Science and Faith Annotated Bibliography

Haught, John F. Science and Faith: A New Introduction. Paulist Press, 2012

John F. Haught has three main claims/ positions he discusses in his book. The first response claims that natural sciences and religious faith are mutually exclusive. This is called the conflict position. It includes two main subgroups: 1. Skeptics who believe that natural science discredits all religious claims. 2. People of faith who refuse to accept certain scientific ideas such as the Big Bang Theory and evolution.

The second type of response claims that there can be no real conflict between the claims of natural science and those of faith and theology. This is called the contrast approach. This approach insists that faith and science are not competing for some common goal, so they cannot be in conflict with each other.

The third approach agrees with the contrast approach that faith and science are two distinct ways of understanding the world, but argues that the two interact with each other. This is called the convergence approach and its objective is to create an agreement where both science and faith keep their identities while relating closely to each other for a pursuit of intelligence and truth.

Haught goes on to explain different popular questions using the three different perspectives for each. Questions such as “Do miracles really happen?, Was the Universe created?, Can we be good without God, Is there Life after Death?”, and so on.

Haught does a very good job in keeping a clear unbiased opinion. Because he gives three different perspectives for each question and does not have much of a sole biased argument. This book can be good for discussions for any opinion as it contains many perspectives.

Khaleel, Kasem. Science and Religion: What You Were Never Told. Knowledge House, 2003

Dr. Kasem Khaleel attempts to give substantial evidence of religion being the truth and how science cannot prove that religion does not exist. Having a title of doctor himself, he has the qualifications of giving both scientific explanations and religious conclusions. Dr. Khaleel is a true believer in religion being the way the world works and that people of scientific beliefs are resistant in the idea of a creative God. The main themes he discusses are the Laws of the Universe, if the creation of life was just chance, if humans originated from apes, and further origins of Islam. Dr. Khaleel’s information and analysis of his research that shows why God exists and why the universe did not happen by chance will be effective for an argument towards faith over science. Although Dr. Khaleel is highly biased and argues for the religion, it is a great resource for discussions that are for religion.

Davis, John Jefferson. The Frontiers of Science and Faith: Examining Questions from the Big Bang to the End of the Universe. Intervarsity Press, 2002

John Jefferson Davis writes that the purpose of his book is to reflect theologically on certain issues in modern science, are no threat to Christianity. He follows the convergence approach as he says Christian faith and scientific method are understood to be complementary ways of knowing God’s creative work. He also exclaims that scientific methods have a limit. He separates his book into different chapters that explain different subjects. The first being “Genesis 1:1 and Big Bang Cosmology”. He argues that Genesis 1:1 refers to the beginning of the universe and correlates with science’s standings of the universe’s beginnings. As one can see, Davis believes in the convergence theory and explains more subjects such as “Artificial understandings and the Christian Understanding, Anthropic Principle-or Designer’s Universe, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Christian Doctrine of Redemption”, and more. Davis explains questions that are more about scientific inquiries than emotional popular questions about Life. His work can be used for discussions regarding convergence topics.

Padgett, Alan G. Science and the Study of God: A Mutuality Model for Theology and Science, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2003

Padgett claims that this book is for people who have thought about the interplay between religion and science. He believes that philosophy plays a role in the religion and science dialogue. A purpose that goes beyond dialogue into collegiality. A world of where religion and science working together will help us understand our world and ourselves more fully. Pudgett exclaims that his book is proposals and not a descriptive of how things have been or should be. Calling for a mutuality model, science and theology have their own domains, however, they can rationally influence each other in situations without giving up their important distinctions. The author is neither for or against science and religion however wishes to have a mutuality between them. This information will be quite nice for a discussion arguing for science and faith coexisting in harmony.

