OUR WORLD

A Christian minister and scientist uses Earth’s natural wonders as a lens to explore his faith.

In this debut book, Salloum draws inspiration from biblical passages that suggest “the natural world, with all its orderliness, beauty, and variety…is much more than matter and energy.” Indeed, while the author joins many Christians in interpreting the books of the Bible as God’s “inspired written words,” he urges fellow believers to return to complementary notions that argue that God uses “His visible Creation as one of His principal vehicles by which to convey something ineffable, namely knowledge of Himself.” As an Anglican minister who taught high school and university-level geography and earth science for more than half a century, Salloum masterfully blends a solid understanding of Christian theology with scientific expertise. While inspired by the author’s faith, the book’s narrative mostly focuses on the scientific principles that make life on Earth possible. As such, this is an effective primer, particularly for scientifically skeptical Christians, on the fundamentals of earth science, including geology, meteorology, and oceanography, as well as the basic principles of astronomy, physics, and biology. An ample assortment of photographs, maps, and diagrams complements Salloum’s writing, which exemplifies the patient, confident guidance of a veteran classroom teacher. Peppered throughout the book’s planetary lessons are Bible verses and inspirational quotes by Christian thinkers like C.S. Lewis that remind readers of the volume’s religious motivations without devolving into the arguments deployed by Christian fundamentalists against established science. Perhaps most impressively, the work does not reject scientific consensus, nor does it avoid difficult topics, particularly how an orderly world created by God is also a place of constant natural disasters, from floods and hurricanes to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The author’s occasional anecdotes about his personal travels and experiences are a bit self-indulgent. But overall, the book offers concise, well-researched, and valuable explanations of how the planet physically works, which will be of use to readers—regardless of their religion—interested in the basics of earth science.

An illuminating introduction to earth science that deftly bridges the divide between faith and reason.