 THE EVOLUTION CONTROVERSY: A Survey of Competing Theories, by
Thomas B. Fowler and Daniel Kuebler.
Baker Academic. 384 pp. $26.
CHANCE OR PURPOSE?: Creation, Evolution, and a Rational Faith, by
Christoph Cardinal Schönborn.
Ignatius Press. 184 pp. $19.95.
THE FAITH OF SCIENTISTS: In Their Own Words, edited by Nancy K.
Frankenberry. Princeton University
Press. 542 pp. $29.95.
DOES SCIENCE MAKE BELIEF IN GOD OBSOLETE? Thirteen Views on the Question, edited by Michael Shermer.
John Templeton Foundation. 42
pp. Free at www.templeton.org/belief.
THE SKY IS NOT A CEILING: An Astronomer's Faith, by
Aileen O’Donoghue.
Orbis Books. 174 pp. $18.
CHRIST IN EVOLUTION, by Ilia Delio,
O.S.F. Orbis Books. 228 pp. $18.
Reviewed by MARK M. WILKINS, who
teaches morality and bioethics classes at St.
Xavier High School in Cincinnati.
THIS MONTH WE OBSERVE the 200th
anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin,
the 19th-century proponent of
evolution whose name continues to
incite great passion in the debate over
the cultural, philosophical and religious
impact of this basic premise of
modern biology. In differing ways,
these six books address the relationship
of science and religion.
A good place to start is with Thomas
Fowler and Daniel Kuebler’s book. It is
a true overview of the issues of the evolution
controversy. An engineer and a
biologist (respectively) who teach at
Catholic colleges, the authors attempt
to clarify the language and positions
taken by various sides of the evolution
debate. The subject of this book is the
content of the controversy, not one
school of thought.
Their work begins with an overview
of the development of the theory of
evolution, a review of the evidence presented
and an examination of the “raw
evidence.” Then they summarize and
comment on the four leading schools
of thought: Neo-Darwinism, Creationist,
Intelligent Design and Meta-
Darwinism.
Each chapter on the four schools
ends with a summary of the arguments
for and against that position, as well as
a checklist of how well it meets the 10
criteria of a genuine scientific theory.
The work concludes with an assessment
of the public policy implications,
then a summary of the controversy
and the road that
lies ahead. A technical glossary
covers terms from abiogenesis to vestigial structures,
enabling readers to find
their way through technical
terms. A bibliography includes
resources for further
study.
The purpose of this text
is to inform, not to take a
position on what is best or
true. The book is structured
so that it can be read cover to cover, but
most chapters stand alone.
While much of the attention is given
to those who hold the extreme positions,
there are many who seek to walk
a middle ground. Despite assumptions
to the contrary, a Catholic leader who
believes in honest and serious discussion
between natural science and theology
is Cardinal Christoph Schönborn,
O.P., archbishop of Vienna.
His brief 2005 op-ed article “Finding
Design in Nature” in The New York
Times stirred great debate. This work is
an extended reflection on the theology
of creation and grew out of a series
of monthly lectures that he gave on
Sundays in the Cathedral of St. Stephen
in Vienna.
In nine stages, Cardinal Schönborn
presents the Catholic belief in God the
Creator and the Christian understanding
of creation and of humans as having
been created by God. His essays
address questions that arise from the
natural sciences, but without disputing
particular results or theories.
Since the Second Vatican Council
emphasized that theology and natural
sciences do not contradict one another,
any conflict arises only when one (or
both) strays beyond its own sphere of
knowledge and faith.
Three sections of Schönborn’s book
are most pertinent to the work of Darwin.
The third essay notes that the
Bible does not offer any theory
about the origin of the
world and the development
of species. What the cardinal
says is that nothing
exists of itself; everything
is created. Further, variety is
no accident or the result of
chance but is willed by the
Creator, since no one creature
alone can reflect God.
The cardinal also comments
on Darwin’s emphasis
on expediency and writes
about the purposelessness of beauty.
In other chapters, Schönborn reflects
on the belief that creation is not just
an act of God at the beginning of
the world, but continues today. In
Schönborn’s words, theology talks
about continuing creation and providence.
