A couple of months ago, Andy Walsh contacted me and asked if I would do a book review of his upcoming book, Faith Across the Multiverse: Parables from Modern Science. I agreed, but quite honestly, I was a bit hesitant. Yes, over the past three years I have written quite a lot about the creation/evolution debate, particularly about the dangers I see with young earth creationism. My area of expertise, though, is Biblical Studies, and not so much science itself. My biggest concern with young earth creationism has to do more with how it misreads Scripture, and how, for all intents and purposes, it places belief in a young earth as one of the central tenets of the Christian faith. As far as evolution is concerned, I don’t think it is inherently anti-God or contradicts Scripture at all. It is a theory that describes natural processes, nothing more. Sure, based on what I’ve come to learn about it, I think it is pretty convincing—in fact, as I wrote in my book, The Heresy of Ham, I’ve come to see how a proper understanding of evolutionary theory can actually help us understand the very concept of salvation better.
But as far as the nitty-gritty of science is concerned, I’ll be honest—it is not necessarily my cup of tea.
Therefore, when I saw that Walsh’s book was rather science-heavy, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able get into it. On top of that, Walsh, being a self-proclaimed science fiction/comic book nerd, also made it a point to incorporate into each chapter references to various science fiction movies and comic book stories. Now, I certainly do enjoy certain science fiction movies, but I am not by any stretch of the imagination a Big Bang Theory kind of guy.
So yes, I was a bit apprehensive.
Now, I will not lie: being the scientific novice that I am, there were parts of Walsh’s book that I really needed to take my time with. That being said, the way he was able to explain basic scientific concepts—yes, science!—and then creatively use them as analogies to explain various things from theology, faith, the dual-natures of Christ, to the Church itself was not only fascinating, but it was just downright enjoyable. If Sheldon and the gang from The Big Bang Theory were Christians who sought to explain Christianity through math, physics, biology, computer science, science fiction and comic books, I don’t think they would be able to do a better job than Walsh’s book.
Faith Across the Multiverse: Parables from Modern Science clearly is directed towards a Christian audience. On one hand, it will appeal to Christians who are deeply involved in the sciences and who often find themselves frustrated because they feel their fellow Christians look upon science itself with suspicion as some sort of antagonistic enigma that threatens faith. On the other hand, it will also appeal to any Christian who might have a certain amount of apprehension about the sciences, but who nevertheless is open to considering the possibility that science might not be the enemy of faith, as some people try to claim.
Who’s Up for an Overview?
There are twelve chapters in Faith Across the Multiverse, with a “Chapter 0” acting as an introduction. In it, Walsh essentially states his purpose for the book: it really is about translation—namely translating the language mathematics, physics, biology, and computer science into theology, and showing how they can actually help us understand the Christian faith better. Walsh then proceeds to devote three chapters to each category: Math (1-3), Physics (4-6), Biology (7-9), and Computer Science (10-12).
Chapter 1 (“This Chapter Has No Title”) is devoted to discussing the importance of Axioms within mathematics. Axioms are essentially self-evident assumed truths that are used to “bring forth all the familiar math we wanted and none of the paradoxes we didn’t” (30). Axioms in and of themselves cannot be deductively proven; rather, they are used and implemented as mathematicians work through mathematical questions. Walsh then proposes that we view faith in the God of the Bible as axiomatic. Instead of spending time trying to “prove” God exists, faith essentially is “choosing a set of assumptions, or axioms, or understanding the world” (35). In other words, we test out our faith as we go out in the world and make sense of it. Thus, as Walsh says, “The process of living our faith should then be highly exploratory, requiring active engagement and not passive acceptance” (44).
