Science and Faith: Friends or Foes? [Paperback]

C. John Collins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2003

Many believers worry that science undermines the Christianfaith. Instead of fearing scientific discovery, Jack Collinsbelieves that Christians should delight in the natural world andstudy it. God's truth will stand against any challenge and willenrich the very scientific studies that we fear.

Collins first defines faith and science, shows their relation,and explains what claims each has concerning truth. Then he appliesthe biblical teaching on creation to the topics of "conflict"between faith and science, including the age of the earth,evolution, and miracles. He considers what it means to live in acreated world. This book is for anyone looking for a Christianengagement with science without technical jargon.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Collins maps the entire interface between faithful biblical interpretation and questions of all sorts posed in the name of the sciences. Interesting, fair-minded, shrewd, and clear from start to finish, this will prove outstanding as a pastoral resource."
—J. I. Packer, Board of Governors' Professor of Theology, Regent College; author, Knowing God

"There is something here for just about everyone. Science and Faith is required reading for all who are interested in the relationship between science and the Christian faith."
—J. P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University

"This is a highly significant book on possibly the most important subject confronting the church today-the neutrality of science. A delightful style makes it easily accessible yet the author never neglects important issues. It is the best book of its kind for decades."
—Ranald Macaulay, Speaker, L'Abri Fellowship; Coordinator, Christian Heritage, Cambridge

"Jack Collins is my kind of guy-a fellow MIT nerd. But he is much more: a brilliant scholar of biblical languages and a keen observer of the interaction between science and the Christian faith. This is a wonderful book, and I recommend it most strongly."
—Henry F. Schaefer III, Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Center for Computational Quantum Chemistry, University of Georgia

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Crossway Books (October 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581344309
• ISBN-13: 978-1581344301
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #341,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

C. JOHN COLLINS (PhD, University of Liverpool) is professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary in St Louis. With degrees from MIT and Faith Evangelical Lutheran Seminary, he pursues such research interests as Hebrew and Greek grammar, science and faith, and biblical theology. He is the author of The God of Miracles.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of its kind, January 22, 2004

By 

Jay W. Richards "author of Money, Greed, and God" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Science and Faith: Friends or Foes? (Paperback)

This is a jewel of a book--carefully argued, insightful, and well informed in natural science, theology, and Biblical exegesis. While it has many assets for anyone interested in the dialogue between science and Christianity, what stands out in my mind is its treatment of the relevant Biblical texts. Collins' knowledge of the nuances of Hebrew is staggering. I find his treatment of the ever-controversial "days" of Genesis 1 to be especially satisfying. I suspect that his arguments will be widely considered, and highly regarded, in coming years.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must reading for all science students and teachers, March 29, 2004

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Science and Faith: Friends or Foes? (Paperback)

Dr. Collins has his undergraduate and first graduate degree from MIT, and his Ph.D. is from the university of Liverpool. Professor Collins produced an excellent balanced book on Intelligent Design (ID), which unlike most books in this area he looks at both the science of ID and the implications of this field for theology. Chapter 20 "Cultural Wars and Warriors" is an excellent refutation of the foolish claims of Eugene Scott and her organization. Collins shows why ID is critical for theology and why Fundamentalist Darwinism is lethal for theism. In chapter 17 he answers some common objections to ID, and shows why professional science organizations, such as the National Association of Biology Teachers (of which I am a member, even though I teach biology at the college level), are so hostile to this world view. As a scientist, the most useful part of the book was from page 217 to the end. The first part covered theology which I did read very carefully, due to lack of interest and knowledge in this area. The 2nd half was well worth the price of the book and highly recommended.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods, June 21, 2006

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Discovery Reviewer (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Science and Faith: Friends or Foes? (Paperback)

Many Christians worry that science undermines the Christian faith. Instead of fearing scientific discovery, Jack Collins believes that people of faith should study the natural world.

Collins first explains that science is controversially defined, but that it is best viewed as "a discipline in which one studies features of the world around us, and tries to describe his observations systematically and critically." (pg. 34) In his definition of faith, Collins lauds a statement by C. S. Lewis who said, "Faith ... is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods. For moods will change, whatever view your reason takes." (Quoting C.S. Lewis, pg. 38)

Finally he shows their relations and explains what each has concerning truth.

Collins also delves into the public debate, teaching his readers how to think critically about Darwinist arguments. In a chapter entitled, "Culture Wars and Warriors," he critiques the arguments of Darwinists such as Barry Lynn and Eugenie Scott. Lynn, he observes, aims to "mold your emotional reaction" to design proponents by comparing them to "fundamentalists" and proponents of "astrology." Lynn's misrepresentations draw attention to the need for "education that fosters sound critical thinking and keen awareness of rhetoric." (pg. 335) Next Collins scrutinizes the arguments of Eugenie Scott:

"First, she wants you to think that she speaks on behalf of science and scientists--you can see that from how she uses "we." Second, she wants you to think that your religious values--"whodunit" and "ultimate causes"--are safe with her version of science. And third, she uses a harmless definition of evolution that almost no one can be bothered about." (pg. 336)

Scott had defined evolution as simply "change through time" and the notion that living organisms "have shared common ancestors and descended with modification." (quoting Scott, pg. 335) But Collins had already explained that "Neo-Darwinism claims to have discovered, not just that `these [lifeforms] have transformed and differentiated,' but how they did so: namely by `an unpredictable and natural process of temporal descent with genetic modification that is affected by natural selection, chance, historical contingencies and changing environments.'" (pg. 272) Thus, if theists "believe that God `controlled' the process of evolution, they would do well to define `controlled.'" (pg. 272)

Collins' book is worth reading for any person attempting to obtain a realistic understanding of the relationship between science and faith.