Science and Faith in Harmony: Contemplations on a Distilled Doxology

SCIENCE AND FAITH IN HARMONY: Contemplations on a Distilled Doxology by Sy Garte. Kregel Publications, 2024. 256 pages, foreword by Sean McDowell. Paperback; $21.99. ISBN: 9780825448157. *The author of this book of meditations, Sy Garte, is a now-retired distinguished biochemist who held tenured university positions at NYU, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers. He also served in administrative roles at the NIH and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. As an author of over 200 scientific papers, he is a first-rate scientist who brings nearly unparalleled scientific expertise to matters of concern for Christians who have an interest in scientific topics. Of particular note, Garte became a Christian quite late in his scientific career (in his 60s), finally rejecting the atheism he had espoused most of his life. (His conversion experience is described in his book The Works of His Hands, which has a foreword by Alister McGrath.) This is therefore quite a unique devotional book, for it reflects a full life of secular scientific experience and practical wisdom combined with the zeal of an adult convert. It is clear that Garte has had an inquiring mind and broad interests throughout his entire life, which help keep the book fresh and full of surprises. He grew up in Brooklyn where his mother was a piano teacher and his father a mandolin-playing chemist. Immersed in music, he attended the prestigious New York High School of Music and Art, but later discovered his greater talents lay in science. *There are 44 meditations (or "contemplations" as the sub-title refers to them), each about five pages long. In these, Garte expounds on an interesting scientific fact or idea and links it to some aspect of Christian life, doctrine, or theology. As in his introduction: *"The forty-four chapters are vignettes in various styles. Some include personal stories of my experiences as a scientist, first as an atheist and then as a Christian. And some discuss aspects of science that may be new to you, and even inspiring, in how they relate our faith to God" (p. 14) . *There are some connections between the meditations, but generally they may be read in any order, or read only periodically without need of remembering exactly what came before. *One aspect of this book I found particularly helpful are the several resources Garte provides at the end of each chapter for further exploration of the topic of the meditation--usually a scientific topic but sometimes theological or philosophical. There are generally one or two references from two or three of the following categories: books, articles, blogs, and videos. The web-based references are conveniently linked to the author's website (sygarte.com). The videos in particular are excellent learning and teaching resources. *This book is suitable for many audiences, but I would say two categories would be especially well served: non-Christian scientists and engineers, and Christians who have an interest in science but have not done much reading in science and faith. Garte's primary goal as stated in the introduction is to demonstrate the harmony of science and Christianity, thus addressing the perceived conflict between the two, which he believes continues to be a stumbling block for many non-Christians. For a Christian reader, however, Garte's expert treatment of a wide variety of scientific topics and their ties to the Christian life is truly devotional and worshipful. "Distilled doxology" is the phrase Garte uses to describe his project, and indeed he is able to repeatedly take a different scientific topic, strip it down to its basics so that any educated lay audience can understand and, with his fertile imagination and life experiences, tie it to Christianity in original ways, producing a sense of wonder and appreciation for God's providence and grace. *Longtime readers in science and theology will be familiar with most of the topics and themes presented by Garte, but I found that his original approach and expertise were quite interesting and offered some fresh angles. For example, in one meditation he describes gene regulation networks and makes an analogy to Christian social networks and the body of Christ. In another meditation, Garte connects a discussion of the peer-review process in science, including ethical guidelines, with the ethics of living in Christian community and the judgments and corrections that are sometimes necessary there. *Some might describe the final wrap-up sentences of each meditation as too saccharine, but I found that these concluding sentences testify to the pure joy and thrill that Garte feels about his relatively new-found Christian faith--a sentiment that is bursting throughout this entire book. As I read through the meditations, I often found myself reflecting not only on the grandeur of creation and the goodness of God, but also on how amazing it is that the power of the Gospel could convert and call to Christian service an atheist scientist as prominent as Sy Garte. *Reviewed by Peter Walhout, Chemistry Department, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL 60187.