God and Nature Fall 2019
Letter from the editor
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By Sy Garte
Welcome to the Fall 2019 issue of God and Nature. Regular readers will notice a change from our usual format: there is no specific focus topic. Sometimes, as happened this time, the topic I chose in advance doesn’t attract a sufficient number of contributions to warrant dividing the contents into Focus Topic Essays and Other Essays.
For this current issue, we have an eclectic group of essays covering a wide range of subjects; all, of course, related to the overall theme of this magazine and the ASA—science and Christian faith.
One of the essays, “The Limits of Science,” is by me, and is based on an extract from my book The Works of His Hands: A Scientist’s Journey from Atheism to Faith, with a foreword by Alister McGrath. The book will be released by Kregel Publications on November 19 and is now available for pre-order.
To see a list of other recent and soon-to-be-released books by God and Nature contributors, please see my Letter from the Editor in the previous (Summer 2019) issue.
We start this issue with a fascinating essay on infinity and the connection between math and God by Doug Phillippy. John Pohl and Robert Thoelen teamed up to discuss the use of databases in two socially important fields— medicine and software engineering—and their relationship to faith. My essay discussing the limits of science in pursuing overall truth is followed by a both practical and spiritual discussion on the importance of a healthy lifestyle from a Christian viewpoint by Jim Mitroka.
Two philosophical essays, by Brian Sigmon and Umberto Mariani, are both beautifully written and deeply meaningful as they wrestle with the role of science and revelation in our understanding of the world. Ashley Anders, a student at California State University, presents a thorough overview of theistic evolution. ASA veteran Kennel Touryan weighs in with an essay about the probability of extra-terrestrial life that takes a more contrarian view than the current consensus. Finally, James Johnson presents his ideas on the source and purpose of just about everything that exists.
In our “Declare the Glory” series, we have a beautiful account of a guided tour of the birds of New Zealand, featuring photographs of the islands’ native birds by photographer Greg Smith along with commentaries by trip organizer Janel Curry (Gordon College Provost) and ASA’s own Vicki Best, a participant in this valuable experience.
I would like to again invite readers to consider submitting photos, videos, or any other media that “declares the glory of God” along with a brief devotional-style write up to be part of this series.
Mike Clifford shares some lovely personal news as he tells us about the biogas-fueled buses of Nottingham in his always entertaining column from “Across the Pond,” and Tom Oord gives us another installment of spectacular photography with matching theological insights in this “Theological Photoessay” column. (We will need to add bravery to the list of Tom’s many impressive qualities, as you will see from the first photo.)
A poem from CJ Eyte, a new contributor to God and Nature, rounds out the issue.
We love to get feedback, so don’t hesitate to correspond, and, of course, your own contributions are always welcome. We accept submissions on any topic related to science and faith (some suggestions are listed on the front page). We will declare a focus topic if there are three or more essays submitted on one (or more) subject for a particular issue. Enjoy!
Sy Garte Ph.D. Biochemistry, is Editor-in-Chief of God and Nature since Spring 2018. 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, God and Nature and The BioLogos Forum. Sy is Vice President of the Washington DC ASA Chapter, and a fellow of the ASA. He is the author of The Works of His Hands: A Scientist's Journey from Atheism to Faith.
Welcome to the Fall 2019 issue of God and Nature. Regular readers will notice a change from our usual format: there is no specific focus topic. Sometimes, as happened this time, the topic I chose in advance doesn’t attract a sufficient number of contributions to warrant dividing the contents into Focus Topic Essays and Other Essays.
For this current issue, we have an eclectic group of essays covering a wide range of subjects; all, of course, related to the overall theme of this magazine and the ASA—science and Christian faith.
One of the essays, “The Limits of Science,” is by me, and is based on an extract from my book The Works of His Hands: A Scientist’s Journey from Atheism to Faith, with a foreword by Alister McGrath. The book will be released by Kregel Publications on November 19 and is now available for pre-order.
To see a list of other recent and soon-to-be-released books by God and Nature contributors, please see my Letter from the Editor in the previous (Summer 2019) issue.
We start this issue with a fascinating essay on infinity and the connection between math and God by Doug Phillippy. John Pohl and Robert Thoelen teamed up to discuss the use of databases in two socially important fields— medicine and software engineering—and their relationship to faith. My essay discussing the limits of science in pursuing overall truth is followed by a both practical and spiritual discussion on the importance of a healthy lifestyle from a Christian viewpoint by Jim Mitroka.
Two philosophical essays, by Brian Sigmon and Umberto Mariani, are both beautifully written and deeply meaningful as they wrestle with the role of science and revelation in our understanding of the world. Ashley Anders, a student at California State University, presents a thorough overview of theistic evolution. ASA veteran Kennel Touryan weighs in with an essay about the probability of extra-terrestrial life that takes a more contrarian view than the current consensus. Finally, James Johnson presents his ideas on the source and purpose of just about everything that exists.
In our “Declare the Glory” series, we have a beautiful account of a guided tour of the birds of New Zealand, featuring photographs of the islands’ native birds by photographer Greg Smith along with commentaries by trip organizer Janel Curry (Gordon College Provost) and ASA’s own Vicki Best, a participant in this valuable experience.
I would like to again invite readers to consider submitting photos, videos, or any other media that “declares the glory of God” along with a brief devotional-style write up to be part of this series.
Mike Clifford shares some lovely personal news as he tells us about the biogas-fueled buses of Nottingham in his always entertaining column from “Across the Pond,” and Tom Oord gives us another installment of spectacular photography with matching theological insights in this “Theological Photoessay” column. (We will need to add bravery to the list of Tom’s many impressive qualities, as you will see from the first photo.)
A poem from CJ Eyte, a new contributor to God and Nature, rounds out the issue.
We love to get feedback, so don’t hesitate to correspond, and, of course, your own contributions are always welcome. We accept submissions on any topic related to science and faith (some suggestions are listed on the front page). We will declare a focus topic if there are three or more essays submitted on one (or more) subject for a particular issue. Enjoy!
Sy Garte Ph.D. Biochemistry, is Editor-in-Chief of God and Nature since Spring 2018. 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, God and Nature and The BioLogos Forum. Sy is Vice President of the Washington DC ASA Chapter, and a fellow of the ASA. He is the author of The Works of His Hands: A Scientist's Journey from Atheism to Faith.