Chapter 2 (“The Hound of Heaven Across the Multiverse”) focuses on Equations, what Walsh calls “the poems of mathematics”—compact formulas full of meaning. As we all know from high school algebra, if one doesn’t get the equation balanced, things aren’t going to work. Using that concept, Walsh suggests that we see the Bible as essentially providing God’s “equation” for what it means to be human. Most notably, Walsh discusses the biblical insistence on balancing justice and mercy, rather than our human tendency to try to optimize one over the other. He also uses the example of Adam and Eve. What they essentially chose to do was to try and formulate their own equation for happiness and fulfillment. And as it is true for them, it is also true for us.
Chapter 3 (“Sovereignty in a Time of Spanners”) focuses on Parabolas and Strange Attractors. Essentially Walsh seeks to show how parabolas and strange attractors can help us understand that old theological conundrum of God’s sovereignty vs. free will. In doing so, Walsh refers to the Henon map, which shows the tendency of certain dynamic systems to stay within certain bounds. Walsh uses this to explain the relationship between sovereignty and free will: “We can get off pattern, and eventually events will come back to that pattern. There are still consequences to that choice, in that the exact spot within the pattern that gets visited with change, but overall the system stays in the attractor” (78). Simply put, although there are clear individual choices, they do not negate God’s ultimate plan.
Chapter 4 (“The Kamala Khan Conundrum”) is all about using the concept of Light Waves and Particles to explain, by analogy of course, the dual natures of Christ, how Christ can be both human and divine. Walsh points out that the nature of light encompasses both wave properties and particle properties. Thus, in order to understand light, scientists must embrace the contradiction. Similarly, if we are to understand Jesus, and indeed the Trinity, we must embrace the apparent contradiction inherent in those concepts as well.
Chapter 5 (“A Conspiracy of Chronometers”) uses the concept of things like Frameworks, Perspectives, Mass, Energy, and Light to discuss morality and sin. Using the example from the science fiction story Ender’s Game, Walsh argues that often times a change of perspective can help us view something (like morality) in a better light. He then proceeds to argue that Jesus ushers in a different perspective/framework on morality than the Old Testament Law. Just as can be seen in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus doesn’t get rid of the morality of the Old Testament Law, but rather shows how he himself is the true standard of moral behavior that was codified in the Old Testament Law. Walsh sees this as “a shift just as revolutionary as the one from invariant space and time to invariant light speed” (112).
Speaking of light, Walsh also provides a very creative analogy using the metaphor of Jesus as the light of the world. Walsh points out that light has no mass; therefore, perhaps a useful analogy is to see sin as mass. That being said, mass can be transformed into energy, just as we can be transformed from being sinful creatures to being part of the body of Christ.
Chapter 6 (“The Entropic Principle”) discusses Entropy and the Law of Thermodynamics. Basically, the Law of Thermodynamics says that an isolated system always increases in entropy. But in our world, the sun is constantly showering us in energy—in doing so, though, the sun is essentially exhausting itself to sustain life on earth. In a similar fashion, Jesus died so that we may live. Furthermore, we too are called to die as Jesus died and give our life for others. The very act of communion emphasizes this fundamental point: Christ died to give life to others, and we are called to do the same.
Chapter 7 (“The Genome Made Flesh”) discusses how DNA and, yes, Clones, can be used to understand the Church as the Body of Christ. Basically, Walsh says that our DNA is like a set of axioms—they have clear boundaries but are still incomplete. A person’s development also is dependent on the circumstances he/she will encounter in life. That is why, in a show like Orphan Black, the clones still have become very different people. They may share the same DNA, but they are still have become very different people. Walsh then uses this as an analogy for understanding the Church. The Bible is like the Church’s genome, but, “The role of context and heritage in the development of our church bodies helps to explain why we don’t all wind up looking the same, either individually or as congregations…even though we all read the same Bible” (156).
Chapter 8 (“Spleens, Strains, and Autoimmunity”) is all about things like Diseases and Viruses. Among many things, Walsh uses diseases to further his analogy in discussing the Church. He writes, “If we stick with the metaphor that he genome is to a cell what the Bible is to a Christian, then the picture of cancer corresponds to a scenario where the Bible is distorted in order to achieve rapid growth above all other considerations” (164).
