In fascinating interviews with such luminaries as Freeman Dyson, Paul Davies, V.V. Raman, and Mehmet Oz, Krista Tippett draws out the connections between science and spirituality, showing how even those most wedded to hard truths find spiritual enlightenment in the life of experiment and, in turn, raise questions that are richly, theologically evocative.
Whether she is speaking with celebrated surgeon and author Sherwin Nuland about biology of the human spirit or questioning Darwin biographer James Moore about his subject's religious beliefs, Tippett offers a rare look at the way our best minds grapple with the questions for which we all seek answers.
I barely can make it out of the introduction without underlining everything she writes. Tippett's insight and abilities as an author and journalist making a living coupling spirituality and science, are fantastic. If you've ever wanted a book to truly make you think and wonder about life--few are better than Krista Tippett (and I say that with many, many influential authors in mind.) Her books (Speaking of Faith, Einstein's God & Becoming Wise), help the reader dive into the deep end of the pool without being swallowed up by some of the most intelligent human minds and informed perspectives on the planet. In addition to Rob Bell and Brian McLaren, I owe Tippett a great deal of gratitude for igniting and nourishing my quest over the last several years. I really hope you will be able to find a quiet place with one of her books. Einstein's God is definitely worthy of your full attention. If you try reading something of hers or listening to On Being (her podcast on NPR) with kids around or in the middle of the mall, you will find yourself reading the same paragraph all day.
There is a vast amount of awesome literature out there right now on the dialogue between science and religion. If that's your thing, I am not your guy--this is just a grocery store free sample. People devote entire blogs and podcasts cataloging and reflecting on those. Similarly, there's no way to summarize everything I liked or learned from this book in one post. But if you read just one book on the topic, this will more than sufficiently meet your needs. There is a little something for every level of curious thinker and swimmer in these pages, from the shallow end of the pool to the Mariana Trench.
"The Origin of Species was not the first text to break from religion, as our cultural narrative has come to assume. It was the last classic scientific text to engage theology directly...Darwin liberated humanity from belief in a God who preordained every cancerous cell and shifting tectonic plate, every social and physical injustice. Even the creationists of our time have been liberated--in part by Darwin--from belief in this kind of God."(James Moore)
"To the faithful I say this: if God is God, we cannot be afraid of what we can learn with the remarkable three-pound brain."(Tippett)
"I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or has a will of the type of which we are conscious in ourselves...Enough for me the mystery of the eternity of life, and the inkling of the marvelous structure of reality, together with the single-hearted endeavor to comprehend a portion, be it ever so tiny, of the reason that manifests itself in nature." (Albert Einstein)
Those three quotes and I haven't even gotten to page 20 of a 280 page book!
My job is to lead people to a deeper faith and to equip, encourage and provide interpretive skills in deciphering scripture. If we can do that all the while seeking ways to peacefully co-exist together in a world that isn't always kind and rarely makes much sense, we're winning. So I appreciate teachers like Tippett, Bell and Rollins and others I have highlighted on this blog who make me think and arrive at conclusions that I can claim for myself. I have discovered that the most dangerous (and exhilarating) part of faith is asking questions. The more I dig, the deeper I get and the less I know. Faith used to feel like it was about strengthening and affirming my grip on core beliefs--beliefs I needed to live happily ever after. But now? It's definitely not that. I'm still working out what faith is to be perfectly honest. Maybe that's what it is: a working out of stuff, never really arriving or staying in one place--ongoing learning and doing what you can with what you've got so far. Or maybe it's something else that I haven't figured out yet :)
Here's a little ditty from the heart of the book to contemplate on your way home tonight:
"I would argue that we should never turn away from what nature has to show us. We should never pretend we don't see it just because it's too difficult to confront it. That's something that I don't understand about other attitudes that want to disregard certain discoveries because they don't jell with their beliefs. One of the painful but beautiful things about being a scientist is being able to say, 'It doesn't matter what I believe. I might believe that the universe is a certain age, but if I'm wrong, I'm wrong.' There's something really thrilling about being committed to that...
...I think that the answers that we're going to get, the discoveries that we're going to make, are going to be in mathematics. But they're going to be meaningless to us unless they're integrated into a human perspective where we understand why we ask the questions, what the significance of the answers is for us, and how the world is going to change as a result of having made those discoveries." (Janna Levin, physicist and novelist)
Comments or questions welcome!
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