Krista Tippett, host of "Speaking of Faith" and author of the newly released Einstein's God: Conversations About Science and the Human Spirit, visited the Congregational Resource Guide on CR Radio to talk about the promise of a faith-science dialogue. You may hear this interview by clicking on the radio button below. Or, you may click on our podcast link to either hear or download the interview.
 

The interview covered three key areas in the faith-science conversation: Meaning, Healing, and Evolution. In so doing, it provided a pathway into the Congregational Resouce Guide's larger set of resources on these topics. Here are some resources that Tippett—and we—recommend.

Meaning

Einstein's God includes a conversation with John Polkinghorne. Both a theoretical physicist and an Anglican priest, Polkinghorne seeks to shed light on the ways that science and religion can inform and enrich each other, particularly for people seeking to find meaning in the ways they understand the universe. Seeing faith as a leap "into the light, not the dark," Polkinghorne explains how one can be both a rigorous scientist and a follower of Christianity. Quarks, Chaos, and Christianity touches upon prayer, miracles, human nature, and eschatology.

At the same time, Polkinghorne's writing style can be difficult to follow. So the CRG also recommends Keith Ward's The Big Questions in Science and Religion, an excellent and more accessible book that addresses questions of meaning and purpose. Religious educators might find it especially helpful for adult education classes.

Healing

Einstein's God features conversations with Michael McCullough and Esther Sternberg. McCullough, a psychology professor at the University of Miami in Florida, has studied the biological, psychological, and religious components underlying the capacity to forgive. Beyond Revenge: The Evolution of the Forgiveness Instinct explains how forgiveness operates and the conditions that trigger the forgiveness "instinct." The book shows how the restorative justice movement and South Africa's truth and reconciliation commissions exemplify societal implementations of forgiveness.

The CRG also recommends a work on the healing power of forgiveness: Johann Christopher Arnold's Why Forgive?. It explores real-life stories of the difference forgiveness has made in human families and lives, and would be a good resource for small group discussion.

Esther Sternberg, who leads the Neuroendocrine Immunology and Behavior Section at the National Institute of Mental Health, is well qualified to demonstrate the intricate connections between human emotions and the body's immune, nervous, and endocrine systems. Her book, The Balance Within: The Science Connecting Health and Emotions, examines these connections in accessible language. A later volume, Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-Being, explores the connections between our health and the environments in which we live. Both of these works are recommended in Einstein's God.

The CRG also recommends Dale Matthews's classic, The Faith Factor: The Healing Power of Prayer. Matthews, a professor of medicine at Georgetown University, makes no exaggerated claims for faith healing. But like Sternberg, he acknowledges the value of spiritual resourcefulness for facing and responding to disease. This resource could benefit those involved in parish nursing, health ministry, or pastoral care.

Evolution

Einstein's God relays a conversation with James Moore. With degrees in science, divinity, and history, Moore has been a Darwin researcher and teacher for more than thirty years. His book, Darwin: The Life of a Tormented Evolutionist (co-authored with Adrian Desmond), explores the anguish of a man who sought to make natural selection acceptable to Victorian society. Here we see the human side of Darwin, a deeply sensitive individual who was scarred by the untimely death of his daughter and who struggled with the theological implications of his scientific discoveries.

The CRG also invites you to consider John Haught's God After Darwin: A Theology of Evolution, as well as Joan Roughgarden's Evolution and Christian Faith: Reflections of an Evolutionary Biologist. Haught's book seeks to refine our notions of God's work in the world, drawing upon evolutionary knowledge. Roughgarden's book seeks to examine the relations between biblical claims and evolutionary theory. Both works could serve as informative and engaging texts for adult learning.

In addition to these volumes, we encourage you to consider the resources in the Science, Faith, and Ministry section of the Congregational Resource Guide. You might also take a look at our Health Ministry section.

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