Then in the final essay, he presents
a reflection on the role that
reason plays in making sure that science
and theology do their duty in
helping humanity find meaning and
direction in their life.
In conjunction with Cardinal Schönborn’s
essays, I suggest reading Nancy
Frankenberry’s anthology of writings
by 21 notable scientists from the 16th century to the present. The selections
center on their faith, their views about
God and the place religion holds—or
does not hold—in their lives
in light of their commitment
to science.
Drawn from their own
words in many primary
sources, the essays show a
spectrum of views from
many areas of scientific
inquiry. The author includes
Galileo, Kepler, Newton,
Darwin and Einstein in
the “Founders of Modern
Science” section. Rachel
Carson, Carl Sagan, Jane
Goodall and Stephen Hawking are the
more familiar recent scientists.
Some scientists indicate that their
inspiration is supernatural while others
draw from nature alone. Many are very
conventional, while others are somewhat
unorthodox.
Yet the readings indicate that even
the more orthodox thinkers (such as
Galileo, Kepler, Newton and John Polkinghorne)
had their questions and
eccentricities. Critics of conventional
religions (like Sagan and Richard
Dawkins) focus on religious questions
such as the argument from design and
the cause of the cosmos.
The pamphlet from the Templeton
Foundation covers much of the same
ground as Frankenberry’s anthology,
but does so in a much briefer format. It
is recommended because it includes an
essay by Cardinal Schönborn, as well as
the atheist-evangelist Christopher
Hitchens. The Templeton Foundation
serves as a philanthropic catalyst for
research and dialogue on what scientists
and theologians alike call the “big
questions.” The price is right for a classroom
resource!
The final two books come from contemporary
women struggling to make
sense of how scientific discoveries and
lessons can support their faith while
making certain that their faith informs
their scientific work.
Aileen O’Donoghue is a professor of
astronomy and a “journeying” Catholic
who followed her love of the sky and
the stars. It led her from an encounter
with loneliness and emptiness to an
experience of otherness and a relationship
with that same sky’s loving
intelligence.
One of the striking aspects
of her work is how she
connects the calibration and
refinement used by scientists
to check their data to
how we can discern and
understand the faith experiences
of other people and
ourselves. She includes reading,
belonging to a parish
community and a 30-day
Ignatian retreat as key components
for her.
O’Donoghue weaves her
spiritual journey and lessons about
astronomy together in a very intriguing
way. The sky will never look the same
again.
Ilia Delio is a professor and director
of the Franciscan Center at Washington
(D.C.) Theological Union. She turns to
evolution for the dynamic understanding
of God and God’s creation. She writes that “[e]volution is integral
to the mystics’ vision, not as a science
but as a way of discovering God.”
While I think that the simplified use
of evolution without connecting with
natural selection and random mutation
could confuse those who refer to
it only in the scientific sense, she does
turn from a simplistic designer or creator
to the dynamic meaning of Jesus
Christ. How do we come to experience
the divine now?
After presenting her basic principles
in Chapter 1, Delio writes two chapters
that give a sweeping view of Christ and
the Incarnation from the Gospels
through the Middle Ages, particularly
emphasizing Alexander of Hales, St.
Bonaventure and Blessed Duns Scotus.
The four guides she selects to lead us
through the modern world are Pierre
Teilhard de Chardin, S.J., the Catholic
Hindu scholar Raimon Panikkar,
Thomas Merton, O.S.C.O., and Bede
Griffiths, O.S.B.
All in all, these books represent a cross section of the books published
in the last several years that examine
the science and faith question. Each
of them, in my opinion, presents an
incomplete analysis. They are incomplete
only because humans are incomplete—no matter what our academic
degrees or position of authority.
Are there truths to be pursued? Yes.
But we have to do it together, over the
long haul. We should not dismiss what
we cannot understand or accept as real.
For anyone trying to get a better perspective
on the legacy of Charles Darwin
regarding science and faith, these
books provide a wide array of options.
