The Galileo Connection [Paperback]

Charles E. Hummel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 1986

The church disagreed with Galileo. That set off a controversy that rages on today. The passion remains but the issues have changed and the arguments have become more complex. Do miracles conflict with scientific laws? How did the universe begin? Does the creation story in Genesis conflict with evolution? Hummel sets these controversies in historical perspective by telling the fascinating stories of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo and Newton. Through their eyes we see how science flourished and floundered under the influence fo the church, setting the scene for modern conflicts. Then Hummel turns to the Bible, discussing its relationship to science, the place of miracles and the biblical account of the origin of the universe. His treatment of modern controversies is respected and fair-minded. Yet he does not hesitate to criticize the views of others and argue for his own.

Product Details

• Paperback: 293 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books (February 17, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087784500X
• ISBN-13: 978-0877845003
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #586,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars They Tricked The Pope, January 13, 2008

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The Spinozanator "Spinozanator" (Harlingen, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Galileo Connection (Paperback)

Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton were all Christians and could even be considered devout Christians. Newton was a bit of an outlier because he didn't believe in the Trinity, but spent as much time on theology as he did on science. This author is interested in the science and the religion of each man, how each dealt with conflicts between his science and his religion, and to what extent, if any, the church interfered with his scientific work.

Galileo is of particular interest because he is the only one who was officially punished. His case is held up as primary evidence of severe discrimination by the 16th and 17th century religious hierarchy against science. Hummel's position is this:

1. Official science, as controlled by the university establishment scientists, was heavily reliant on the archaic science left over from Aristotle, illustrated best by their belief in Ptolomy's astronomy left over from the 2nd century.

2. Galileo had baited and antagonized university scientists with his sarcastic writings and public statements for over 20 years.

3. In his "Dialogues," Galileo formulated informal debates between Simplicius, a supporter of the old astronomy, a believer in the Copernican astronomy, and a neutral observer. The offended scientists suggested to Pope Urban VIII that Galileo was putting the Pope's words into the mouth of the fool, Simplicius.

4. The Pope, already distracted by several other complex political scenarios of the day, made the fateful error of allowing Galileo's trial and conviction. Galileo spent the rest of his life under house arrest. For over four centuries his story has been used by those who would cast the Church in the worst possible light.

In the rest of the book, Hummel discusses the theory and history of evolution, the historical conflicts between that and creationism, and various theological topics. In particular, he compares scientists who make pronouncements about God with Christians who feel they must reconcile findings of science with the Bible.

His view is summed up in these words: "Today many biblical Christians - like many non-theistic scientists - accept the theory of evolution, but others do not. The issues seem to remain in clearer focus when scientific and theological terms are not mixed. It should suffice to say, `I accept the biblical accounts of creation and the scientific theory of evolution.'" Extremists on both sides of the so-called creation-evolution controversy (today's updated version would be the ID/evolution war) might argue that it is impossible. Sometimes that seems to be the only point on which they can agree.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Foundational to Any Science & Religion Study, June 11, 2009

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S. J. Young - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Galileo Connection (Paperback)

The Galileo Connection helps one recognize several issues. Hummel begins by giving brief biographical surveys of the scientific work of great scientists (Brache, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton) and the difficulties they faced in proclaiming to the world around them that, indeed, the earth was not the center of the solar system, let alone the universe.

The Galileo story serves as a cautionary tale for all those who read the Scriptures through a 21st century, literalistic lens - who fail to recognize the various genre that make up the Scriptures. This biased reading contributed mightily to the rejection of what is now obvious truth (that the earth revolves around the sun). The literalist presuppositional bias, for example, with which Genesis 1 is read fails to recognize the literary and poetic features of the text and undermines faith.

Hummel's point that it's not the Bible versus science but one human's religious interpretation versus science (both are interpreters of data - one God's supernatural revelation, the other the natural universe) is a very important one. Whatever one says about scripture relative to science - it is one's interpretation of scripture and not scripture itself.

But, perhaps the best section in the book are the two chapters on interpreting scripture and on interpreting Genesis 1. While more could be added to Hummel's interpretation - including more cultural, historical data and perhaps additional points on the meaning of the poetry of Genesis 1 - his work is a vital source in making progress toward a fair and honest reading of Genesis 1.

13 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stuck between your sunday school teacher modern science?, July 26, 1998

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[e-mail] (BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Galileo Connection (Paperback)

Hummel offers a fresh look at the Creation Epic of Genesis 1. While steering a path between the literal and mythological approaches to Genesis, Hummel offers an approach that is both reasonable and faithful to a valid scriptural approach to the emergence of life on earth. If you are a student of "Creation" or sceptical of the typical presentation of biblical origens, you must read this book...