Housekeeping: This is my final response to the reader question on time (earlier responses here, here, and here). A follow-up to Kevin Birth's reflections on time and Lent is forthcoming. HC asks: How would you describe time? How do you make sense of God as a being that is outside of time, and yet has created it, interacts with his creations that are confined to it, and at one specific point in history entered into time in the person of Jesus? God is frequently described as "outside of time." Growing up in Christian … [Read more...] about Science in Review: Is God Outside of Time?
science in review
Science in Review: “Prediction is hard, especially about the future”
SS asks: What makes statistical modeling different from, say, new age methods of trying to predict the future? If you live on the east coast of the United States and paid any attention to the news in the past week, you couldn't get away from statistical models. There are US models & European models, all trying to answer the same questions: How much snow will fall, in what cities, and when? I live north of Pittsburgh, on the outer edge of this particular storm's path. One day the models said the storm was tracking … [Read more...] about Science in Review: “Prediction is hard, especially about the future”
Science Reader Question: “I Could Show You the Ways of The Force.”
DJ asks: Why and when should we start mentoring and investing in those younger or at a less advanced place than we are academically? As we've discussed previously, it's really never too early to provide mentoring of one sort or another. Situations where we are complete novices, without anything to offer anyone else, are rare. We might be reluctant to help others at times, out of fear or for other reasons; at other times, we might want someone more easily controlled than a mentee. Still, mentoring opportunities of … [Read more...] about Science Reader Question: “I Could Show You the Ways of The Force.”
Science Reader Question: My Martian Neighbor
It's hard to imagine being more lost than Mark Watney. He was literally the only human being on an entire planet, nearly 250 million miles from home. That's the premise of The Martian, which details the astronomical lengths NASA and others go to rescue Watney, and his efforts to stay alive until they get there. It's a gripping story, but I could never fully ignore the fact that a lot of time and money (albeit fictional) was being spent to rescue one person. Mr. Spock would not approve; it's the antithesis of "the needs … [Read more...] about Science Reader Question: My Martian Neighbor
Science Book Review: The Uncontrolling Love of God
This week, I have the opportunity to review a book that will be released shortly: The Uncontrolling Love of God: An Open and Relational Account of Providence by Thomas Jay Oord. It's not strictly about science or natural theology, but it addresses a frequent topic in the science/faith dialogue. Oord offers his approach to the problem of evil--how can bad things exist in a world created by a good God? He does so in a context which acknowledges current scientific models. While that might sound somewhat daunting, the whole … [Read more...] about Science Book Review: The Uncontrolling Love of God