You can order THE EVOLUTION CONTROVERSY: A Survey of Competing Theories, CHANCE OR PURPOSE?: Creation, Evolution and a Rational Faith, THE FAITH OF SCIENTISTS: In Their Own Words, DOES SCIENCE MAKE BELIEF IN
GOD OBSOLETE? Thirteen Views on
the Question, THE SKY IS NOT A CEILING: An
Astronomer’s Faith and CHRIST IN EVOLUTION from St. Francis Bookshop.
THIS LITTLE LIGHT: Lessons in Living
From Sister Thea Bowman, by
Michael O’Neill McGrath. Orbis
Books. 93 pp. $20.
Reviewed by JOHN FEISTER, an assistant
editor of this publication who first wrote
about Sister Thea Bowman in this magazine
in 1985, and photographed her for a
2001 profile. He, along with Charlene
Smith, F.S.P.A., is completing a full-length
biography of Sister Thea.
SISTER THEA BOWMAN (1937-1990)
was a widely known African-American
Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration,
who devoted her life to intercultural
awareness. She was
born and raised in the
Mississippi Delta, where
her physician-father and
teacher-mother set their
roots in Canton, Mississippi.
Young Thea, an only
child, was called to be a
follower of Francis and
Clare, to join the sisters
who had come to provide
education and help to the
oppressed poor of her
community. In the prime of her ministry,
she was known in Church circles
for her workshops on race relations.
She became famous after CBS’s 60
Minutes did a moving profile of her,
which was seen by millions. Cancer
claimed her just as she was coming into
this broader recognition, but the indefatigable
Thea used her cancer to
deepen her witness. From a wheelchair,
the ailing Thea made a famous presentation
to an assembly of United States
Catholic bishops, in which she cajoled
several hundred bishops into joining
hands and singing together the civil-rights
anthem, “We Shall Overcome.”
Is it any wonder that she, even in
death, continues to make a profound
impact? Brother Michael O’Neill
McGrath is witness to that. He discovered
Thea after her death and, at the
same time, found a key to his own faith
journey.
Mickey McGrath is primarily a
painter; I expected this short book to be
mostly a collection of his paintings of
Sister Thea, who had become a muse to
him and the subject of many wonderful
paintings. The book is indeed lavishly
illustrated with those paintings. In
addition, Mickey has written a narrative
that is as much at the heart of this
book as are the paintings.
In the narrative, Mickey shares his
own struggle with grief and creativity,
with personal oppression and freedom.
In his Introduction, he says, “If you
are in grief, let her show you how to
live beyond emptiness. If you are sick,
let her show you how to live with pain.
If you are afraid and anxious, let her
walk with you a while and hold your
hand. If you have lost sight of beauty,
let her hold up a mirror so
you can see how beautiful
you are.” Those words are
the key to this book.
In allowing Thea’s
saintly presence to heal
and enliven him, Mickey
McGrath was able to
unleash new forces of freedom
and creativity in his
own life. He offers Thea’s
life, ministry and witness
as a way for any reader to
do the same.
The themes of Thea’s life are captured
in the words of the Negro spirituals
that this virtuoso singer (who was
also a university professor of English, a
William Faulkner expert) brought to
her audiences. “Sometimes I Feel Like
a Motherless Child,” “This Little Light
of Mine” and other titles organize McGrath’s narrative and presentation
of Thea images.
Essentially, the book is a short biography,
told in words and paintings. It
is an artist’s explanation of the energy
behind his various paintings of Sister
Thea.
At the end of the book, McGrath
devotes a chapter to the Sisters of the
Visitation of Holy Mary, who live in a
Minneapolis “monastery” in the spirit
of Sts. Francis de Sales and Jane de
Chantal. The sisters provide a ministry
of hospitality in a poor neighborhood
that is primarily African-American.
“How Thea-esque,” reflects McGrath,
“to take their spirituality, something
so old, so tried and true, and refashion
it into something relevant to our world
today.”
That is the key to this engaging,
beautiful book. Mickey McGrath sees
that energy of renewal and gospel
authenticity in Sister Thea Bowman’s
life and death, and wants to share it
with anyone who will watch and listen.
You can order THIS LITTLE LIGHT: Lessons in Living
From Sister Thea Bowman from St.