Chapter 9 (“Redeemable Ant-Man”) is once again all about understanding the Church—and yes, Ants are involved. Walsh emphasizes the role of the colony when it comes to ants: all the individual ants still act as one for the betterment of the colony. In a similar fashion, therefore, we need to balance the idea of the individual Christian being “in God’s image” with the understanding that the Church as a whole is also “in God’s image.” Walsh writes, “If the church collectively is the body of Christ, then to some degree it is also the church that is the image of God. Individual humans may also bear the image of God, just as we can individually be Christlike” (189). Once we understand this, we can understand better just how dynamic the image of God is. As Walsh writes, “God is not inert, he is alive and active. Even within himself, his triune nature implies that he is constantly interacting, relating, and communing” (191).
Chapter 10 (“Squirrel Interrupted”) is all about…Writing Software? Yes, that’s right! Basically, Walsh notes that it requires not only fundamental rules that run the program, but it also must allow for certain improvisation—think of all the stuff computers do that actual respond to your questions, wants, interests, etc. Walsh, therefore, sees the very act of writing software analogous to life itself. God may be the ultimate planner, but as we live our lives, there is a certain amount of adaptation and improvisation involved. To use a music metaphor, Walsh writes, “Real life is generally a mixture of careful symphonic orchestration and jazzy riffs” (204). Yes, there is a fundamental plan and structure, but there is also room for creativity.
Chapter 11 (“BASIC Actions Stimulate Infinite Complexity”) discusses, of all things, Martial Arts and Computer Graphics. In both areas, they can be broken down to the repetition of simple movements and exercises that can be applied to different situations (i.e. just think of the famous, “Wax on, wax off!” from The Karate Kid). In a similar fashion, looking at the Sermon on the Mount, Walsh points out that Jesus isn’t so much simply creating more rules, as he is attempting to show how to apply those basic, simple rules to any given situation. It’s easy to simply “obey the rules.” It’s quite another thing to try to apply them to different situations. That is why Walsh says that it is imperative for the Christian “to be more engaged with the circumstances one finds oneself in, in order to determine how to apply the simple rules” (235).
The concluding chapter, Chapter 12 (“Mutatis Mutandis”), isn’t just about Mutants, it is ultimately about understanding Evolution from a Christian perspective. In fact, in this final chapter, Walsh emphasizes how everything in the first eleven chapters really are about evolution as well—natural life, as well as our spiritual life, really is about adaptation and transformation. There is far too much in this chapter to adequately cover in one paragraph, but Walsh makes a very convincing point that ultimately evolution provides us a new way of thinking about creativity: “As a creative process, evolution is also ongoing and unending. Evolution is about building on the past to live into the future. It is oriented forward but can never forget where it came from. It forges a legacy, then hands it on. It is always the story of a new creation, just like the Bible” (257).
Let’s Conclude
Needless to say, never in a million years would I have ever thought that science could help illuminate so much in the Christian faith. Now, I have hardly mentioned all the science fiction/comic book references Walsh makes in his book—I’ll leave that as a surprise for anyone who chooses to get this wonderful book. If you are a Christian at work in the sciences, Faith Across the Multiverse will undoubtedly reveal to you countless creative ways science can be used to illuminate Christian theology. If you are a Christian who might be intimidated by, or suspicious of, science, Faith Across the Multiverse will be quite a refreshing surprise. No, you will not be like Thomas Dolby and be blinded by science. Quite the contrary, as Walsh shows, you can actually come to a deeper understanding of the Christian faith by studying…science!
Psalm 19:1 tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God–after reading Faith Across the Multiverse, you’ll see that so does math, physics, biology, computer science…axioms, equations, parabolas, strange attractors, waves, particles, frameworks, thermodynamics, DNA, diseases, viruses, ants, software, computer graphics…and yes, even evolution.
