Redeeming Science: A God-Centered Approach (Paperback)

~ Vern Sheridan Poythress (Author)
Key Phrases: analogical day theory, revelatory day theory, closed regularity, Grand Rapids, Near East, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Poythress shows how a proper understanding of biblical theology makes possible not just one but many credible harmonizations of biblical and scientific truth. Along the way, he provides an insightful defense of the theory of intelligent design as a viable scientific research program. His examination of the mathematical beauty inherent in the universe gives yet another compelling reason to acknowledge the wisdom and design that lie behind physical reality." Stephen C. Meyer, Director, Center for Science and Culture, Discovery Institute "With doctorates in both New Testament and mathematics, and with a solid commitment to orthodox Reformed theology, Vern Poythress is uniquely qualified to write on the theology of science. This is by far the most important book you can read on this subject. I recommend it without reservation." John Frame, Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando "Poythress demonstrates just how natural the partnership is between science and Christianity. Using examples from a variety of scientific disciplines, he gives a prescription for how science and the Christian faith can interact in a way that mutually benefits both." Fazale Rana, Vice President of Science Apologetics, Reasons to Believe "Not only does this book offer a theological perspective rooted in the historic Reformation, it also attends to strategies of interpretation of Bible texts concerning nature and history that underwrite doctrine but are often left out of the dialogue." Jitse van der Meer, Professor of Biology and History and Philosophy of Science, Redeemer University College, Ancaster, Ontario "Sound theology meets sound science in this book as Vern Poythress shows us how to see the beauty of God's character revealed in everything that scientists study in the created universe." Wayne Grudem, Research Professor of Theology and Bible, Phoenix Seminary, Scottsdale, Arizona --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Review

"Poythress shows how a proper understanding of biblical theology makes possible not just one but many credible harmonizations of biblical and scientific truth. Along the way, he provides an insightful defense of the theory of intelligent design as a viable scientific research program. His examination of the mathematical beauty inherent in the universe gives yet another compelling reason to acknowledge the wisdom and design that lie behind physical reality."
—Stephen C. Meyer, Director, Center for Science and Culture, Discovery Institute

"With doctorates in both New Testament and mathematics, and with a solid commitment to orthodox Reformed theology, Vern Poythress is uniquely qualified to write on the theology of science. This is by far the most important book you can read on this subject. I recommend it without reservation."
—John M. Frame, Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando

"Poythress demonstrates just how natural the partnership is between science and Christianity. Using examples from a variety of scientific disciplines, he gives a prescription for how science and the Christian faith can interact in a way that mutually benefits both."
—Fazale Rana, Vice President of Science Apologetics, Reasons to Believe

"Not only does this book offer a theological perspective rooted in the historic Reformation, it also attends to strategies of interpretation of Bible texts concerning nature and history that underwrite doctrine but are often left out of the dialogue."
—Jitse van der Meer, Professor of Biology and History and Philosophy of Science, Redeemer University College, Ancaster, Ontario

"Sound theology meets sound science in this book as Vern Poythress shows us how to see the beauty of God's character revealed in everything that scientists study in the created universe."
—Wayne Grudem, Research Professor of Bible and Theology, Phoenix Seminary, Phoenix, Arizona

"Poythress's analysis of the relationship between science and faith proceeds from an unapologetic, undisguised confession of belief in Christ, clear-minded evaluation of the nature of science, careful analysis of Scripture, and honest reflection on the present state of this debate."
—T. M. Moore, Pastor of Teaching Ministries, Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church, Knoxville, Tennessee; Author, Consider the Lilies: A Plea for Creational Theology

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Crossway Books (October 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581347316
• ISBN-13: 978-1581347319
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #187,444 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A valuable contribution to the Reformed tradition, December 29, 2006

By	B. C. Richards (Tucson, AZ, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I am very pleased with this book. The first thing to know is that while Dr. Poythress is a seminary professor, he also holds a PhD in mathematics from Harvard University in addition to his PhD in New Testament. He has a sophisticated grasp of the ideas behind science and mathematics, as well as theology. Being a scientist myself, I sometimes get nervous when non-scientists draw philosophical or theological conclusions from things they don't understand, for instance Heisenberg's uncertainty relation, but we do not have this problem with Dr. Poythress. Nevertheless, he has aimed this book at laymen, and I believe that the majority of the material should be easily accessible to most readers.

The book seeks to develop a self-consciously Biblical view of science. In the opening chapters he discusses the divine attributes of scientific law, such as omnipresence and immutability, and the questions of the Bible and authority in their relation to the scientific enterprise. It is in these opening chapters that he develops the Van Tillian epistemological framework for understanding science, and shows the radical contrast between this and atheistic worldviews. He shows that all scientists must operate under the assumptions of a Biblical worldview, (rational order to the universe, reliability of physical law, etc.) even though the worldviews they profess to believe may not be able to justify such assumptions.

Chapters four through ten tackle the issues surrounding the interpretation of the early chapters of Genesis. Here I think Poythress has done a masterful job of attempting to maintain the absolute authority of the Bible as divine revelation, while helping us, who read the Bible with a modern scientific mindset, to really get to the bottom of what God's Word is and is not asserting. This subtlety is what seems to have eluded a previous reviewer.

Chapters eleven through thirteen deal with some of the more specifically theological issues, the role of man (such as image of God and cultural mandate), the role of Christ (perfectly fulfilling cultural mandate), and the role of God's Word (scientific law as God's Word ruling the physical universe).

