Modern Physics and Ancient Faith, by Stephen M. Barr

Books on the dialogue or debate between religion and science are appearing at a rate daunting even to those who are used to working with big numbers, bringing to mind Qoheleth's claim: "Of the making of many books there is no end and much study is a weariness of the flesh." But Stephen M. Barr's book does not fall into this category. It energizes the reader, since its philosophical positions are well argued, its writing is clear and accessible, and its religious affirmations are provocative for believers and nonbelievers alike.

Barr argues that there is no debate between religion and science. The real conflict is between religion and materialism. He contends that the great discoveries of modern physics are more compatible with the central teachings of traditional Christianity and Judaism than with materialism. Though the book is an apologia which deals with the issues science raises for religion, Barr claims a harmony between religion and science which will intrigue even readers uninterested in apologetics. Refreshingly, Barr's apologia does not make grandiose claims for his conclusions, for "what the debate is about . . . is not proof but credibility."

Scientific materialism, or the claim that "nothing exists except matter, and that everything in the world must therefore be the result of the strict mathematical laws of physics and blind chance," is Barr's opponent. His definition does not cover all materialisms, for some would include energy with matter as the fundamental constituents of the universe, and laws of sciences other than physics as producers of what exists in the world. The definition is still serviceable, however, for many materialists combine reductionism with physics as the ultimate explanation in their worldview.