An uneven rhetorical melding of the biochemical and the miraculous.
A biochemist attempts to map the discoveries of his discipline onto traditional beliefs of Christianity.
This slim nonfiction debut splits the study of human existence into two parallel narratives: the physical and the spiritual. Chalmers (Biochemistry/Flinders Univ.) hews closely to his pedagogical roots for much of his book’s length, instructing readers fairly and clearly on the basics of human physiology and biochemistry—from the structure and function of DNA to the composition and mutation of genetic material. These explanatory segments accompany the author’s passionate readings of Scripture and his emotionally generous interpretation of the Christian worldview: “There will never be anyone like you,” he writes in a typically stirring passage. “God loves and values you to the extent that He gave his life for you at Calvary, so that you could be freed from your sins and spend an eternity of happiness with him.” These and similar passages effectively appeal to the spiritual side of the Christian experience. However, they’re offset by other moments of biblical literalism, such as references to the Creation story or the Great Flood as “historical events,” an assertion that “rock strata indicate a massive worldwide flood, because the strata indicate they were laid down at about the same time,” and the idea that Earth, the galaxy, and the universe are all 6,500 years old. Looking at the complexity of living biology, the author writes that “Only God could design anything so beautiful yet complex,” and he calls any scientific argument to the contrary “a terrible insult to God, our Creator.” This perspective will limit the appeal of the book to Christians who already share the author’s views.
An uneven rhetorical melding of the biochemical and the miraculous.Pub Date: Nov. 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5043-0496-2
Page Count: 114
Publisher: BalboaPressAU
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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