God and Nature Fall 2021
letter from the editors |
|
By Sy Garte and Aniko Albert
The Fall issue, being the last one of the year, is a good time to reflect on the past and think about the future. This year began with the vaccine rollout and, for those of us in the US, a new administration. More recently, just as the pandemic seemed to be fading thanks to a heroic vaccination effort, the delta variant took over, and we found ourselves back in the midst of yet another wave of infections and death. Making things worse is the enormous influence of the anti-vaccination campaign, sadly prevalent among the Christian community.
At the time of this writing, the grip of the delta variant seems to be waning, and perhaps we will come out of this latest morass before the next (Winter) issue. Once again, we are praying for a Christmas season of joy and hope, and for freedom from the anxiety and despair of this challenging year.
In this issue we have a great collection of essays, poetry and images. Paul Arveson takes aim at one form of the insidious anti-vax propaganda that he personally experienced in an email. The other essays are from newcomers to God and Nature. Corey Johnson provides an uplifting story of the recognition of how science, by studying this amazing universe, can reveal its Maker’s winks at us. Philip Cottraux presents a thorough exposé of the disturbing origins of the “ancient aliens” concept—a cautionary tale indeed about the potential evils of distorting science. Dave Gammon gives us an insightful view of human nature, evolution, and how Christian faith and practice can overcome some of our more sinful evolutionary imperatives. Tony Mitchell gives a personal account of his discovery of the harmony between science and faith, while Gregory Rummo discusses how the nature of reality, both the visible and the invisible, points to God’s eternal power.
Our regular columnist Cheryl Grey Bostrom blesses us with a lovely photo-poem about making furrows to till the land.
In the poetry section, Gene Lemcio, a frequent contributor, gives us a poetic and humorous guide to a weekend away; and we present our first haiku, by newcomer Joel Funk.
An excerpt from the book Who Is God, Really? by Steve Robinson and Victoria Lim closes out this issue of God and Nature. This recently published apologetic for a personal God is in the form of a conversation between two scientists—a chemist and physicist—who were once student and professor.
Book excerpts will appear in the magazine on an irregular basis, as part of our collaboration with the ASA’s peer-reviewed academic journal Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith. PSCF includes reviews of books of interest to the ASA membership and others in the science-and-faith community. The editors of God and Nature have agreed to publish brief excerpts from books that the editors of PSCF found worthy but were not able to have reviewed in the journal. After receiving a recommendation from PSCF, we will make an independent judgement as to the publication (without editing) of such excerpts. (Please note that God and Nature will not publish book excerpts submitted directly by authors or publishers—see Guidelines for Authors for more information.)
Please enjoy this issue, spread the word, and, as always, we look forward to receiving your essays, poetry, photos, and comments. With prayers for good health, and hope for the future, may the Lord be with us all.
Note to readers: Formatting of this magazine might be distorted on some phones and browsers, which cannot be corrected on this website.
Sy Garte Ph.D. Biochemistry, is Editor-in-Chief of God and Nature, and the author of The Works of His Hands: A Scientist's Journey from Atheism to Faith.. He has been a Professor of Public Health and Environmental Health Sciences at New York University, Rutgers University, and the University of Pittsburgh. He was also Associate Director at the Center for Scientific Review at the NIH. He is the author of five books, over 200 scientific papers, and articles in PSCF and God and Nature. Sy is Vice President of the Washington DC ASA Chapter, and a fellow of the ASA.
Aniko Albert grew up in Budapest, Hungary, and is a graduate of Eötvös Loránd University. A serial migrant, she taught English as a Foreign Language in her hometown, high-school Spanish in Kingston, Jamaica, and English and various subjects in Alameda, California. She is currently the Managing Editor of God and Nature, and Co-Chair of Rockville Help, an emergency assistance charitable organization in Rockville, Maryland.
The Fall issue, being the last one of the year, is a good time to reflect on the past and think about the future. This year began with the vaccine rollout and, for those of us in the US, a new administration. More recently, just as the pandemic seemed to be fading thanks to a heroic vaccination effort, the delta variant took over, and we found ourselves back in the midst of yet another wave of infections and death. Making things worse is the enormous influence of the anti-vaccination campaign, sadly prevalent among the Christian community.
At the time of this writing, the grip of the delta variant seems to be waning, and perhaps we will come out of this latest morass before the next (Winter) issue. Once again, we are praying for a Christmas season of joy and hope, and for freedom from the anxiety and despair of this challenging year.
In this issue we have a great collection of essays, poetry and images. Paul Arveson takes aim at one form of the insidious anti-vax propaganda that he personally experienced in an email. The other essays are from newcomers to God and Nature. Corey Johnson provides an uplifting story of the recognition of how science, by studying this amazing universe, can reveal its Maker’s winks at us. Philip Cottraux presents a thorough exposé of the disturbing origins of the “ancient aliens” concept—a cautionary tale indeed about the potential evils of distorting science. Dave Gammon gives us an insightful view of human nature, evolution, and how Christian faith and practice can overcome some of our more sinful evolutionary imperatives. Tony Mitchell gives a personal account of his discovery of the harmony between science and faith, while Gregory Rummo discusses how the nature of reality, both the visible and the invisible, points to God’s eternal power.
Our regular columnist Cheryl Grey Bostrom blesses us with a lovely photo-poem about making furrows to till the land.
In the poetry section, Gene Lemcio, a frequent contributor, gives us a poetic and humorous guide to a weekend away; and we present our first haiku, by newcomer Joel Funk.
An excerpt from the book Who Is God, Really? by Steve Robinson and Victoria Lim closes out this issue of God and Nature. This recently published apologetic for a personal God is in the form of a conversation between two scientists—a chemist and physicist—who were once student and professor.
Book excerpts will appear in the magazine on an irregular basis, as part of our collaboration with the ASA’s peer-reviewed academic journal Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith. PSCF includes reviews of books of interest to the ASA membership and others in the science-and-faith community. The editors of God and Nature have agreed to publish brief excerpts from books that the editors of PSCF found worthy but were not able to have reviewed in the journal. After receiving a recommendation from PSCF, we will make an independent judgement as to the publication (without editing) of such excerpts. (Please note that God and Nature will not publish book excerpts submitted directly by authors or publishers—see Guidelines for Authors for more information.)
Please enjoy this issue, spread the word, and, as always, we look forward to receiving your essays, poetry, photos, and comments. With prayers for good health, and hope for the future, may the Lord be with us all.
Note to readers: Formatting of this magazine might be distorted on some phones and browsers, which cannot be corrected on this website.
Sy Garte Ph.D. Biochemistry, is Editor-in-Chief of God and Nature, and the author of The Works of His Hands: A Scientist's Journey from Atheism to Faith.. He has been a Professor of Public Health and Environmental Health Sciences at New York University, Rutgers University, and the University of Pittsburgh. He was also Associate Director at the Center for Scientific Review at the NIH. He is the author of five books, over 200 scientific papers, and articles in PSCF and God and Nature. Sy is Vice President of the Washington DC ASA Chapter, and a fellow of the ASA.
Aniko Albert grew up in Budapest, Hungary, and is a graduate of Eötvös Loránd University. A serial migrant, she taught English as a Foreign Language in her hometown, high-school Spanish in Kingston, Jamaica, and English and various subjects in Alameda, California. She is currently the Managing Editor of God and Nature, and Co-Chair of Rockville Help, an emergency assistance charitable organization in Rockville, Maryland.