Quarks, Chaos & Christianity: Questions to Science And Religion Paperback – September 1, 2006

Polkinghorne does an excellent job of explaining complex theories of Physics, such as Quantum Mechanics and Chaos Theory, in a way that a non-scientist can understand. He then discusses how some scientists believe that our knowledge of the physical world and the laws of nature are evidence that there is no God. Polkinghorne, both a scientist and an Anglican priest, argues that the knowledge we have of the physical world only answers the "how" questions but cannot answer the "why" questions and therefore is too narrow a view. An example he uses to illustrate this is by posing the question, "Why is the water boiling?" Science can answer the question by describing the physical reactions which take place to cause this. But an equally correct answer to the question would be, "I wanted to make some tea." Polkinghorne uses many vivid examples such as this to integrate for the reader his Christian faith with the world of Physics. This was a great read for my curious, non-scientist mind.

Exploring the world of Christian apologetics is like shopping at Wal-Mart. There is a huge variety of products to choose from, but many of them are of dubious quality. For readers searching for a brief introduction to the better arguments for the existence of God, the veracity of the New Testament writings, plausible answers to the problem of evil, etc., Polkinghorne's book is a valuable guide. On the other hand, those who are more acquainted with the subject will find it dreadfully basic.This book touches on subjects such as evolution, the Strong Anthropic Principle, quantum mechanics, chaos theory, the role of prayer, the free will argument, and the Gospel accounts of Jesus' resurrection. Polkinghorne offers a brief summary of the major issues, then explains why he believes there are credible reasons to believe in God. He explores how the indeterminacy in natural systems allows room for human freedom, as well as subtle influences by a Divine Hand. He also faces challenges to theism, such as the problem of evil, unanswered prayers and the alleged conflict between science and religion. He acknowledges the thorniness of the issues, outlines the points of controversy, then shows why he maintains his faith despite, or in some cases because of, the uncertainties of life.A number of things especially delighted me. First, he openly acknowledges that evolution really did occur, although like me he believes that the question of what drives it is far from settled. He affirms his belief in a Deity who experiences the flow of time, a controversial position which nonetheless has numerous advantages over the traditional conception of God. He also dispenses with the approach to the Bible employed by fundamentalists, by recognizing that the scriptures are comprised of widely varying writing styles. He points out that they contain examples of drama, poetry, hyperbole and other literary devices that often sacrifice "literal" truth in order to communicate a symbolic or spiritual message. In so doing he sets himself apart from the likes of Norman Geisler and Josh McDowell, who try to turn the Bible into a scientific textbook or a formal historical account.Overall I recommend this book for those new to apologetics. For parties desiring further study, Polkinghorne lists more advanced works in the appendix. The seasoned student would do well to consult those volumes rather than this one, unless they need a review of basic concepts.

At times it was a little bit heavy, but honestly it was a great read and book for our church discussion. It really helps to have scientists who are also Christians to be with you to help with Quantum physics and stuff.

This book seems to be an important part of understanding the relationship between science and religion; terms that in many ways are mere labels for concepts that can and do shift without compromising the search for truth.

Clearly written, understandable and totally engaging, even for a non-scientist. How any professional scientist could read this book and remain an atheist is beyond me. But if so, guess it just proves that it takes just as much (or more) faith NOT to believe in God, than TO believe in God.

The language and metaphors are simple, perhaps a little too so for some readers, but Polkinghorne covers most of the arguments against religion from science and outlines his view of the complementarity of religion and science from a position of some authority. Polkinghorne, Anglican Priest cum theoretical physicist, has been doing this for a long time.The most compelling chapters for general readership are the first four in which Polkinghorne shows the wiggle room for divinity apparently built into the universe from the moment of its inception. Meanwhile, he avoids the "watchmaker" casting of God. I found myself having to do a great deal of tangential reading (e.g. on "quantum entanglement") since he moves so quickly. This is a very short book at 118 pages.The last chapters are more interesting to a Christian as Polkinghorne argues his particular brand of Christianity (allegorical/mythic use of "miracle" in much of the biblical literature, "animated beings" as opposed to "spirit-body" ontology), and ends up being pretty much a description of his personal faith which isn't entirely orthodox, but has the benefit of being arguable and somewhat defensible.It's certainly worth checking out if the struggle between science and religion is something that interests you, if for no other reason than all of the main lines pro and con are briefly laid out.

I highly recommend this book for Christians who are seeking to better understand HOW God acts in the world today and/or seeking to better understand the effectiveness of our prayers, which of course is related to the first issue.Polkinghorne's answer is summed up in Chapter 5: "Can a Scientist Pray?," which alone is more than worth the price of the book and the time required to read it. His answer, BTW, is yes.

A brief book that helped this infant Christian clarify some personally confounding thinking. I intend to read other Polkinghorne books.