Summary: Explores what we may learn from the creation through different fields of scientific research about the nature and works of God.

Several years ago I had the privilege of meeting an unusual pastor. He loved science and often incorporated findings of science in his sermons. To do that well, he interviewed scientists in the relevant fields at nearby universities. He saw no conflict between the results of scientific research and his theological study of the Bible. He loved facilitating conversations between the scientists with whom he was interacting and people in his congregation. That pastor was John Van Sloten, the author of this work, along with a number of his scientist friends.

It is not uncommon to speak of the “two books” that reveal God to us: The Bible and the Creation. The premise of this book is to take the second of those two more seriously than we often do. Van Sloten believes that science “unpacks God’s creation words. Scientists are made in the image of an empirical God. They think God’s thoughts after God.” What Van Sloten does in this work is to engage with scientists in a variety of fields, inviting their own thoughts about what their research reveals of God, and adding his own. Each chapter begins with a word from a scientist from a different field. Then Van Sloten expands upon this in the chapter concluding with a lectio scientia consisting both of suggested practices and a prayer shaped by the content of the chapter.

Van Sloten begins with a medical physicist discussing ways that radiation therapy reveals the empirical mind of God. Succeeding chapters consider astrophysics and God’s delight in matter, the structure of knees and God’s providence in structures and through those who repair them, and giant squids, our amazing senses and the all-seeing presence of God. We learn about how trees grow, branch, and heal wounds and the interdependent character both of the creation and the creator, how we acquire language and a passion for knowing and the God who makes God’s self known across all these languages, and how DNA repair mechanisms reveal the beauty of God. Neuroscience helps us understand our passion to name, reminding us that we are also named and known by God and hydrology points us to the God who sustains our lives with living water, a word that does not return empty.

One chapter that particularly spoke to me was on how our cells self-repair our DNA trillions of times every day. He observes that we “can no more save ourselves that we can repair our own DNA. Right now, at a rate of tens of trillions of repairs per second, God is reminding you of the breathtaking power of this amazing restorative grace.”

It is such a pleasure to read a work that, far from fighting about science, finds in science the wonders of God’s powerful and gracious character and work in the world. God can speak to us through science which complements what we learn in the Bible of God, which is just what you’d expect if you believe God to be the author of both books. I’m amazed by how much John Van Sloten has gleaned from these conversations with scientists and from listening to both books, both ways in which God speaks to us. But then, this only makes sense if one has been listening to God’s speech through science and in scripture for a long time. May that be true of more of us! This book is a good place to start.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. ( )