Francis Bookshop.
SEX & THE SOUL: Juggling Sexuality,
Spirituality, Romance, and Religion
on America’s College Campuses, by
Donna Freitas. Oxford University
Press. 299 pp. $24.95.
Reviewed by TYLER BLUE, who graduated
in 2008 from the University of Dayton
with journalism and religious studies
degrees and was an intern in the St.
Anthony Messenger Press book department
last summer and fall. In January he began
his graduate studies in journalism at
Northwestern University.
WHEN IT COMES to the sexual habits
of American college students, a “Don’t
ask, don’t tell” policy prevails. But
Donna Freitas decided to ask, and what
the students told her is, well, telling.
Freitas, an assistant professor of religion
at Boston University, surveyed
over 2,500 undergraduates at seven colleges
and universities across the United
States, in addition to conducting
exhaustive interviews with 111 of
them. Covering four institution types—Evangelical, Catholic, secular private
and secular public—she set out to discover
students’ thoughts on the topics
of sex and religion and determine
whether students see any connection
between the two.
Readers might find it eye-opening
that the sexual culture at Catholic institutions
has more in common with public
and secular private schools than with
their Evangelical counterparts. In fact,
the study leads Freitas to divide schools
not by whether they are religiously affiliated
or secular, but by whether they are
religious (the Evangelical schools) or
spiritual (everyone else).
At the “spiritual” schools, most students
have abandoned institutional
religion, relying instead on individual
notions of “spirituality,” which are kept
private and are very much
amorphous. In other words,
it’s like having a map that’s
missing its north arrow: You
may know where you want
to go, but you have no sense
of direction to guide you
there.
So, predictably, it becomes
almost impossible for
these students with weak
moral grounding to resist
the strong temptation to
give in to their sexual
desires. As a result, the spiritual campuses
are awash in what Freitas refers to
as “hook-up” culture, where two people
meet up at parties or bars, go home
together and have one-night stands—with absolutely no strings attached.
Meanwhile, the pendulum swings
the other way at the Evangelical colleges.
Here, one is hard-pressed to find
a place on campus that doesn’t integrate
faith into the everyday lives of the
students. And yet, at these schools, sex
(at least the premarital kind) is more or
less equated with blasphemy of the
Holy Spirit (read, unforgivable).
Freitas understands that the strength
of her book derives from the narratives
of the oft-conflicted, ever-complicated
(even hypocritical) students, who consistently
come through with excruciatingly
honest and personal accounts of
their sexual experiences. Take, for example,
the young man who despises when
girls he’s “hooked up” with expect so
much as a phone call the next day, yet
who still loves his ex-girlfriend whose
busy schedule prevented her from
spending enough time with him.
Readers will have a hard
time knowing whether to
be extremely upset at the
casual attitudes many of
these students exhibit toward
sex or to reach out in
sympathy to these visibly
confused souls—who recognize
something is amiss
from their behavior but who
feel powerless to change the
pervasive culture.
The book falters a bit
toward the end, as Freitas
presents the “three musts” that parents,
pastors and others should take
into account before sending their child,
parishioner, etc., off to college. Are we
really to believe that giving a second
sex-talk to a teenager right before
he/she leaves for college will be enough
to change the “hook-up” culture?
While Freitas is hard on the colleges
that seemingly do nothing to promote healthy romance on their campuses,
she is virtually silent when it comes to
the role parents have in shaping their
child’s view on sex and religion.
Still, this book is unflinching in its
portrayal of what really takes place Friday
and Saturday nights on campuses
nationwide. Before a problem can be
solved, it must first be exposed. Kudos
to Freitas for bringing into the light
issues that, up till now, we’ve tried to
hide in darkness.
You can order SEX & THE SOUL: Juggling Sexuality,
Spirituality, Romance, and Religion
on America’s College Campuses from St.
Francis Bookshop.
A CIVILIZATION OF LOVE: What
Every Catholic Can Do to Transform
the World, by Carl Anderson. HarperOne. 203 pp. $19.95.
