Richard Dawkins).
In Part three, Collins first addresses the history of conflict between faith and science characteristic of Western Christianity. and Ph.d. Option 2: Creationism (When Faith Trumps Science) - Collins discusses how the term "creationism" - which once could have rightly described anyone who believed in God as creator of heaven and earth - has been hijacked by the more strident YEC (Young Earth Creationism) effort. Thus, it is no surprise that Collins is committed to understanding his Christian faith - as faith - and science - as science - to be ultimately compatible and reconcilable. This position, Collins suggests, would best describe that of his faith heroes - St.
As a person of faith not trained in science, I found Collins' book refreshingly honest, extremely illuminating and gracefully written. He then discusses the unfortunate worldview clashes that characterize the culture wars of American society. degrees from some of the finest schools in the country. Lewis, Collins writes from the theological tradition that presupposes the unity of all that is true. With this position, there's no conflict with belief in a Big Bang, a 14 billion year old universe, a 4.55 billion year old earth, and a common ancestry for all of life. We are not dealing here with a backwoods, obscurantist fundamentalist teaching science classes at a Bible college.An educated, thoughtful and gifted writer, Francis S.
Option 4: BioLogos (Science and Faith in Harmony) - this is Collins' personal position in attempted to reconcile the scientific data with his own Christian worldview. It is important to note that Collins does not presume that science can in any way "prove" the existence of God or the legitimacy of his particular faith tradition. Science is the means by which we must understand nature, but that which is supernatural is another story altogether. His creation is majestic, awesome, intricate, and beautiful - and it cannot be at war with itself.
In essence, what Collins has dubbed "BioLogos" is really the position of what many have somewhat clumsily called "Theistic Evolution." Collins lays out the six foundational beliefs of "Theistic Evolution" in this book, but the essence of the position is the belief in the "who" - that God is creator - whereas honest scientific inquiry reveals the "how" and the "what". He discusses how such approaches - often well intended to safeguard and defend the faith - have often ended up, with a tragic twist of irony, undermining such efforts and causing much damage to both people's faith and scientific progress. For Collins, ID is guilty of the "God in the gaps" method. Both are leaps of faith held by vocal minorities who often seem to hold very deep-seated agendas (e.g. In Part Two, Collins most helpfully surveys the foundational issues of the origins and age of the universe, the development of life from microbes to man, and discoveries from the human genome which shed further illumination on all these issues. As head of the Human Genome Project he has been on the front lines of scientific research and breakthroughs. He writes: "[T]his ship [ID] is not headed to the promised land; it is headed instead to the bottom of the ocean" (195).
Collins is a credentialed and experienced scientist - with M.D. Moreover, it is not a legitimate scientific enterprise, and many of its claims to "irreducible complexity" are, in fact, being reduced. In doing so he provides a compelling case for the danger of coupling a misunderstanding of appropriate biblical interpretation with a "God in the gaps" approach to invoking supernatural causality to that which is yet unknown scientifically. Collins writes as a dedicated scientist but not as an advocate of "scientism". I had a hard time putting it down and would heartily recommend this volume to any and all people - from atheist to devout person of faith - wanting an updated perspective on scientific issues.
On this note his book is a particular breath of fresh air. Warfield to the late great Pope John Paul II. Finally, Collins concludes his book with a chapter entitled "Truth Seekers" and a helpful appendix on the moral dilemmas in the world of bioethics. And only we can end them" (211). making the earth seem older than it is, etc).Option 3: Intelligent Design (When Science Needs Divine Help) - though respectful of the leaders within this movement, Collins pulls no punches.
While not identical to YEC, ID is really just "creationism" repackaged as science. Collins provides a highly informative and readable assessment of some of the most significant scientific issues in "The Language of God." Inspired by such luminaries as St. I end with a quote from Collins that nicely sums up the entire thesis and tenor of his book: "The God of the Bible is also the God of the genome. Option 1: Atheism and Agnosticism (When Science Trumps Faith) - Collins makes the case that neither the assertion that God does not exist nor the claim that there's simply not enough evidence are scientifically valid options. Such "creationism" directly contradicts the facts of science and, worse, presents a view of a God who has baked deception and manipulation into his very creation (e.g.
In other words, he does not embrace the perspective that science alone defines that which is real. Only we imperfect humans can start such battles.
If nothing else in this book is valuable to you, Francis Collins presents the best lay-explanation of how DNA actually works that I have ever seen. Once you actually understand what DNA is and does, not "getting" how DNA shows common descent is about as silly as thinking Satan purposely buried fossils just to confuse us.Knowledge and understanding. the keys to not being afraid of what you don't understand.
I am a believer, and so it was interesting to read about a scientist's perspective of God.Page 44 - "Perhaps on rare occasions God does perform miracles. But for the most part, the existence of free will and of order in the physical universe are inexorable facts. While we might wish for such miraculous deliverance to occur more frequently, the consequence of interrupting these two sets of forces would be utter chaos."These lines have been particuarly empowering for me, for many personal reasons.
The technical detail is not too daunting for the lay person who is serious enough to want to understand the presented evidence and make up his own mind about the controversy. Dr Collins gives a balanced approach to a very controversial subject. The book gives adequate information for the lay person to understand the fundamentals of DNA. One obtains a measure of calm acceptance that your faith need not be under attack by honest science. You do not have to waste your time further being involved with the mindless noise on both extremes of the world view divide as is elegantly unmasked in this book.
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