February (Web-only) 2004

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Henry F. (Fritz) Schaefer is Graham Perdue Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Center for Computational Quantum Chemistry at the University of Georgia. In 1973, as a young chemistry professor at the University of California, Berkeley, Schaefer became a Christian. Beginning in the mid-1980's and continuing to this day, he has been presenting lectures on science and Christianity at various universities throughout the United States and around the world. In this enjoyable book, Schaefer has brought together his lectures in print form.

The first two lectures, "Scientists and Their Gods" and "The Nondebate with Steven Weinberg," address the question of whether it is possible to be a scientist and a Christian. Arguing from a historical perspective, Schaefer notes numerous examples of famous Christian believing scientists and maintains that science as a discipline developed in a Christian environment. Using excerpts from Weinberg's own writings, Schaefer conveys one of his most fundamental beliefs: "all human beings experience the natural impulse that God exists and has created the universe for a purpose." Schaefer is adept at using statements made by prominent scientists—many of whom, like the Nobel laureate Weinberg, are strongly critical of religion—to build his arguments, and it is a delight to find these throughout the book.

Next are three lectures addressing key topics in which science and Christianity are often seen to be in conflict. In "The Big Bang, Stephen Hawking, and God," Schaefer challenges the theological assertions of Hawking's A Brief History of Time and puts forth his own belief that the universe was created by and is under the direction of a loving, powerful, and wise Creator. Having tackled Hawking, Schaefer ...