Moorhead, Terence. Brave New Science: A Challenge to Faith?, ST PAULS, 2005

Moorhead grabs hold of a very faithful perspective. She explains that faith and belief in God cannot be presented as a scientific conclusion or reached by human reason alone. She explains how today’s age is very scientific and secular which causes one’s faith to be put to the test more severely. She continues on her argument against science by quoting famous scientific figures who have agreed with faith or by attempting to prove other scientists wrong. She also explains how history has changed to sought after science and technology goals instead of God’s path for us. He also mentions the Big Bang Theory, the anatomy of people, how the mind works, and more. Dr. Moorhead is highly knowledgeable in the science realm however provides concrete evidence in faith works. This would be a great book for discussions for faith against science.

Morris, Tim and Petcher, Don. Science and Grace: God’s reign in the Natural Sciences, Crossway Books, 2006

In this book that contains the works of multiple editors, they attempt to write a book that shows how science has affected Christianity and how Christianity has in turn helped to shape science. They take into account how many Christians think only of the evolution and creation debate. However, they go into much more detail between science and Christianity issues. Science is also seen as a kind of evil among Christians, however, they acknowledge the benefits that science brings, but they also see the need to oppose misuse. The authors attempt to show the beauty in science and faith working together in our lives. This has great content that will be useful for College students and how to live in a world that science and faith may dominate in culture.

McFaul, Thomas R. and Brunsting, Al. God is Here to Stay: Science, Evolution, and Belief in God, Wipf and Stock, 2014

The purpose of this book is to answer the one question: what does the best scientific knowledge suggest regarding whether or not God exists. This is not easy to answer because there are enormous amounts of scientific data. This book is designed to figure out which framework has better credibility. Theism or Atheism. They go through large amounts of content such as life, modern science, the universe, the brain, and human spirituality. The authors come from different backgrounds such as social sciences, humanities, and physical sciences. They promise to keep biases at bay and after all their research, their research supports the existence of God. The authors do not take sides throughout their research on Theism vs. Atheism and do a very good job in keeping purely informative. This book is good for discussions on scientific evidences and why God exists using science.

Evers, Dirk and Jackelen, Antje and Smedes, Taede A. How do we know?: Understanding in Science and Theology, T&T Clark International, 2010

This book is written in order to understand the fundamental theme basic for all reflections on religious thought in an age of science. There are four parts that are arranged as Understanding in Science, Understanding in Theology, Understanding in Dialogue, and Understanding through Narratives. Instead of the usual science vs. faith arguments, this informative book informs us about the how and why of understanding science and faith. The authors do not take a biased stance and try to convey a pure message in the understanding in both science and faith. Although this book can be confusing and does not give a solid answer on the question of science vs. faith, it is filled with facts and the comprehension of our mentality of science and faith. Although this book would not be great for discussions and argumentative topics, it can bring a lot of information on the topics.

Clayton, Philip and Knapp, Steven. The Predicament of Belief: Science, Philosophy, and Faith, Oxford Scholarship Online, 2011

This book is intended for people who appreciate modern science and still believe in traditional religious accounts of nature and the purpose of the universe. This book does not matter for those who are extremists in science or have unshakable faith. Questions such as the ultimate origin of the universe, existence of innocent suffering, the challenge of religious plurality, and how to understand the resurrection of Jesus. They conclude with what the present state and future structure of churches will become and mean according to their claims. This book is for confused individuals who do not dismiss science as a concept of evil and believe in Christianity. Answers of what is right in belief are shown here and discussions regarding the topics of Christianity and Science coexisting as well.

Bom, Klaas and Toren, Benno van den Toren. A Contribution To the Debate on Science and Faith By Christian Students From Abidjan, 2017

An interesting piece that I found is shown as the science and faith debate by non Western voices. The authors are from different groups of Christian students in Africa. They talk about the emergence of foundational position of faith, central role of truth, and the ambiguous connotations of the term science in context. They take steps of discussing the meaning of Western Science that may seem pleonastic. They offer another point of view as theological students from a non western location which can bring different arguments and aspects of this topic. They also explain different perspectives from other countries as well. This will be an interesting topic to discuss as we do not really hear from other perspectives such as Africa.

Works Cited