Chapters fourteen through seventeen consider some of the more epistemological and philosophical questions involved in science, such as the nature of truth, reality, scientific knowledge, and ordinary experience. Here, as throughout the book, the idea of the unity between different aspects of reality as well as the different ways we can look at reality in terms of the being of God is especially helpful. I also appreciated his discussion of miracles, in terms of primary and secondary causes, and in terms of the rationality of both miracles and physical laws as equally reflecting God's sovereign rule of the universe.

Chapters eighteen and nineteen deal with the questions of life, evolution, and intelligent design, and I think give a very nice overview of some of the issues that are involved in these discussions, as well as the ideological problems that will almost always completely overwhelm the actual scientific evidence. The final four chapters conclude appropriately with some specific examples of seeing the beauty and majesty of our God revealed in the physical and mathematical reality that we encounter.

As you can see, Dr. Poythress covers an ambitious amount of ground in this book. As you may imagine, in a 350 page book, several of the discussions are somewhat limited in terms of their depth, but there are certainly plenty of references for further study if you have the interest. Incidentally, the extensive bibliography at the end is alone worth the price of the book. It is unlikely that anyone will agree with all of Dr. Poythress' conclusions; I did not, but he certainly is making a serious attempt to deal with the issues, and the obvious humility and tentativeness he exhibits on matters that may admit more than one interpretation is an attitude that I wish was more characteristic of people who claim to stand in the Reformed tradition.

Perhaps in a later edition we may hope for a chapter on quantum mechanics, which in my opinion must surely reveal some interesting things about God that were perhaps not so obvious in the years, following Newton, of seemingly total physical determinism. Additionally, I would have liked to have seen a chapter outlining how the historical rise of science was squarely grounded in the specifically Biblical worldview of the reformation, as well as the contemporary near-infinite ideological chasm existing between the (unbelieving) practitioners of physical science (the only truth is scientific truth) and the other academic disciplines (there is no truth) as a result of the abandonment of a Christian consensus. But you can't do everything at once. The book is an enjoyable and edifying read, and with so much breadth of subject matter, there's never a dull moment. Dr. Poythress has given us a valuable contribution to developing a specifically reformed view of faith and science, and I certainly hope that his book will receive the attention and the consideration that it deserves.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I want to study at Westminster just for this guy!, December 23, 2006

By	Samuel Garcia "metalheadandvai" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have only read chapter 10 of this book so far, in dealing with the framework view and the analogical day theory view (and have skimmed through other chapters as well) and so far I believe it to be an excellent and deeply insightful book.

In response to the above review, I have to say that the whoever wrote that review seems to have read the book with in unchangeable bias. I can almost guarantee that he is a young-earther and maybe even believes that Scripture "always trumps" our understanding of general revelation (whatever that means).

But what Poythress tries to do is challenge our assumptions. In the case of Noah's flood, he asks why we assume that "water" has a liquid form. "But how does one know this?" says Poythress, "Is it not possible that, on the mountains we might find snow, sleet, and ice? The water might cover this area, and snuff out the life of animals, whether it took liquid or solid form. The later receding of the waters (Gen. 8:3) might include melting." His point is that grant that the flood was a supernatural act of the Triune God, how are we so sure that it all took place exactly how we imagine it?

I believe that Vern is correct in pointing out that our modern glasses cloud the way we view Scripture. We might quickly assume that Genesis 1:1 is talking about the globe we live on when it speaks of God creating the "heavens and the earth." But the Hebrew is literally land, and Moses and his audience may have merely understood "God created everything" rather than "space, clouds, and this globe I am currently standing on." It is a faulty assumption to say that the ancient peoples understood things in this vein, and it is an illegitimate expectation to have God speak to his people through terms and imagery that they wouldn't understand. In theology, this is called phenomological language; the sun rises, the sun sets, the waters covered the land. All within their understanding.

I know this is a bit long-winded, but I just get steamed having to read bad reviews about excellent authors/theologians written by those who do not care to sift through the facts with an open mind. Though you may not agree with Poythress, he will challenge your assumptions to their core.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing humility in a polarised debate, October 17, 2007

By	Ian Brace (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the first time I have read Vern Poythress and he is delightful. His style is measured and I have enjoyed the humility with which he approaches this sometimes volatile topic. He stresses that we are sinful humans with our own predjudice and bias and we need to recognise that before we start. Then he stresses his view of the inerrancy of scripture from the one true God who has revealed himself to mankind.
In introducing science Poythress appeals to the reader to recognise that the pursuit of science assumes an underlying belief in order and systematic development, which the Christian recognises as the creative hand of God. Where science and the bible appear to contradict one another he asks us to ask ourselves:
a. is the scientific evidence credible?
b. have we created the contradiction by mis-interpreting the scientific evidence?
c. have we created the contradiction by mis-interpreting the bible?

I notice some reviewers object to this, preferring their own dogmatic views (I'm being volatile ;-) ), but this sounds like a pretty sensible approach to me. Vern Poythress believes the bible to be the true Word of God, but he suggests that we must read it within its own literary context....poems were never meant to textbooks.

There are extensive footnotes to the text which will point the interested reader off to deeper discussions of various issues. It is a pleasure to read a well thought out conservative evangelical theologian who can engage deeply with modern science.