Book Review: The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science
The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science
by Natalie Angier
A Mariner Book, 2007
293 pages (paperback)
Available
Amazon.com
I’m not a huge fan of books in the Idiot’s or Dummies Guide genre. It is not that they don’t have a place; I’m just not big on books written with a Comic San Serif font and pages plastered with cartoons—you know, like I’m 10 years old and need help from Binky the Clown.
The Canon by Natalie Angier, however, is an introductory book that promises to be a “Whirligig Tour,” but without the need for clown-like delivery and balloon comments to keep the reader interested. This book is intelligent and friendly, good for science-phobes, as well as those who (more…)
Book Review: Why Evolution is True
Why Evolution is True
by Jerry A. Coyne
Penguin, 2009
282 pages (paperback)
Available
Amazon.com
Science and religion have had a love-hate relationship. Like your average sitcom, the “will they?/won’t they? get together for good” question remains unresolved, and so we keep tuning in hoping that this week it will finally happen. (more…)
God versus a Monster (Hint: Not the Flying Spaghetti Kind)
Lately, my reading has consisted of several books on biblical interpretation. This is, in part, due to my career, but it is also because I am entirely interested in the real world behind the text, by which I don’t mean some sermonization of the biblical text so as to make it sound like it was written in today’s world. Understanding the religious mindset of ancient peoples is difficult, which is probably why some ignore it entirely. When that happens, watch out. Peter Enns is great at getting to these points in a very accessible way, and so I like to highlight his posts at Biologos when I can. His most recent, “Yahweh, Creation, and the Cosmic Battle,” is a great and brief look into one of my favorite biblical motifs. In it he writes:
One of the ways the Old Testament describes creation is through a conflict between Yahweh and the sea (or “waters” or one of the sea monsters, Leviathan or Rahab). Sea is a symbol of chaos, and so Yahweh’s victory in the conflict establishes order. He is the creator, the supreme power. Israel’s proper response is awe and praise.
One may argue that there is no single account of biblical creation. Chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis are at least two accounts and the many references to God versus the sea monster are considered other ways of representing creation. Even the book of Revelation is not without its many allusions to the sea monster, where the sea is the home of all that is evil (for a good narrative critical look at Revelation see this book). Then there is John 1, where allusions to both the Old Testament and Greek philosophy play together, helping to form another lens through which one could describe creation, but this one featuring the logos. Seeing and accepting all of this for what it is helps create informed readers, as I tell my students. So I’m done pontificating, but I would heartily recommend reading Peter Enns’ post in its entirety. If you are interested in more, see also my recent review of John H. Walton’s book, The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate.
