Sy Garte

My own background is in science and faith, so the two were never enemies for me. But I live in a world where many people see them as opposite forces, so it’s a delight to find a serious, scientific book which is also both faith-filled and eminently readable. The Works of His Hands tells how a doctor of biochemistry, raised as a non-believer, asked an awful lot of questions, and came to faith through answers, reason and love.

The prose is personal enough to make this book read like a conversation with the author. The information is well-organized and detailed enough to appeal to scientists and non-scientists alike (with the most complex explanations left to the appendices). And the chapters include very reasonable, well-reasoned responses to many familiar anti-faith arguments (no, faith isn’t the root of all evil, or even of all wars). The book presents an honestly argued faith in a God who works through logical laws, not magical whims.

Harmonious prose leads readers to a pleasing harmony of faith and science. Whimsical anecdotes delight and amuse (even introducing the possibility of a whimsical God, delighting in his creation). Meanwhile serious questions invite us to look at the author’s very serious answers, and to see the works of God's Hands.

The Works of His Hands isn’t “light reading” but nor is it heavy. It’s well-balanced, inviting, and appealing. It’s neither too deeply nor too shallowly scientific. As an honest report of personal investigation, it invites honesty in its readers. And as a faith-filled testimony of change, it invites us to recognize that faith and science’s supposed enmity is a myth we should be happy to dispense with.

Disclosure: I’ve met the author online and followed his blog. I could hardly wait to read his book. Then I waited forever to write a review because… well, life intervened. It’s a wonderful book and I'm recommending it to everyone!… (més)