Reviewed by MICHAEL J. CREMIN IV, a
middle school English teacher in Medford,
Massachusetts. He is a graduate of the
University of Maine and the University of
Massachusetts, and is a veteran of the
United States Navy. He lives in Reading,
Massachusetts, with his wife and two
daughters, and attends Mass at St.
Patrick’s Parish in Stoneham.
“I GIVE YOU a new commandment:
Love one another. As I have loved you,
so you also should love one another”—
John 13:34.
Although most Catholics associate
the word vocation with a call to the
priesthood and the religious life, the
simplest definition of the word is “to
summon.” Carl Anderson, the Supreme
Knight of the Knights of Columbus, is
issuing a summons to all Catholics to
discover their vocation to love one
another.
Anderson’s book, A Civilization of
Love: What Every Catholic Can Do to
Transform the World, offers a thoughtful
and wide-ranging examination of how
love can change the world, and how we
as Catholics must heed the call of our
vocation as given to us by Jesus.
The title of the book is taken from
Pope John Paul II’s 1980 encyclical
Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy). Referencing
Popes John Paul and Benedict
XVI, Anderson describes the
rationale for creating a civilization
based on the radical love and self-sacrifice
of Jesus Christ. Using the
Knights of Columbus as an example of
a successful global and charitable organization
of lay Catholics, the author
challenges all Catholics to engage the
world by actively loving those around
us: family, friends, co-workers and
those with whom we may have less in
common.
A Civilization of Love is divided into
nine chapters. At the end of each chapter,
there are suggestions for contemplation
and action which make the
book an ideal choice for a book club, an
adult faith-formation group or an RCIA
program. Each chapter is
footnoted, and there is a
helpful bibliography at the
end. There is also an excellent
supporting Web site at
www.acivilizationoflove.com.
This wonderful, thought-provoking
book covers a
wide range of topics of interest
to all Catholics. The early
chapters serve as a sort of
primer on the meaning of
love, the role of natural law
in the formation of one’s conscience,
the universality of the Golden Rule and
the power of love to change the world
for the better.
Anderson’s later chapters focus on
the application of love to our current
debates over the role of globalization,
the ethics of business and the marketplace,
and the inherent worth and dignity
of all human beings, including
those who have yet to be born.
Anderson is obviously well-read and
moves easily among wide-ranging references
to papal encyclicals, secular
philosophers, social scientists, literary
writers and theologians. Catholics, the
author argues, should stand in contrast
to “the masters of suspicion” who
believe that there is no God, and argue
that humankind is capable of being
moral with no reference to an external,
objective ethical order.
One can’t help but contrast Anderson’s
passionate call for all people to
love one another and to practice Christian
humanism with the mini-boom
in atheistic literature by men like
Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris.
The final chapter, “A Continent of
Baptized Christians,” discusses the
inevitable demographic shifts in the
ethnic and cultural makeup of the
United States. America, Anderson
argues, is shifting away from its traditional
ties to a rapidly secularizing
Western Europe and becoming increasingly
influenced by the more faithful
and conservative cultures of Latin
America.
Anderson’s discussion of the needs of
the poor in the global South is an eye-opening
preview of things to come. In
12 short years, 60 percent of all
Catholics in the world will
live in Asia, Africa or Latin
America. These Catholics
will be dramatically poorer
and younger than American
Catholics.
What is our responsibility
to our Catholic brothers
and sisters in the developing
world, the author asks, and
what do these changes
mean for the global Church?
Overall, A Civilization of
Love asks Catholics to recognize
that our incredible technological
and intellectual advances have far
outpaced our ethical and moral thinking.
Anderson believes that the
Catholic Church has an essential role to
play in building up the foundations of
a world where love, rather than profit
or self-absorption, serves as the basis for
our personal actions and our societal
policies.
“The responsibility of Christians in
our own times,” Anderson writes, is
“to radically transform culture, not by
imposing values from above, but
through a subtler yet more powerful
process—living a vocation of love in
the day-to-day reality of our lives.”
Sounds like good advice to me.
You can order A CIVILIZATION OF LOVE: What
Every Catholic Can Do to Transform
the World from St. Francis Bookshop.
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