TIME, GARBAGE, GOSPEL

A reconsideration of the concept of time that attempts to combine elements of modern science and religion.

Debut author Rink, a retired engineer, observes that the basic explanations of time “are inadequate to encompass our experience of life.” Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, in particular, serves to “demolish our intuitive notions that simultaneity, space, and time are the same to everyone, everywhere.” Such conclusions might be particularly upsetting to religious believers, he notes, who take comfort in believing that they share the same time and space with God and the rest of creation. However, the author forwards his own self-described “unconventional view of the metaphysics of time,” which makes an effort to reconcile modern physics with biblical wisdom. According to Rink, the universe tends toward entropic decline—an irreversible process of decay that, he asserts, can be detected in both material and spiritual terms. This irreversibility, though, hinges on the assumption that the universe is a closed system, which is not accepted by religious people, Rink says: “We may well believe that there is another realm that is…somehow beyond the reach of scientific observation. We might call this the spiritual realm, or, God.” Rink’s brief examination is remarkably concise at fewer than 100 pages, but also broad, as he furnishes an impressive synopsis of various historical perspectives on time, including those to found in poems, such as Dylan Thomas’ classic “Fern Hill.” Moreover, he writes in an admirably lucid and accessible prose style; one needn’t have a prior expertise in either physics or theology to benefit from these discussions. Rink isn't attempting here to convert non-Christians, but rather to suggest that it’s possible to simultaneously believe in the “promise of deliverance” and the latest modern cosmologies. He does so by supplying a rigorous account of both that’s free of peremptory evangelizing or philosophical dogmatism. For those interested in possible points of convergence between science and theology, Rink’s hopeful effort will likely prove stimulating.

A thoughtful treatment of a historically vexing issue.