I was just wondering if my 11 year old might like that sort of thing!
That one looks very interesting ā itās on my virtual to-read list but I havenāt gotten a copy yet.
Whoa, just found out Andrew Peterson has a nonfiction book coming out soon. Guess Iām adding that to my reading list too!
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Hello! Iām new here but I would like to recommend you a book: City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert. Itās really worth to read it.
I think I will read it. So often on these forums a book recommendation is motivated by a spiritual angle. I wonder if that is true for you in this case. I read this in the Goodreads write up:
Now ninety-five years old and telling her story at last, Vivian recalls how the events of those years altered the course of her life - and the gusto and autonomy with which she approached it. At some point in a womanās life, she just gets tired of being ashamed all the time, she muses. After that, she is free to become whoever she truly is.
I think that does present some potential grist for spiritual growth. But it would at least be grist for my own ongoing search to better understand a womanās perspective.
Wow, it is available in larger print and Iām only the fourth in line for it even though it is a new book. Woo hoo!
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It definitely will. Also, Iāll be glad to hear your feedback on this book.
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Gunning For God, John Lennox
Holy Longing by Ronald Rolhesier
Last Superstition, Edward Feser
Language of Science and Faith, Francis Collins and Karl Giberson
Surprised by Hope, N.T Wright
Paul, N.T Wright (Audiobook)
Coming to Peace with Science,Darrel Falk(Audiobook)
The Case for Christ (Movie Edition), Lee Strobel
Mere Christianity and Miracles, C.S Lewis
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Just ordered āAtheist Delusionsā by David Bentley Hart
Just got The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt and Thank God for Evolution by Micheal Dowd
My wife and I have been going back through Agatha Christieās first mysteriesāfrom 1918 and so onāsuch as the Tommy and Tuppence Beresford mysteries. We enjoy their good natured teasing of each other, as a married couple, in our bedtime readings.
In addition, I listen to Audible āWrinkle In Timeā currently. Itās relaxing.
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Just ordered āA Worldview Approach to Science and Scriptureā by Carol Hill after reading the interview with her on the BioLogos blog recently.
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I still have my copy of Jonathan Haidtās book from the library but it has been getting some stiff competition from a good run of novels. First there was the fanciful historical novels of the Ibis trilogy set around the opium wars of the early 1820ās which was just plain good story telling. Now Iām really liking The Overstory by Richard Powers that won a Pulitzer last year. Took a half a year to get my turn with it from the library and so far worth the wait. It reads like a series of thought provoking short stories but is described as a nature novel centering around trees. As someone not raised on Bible stories I need to take good stories where I find them.
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Just got the Hill book in, easy reading and looks like something good to share with friends puzzled with the subject. Beautifully illustrated.
I always have a half dozen books on the go:
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I still need to finish Gijsbert van den Brinkās Reformed Theology and Evolutionary Theory, which I highly recommend regardless of where you stand on Reformed Theology.
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Iām about halfway through Marianne Taylorās The Pocket Book of Insect Anatomy, which at 224 pages is not all that pocket-sized. But it is a fantastically readable and fascinating introduction to the topic.
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As well as the equally fascinating Spider Behaviour: Flexibility and Versatility edited by Marie Elisabeth Herberstein. Though it is a lot more technical than Taylorās book above.
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Finally, Iām also reading Jerry Coyneās Why Evolution Is True. Despite the title, I probably wouldnāt recommend it to a Christian wanting to explore (or who is wrestling with) the evidence for evolution. The opening chapters have been a little preachy in their anti-creator rhetoric and I found a it a little too āBehold the manifold wisdom of St. Darwinā - if you know what I mean
. Although, having seen an interview with Coyne about the book, and it seems like it is geared (in part) towards an American audience where ~40% deny evolution outright, so that might explain some of the language. That said, it is very, very readable and Coyne does a great job of drawing the reader into topics which could otherwise be a bit dry and technical for the non-science minded person. This is also the only book in this list that I didnāt really choose. Rather it is part of the recommended reading for a Coursera on Evolution and Genetics Iām taking so thought Iād try and read a chapter a week in line with the lessons. So far so good.
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I am looking for good books that lay out compelling evidence for evolution, and explain it all logically and clearly. Dawkins TBW was good, although I am finding it hard to confirm his claims. Sounds like Coyne is a step down. Iāve read through Vennemaās articles, which are pretty good. Anyone else have recommendations in this vein? Preferably considered up to date so if I find something that doesnāt turn out to be correct the response is not just āoh, everyone knows that, the book is out of date.ā
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Have you read Ernst Mayrās What Evolution Is? It was updated and released in 2014 - Iām not sure if that is new enough for you but I found it helpful. Certainly, more technical than - in fact I forgot I had it until I read your reply so I might return Coyne and reread Mayr.
Yeah, I have heard that he is very, very good. I just find his religiophobia and huuuuggggeeeee ego such a high barrier to entry. He may well be a brilliant scientist, but he doesnāt have to be a prat about it. Perhaps, his more scientific books are less like that, and if so, maybe Iāll give them a go. Any suggestions on where to start with Dawkins?
Does he not provide references/footnotes/endnotes?
The Blind Watchmaker is all Iāve read, and it is well articulated and lays out a logically consistent theory of Darwinian evolution. It is the most coherent evolution book Iāve read, not that I have read many. I just ignore his religious jabs.
The specific, and seemingly significant claim that I cannot reproduce is the molecular clock hypothesis. I tested it on some mammal mtDNA, and almost half of my dataset violates the hypothesis. I will be testing it on other data to see if something else produces the clock.
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I really benefited from reading Dawkinsā āClimbing Mount Improbableā and would recommend that to anybody. I donāt even remember him being all that preachy in it, though to be fair, I pretty easily tune that out from him now, due to practice. I also remember enjoying āRiver Out of Edenā, but the āClimbingā¦ā title I think was my favorite.
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Thanks Mervin, Iāll check it out.
Hahaā¦ Iām trying to do the same but donāt always succeed - as my long-suffering wife will tell you - clearly I need more immersion therapy to build up my tolerance.
I also recommend reading Dembskiās Design Inference afterwards, which shows the relationship between Darwinism and ID. The ID arguments make a lot more sense in context of Dawkinsā TBW.