Richard Wright - Biology Through the Eyes of Faith: Christian College Coalition Series

S ome time ago the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (then called the Christian College Coalition) sponsored a series of eight books designed to examine the different disciplines from a Christian perspective. These were offered to students and faculty of the Christian colleges and universities as a way of strengthening their commitment to the integration of faith and learning. The first edition of Biology Through the Eyes of Faith, the second book in the series, has enjoyed a long and healthy life since its birth in 1989. It was showing signs of age, however. In recent years I have been urged by some of my biologist colleagues in the Christian colleges to work on a second edition, to help them in their ongoing task of presenting and discussing with their students the most recent scholarship and developments in the life sciences. I am pleased to offer this second edition to them and to all those who might be perplexed by the issues that bring biology and Christian thought into contact, especially the students who study biology.

It has been a joy to revisit the issues I laid out in the first edition, and bring them up-to-date. The issues surrounding origins continue to challenge Christians in biology: new fossils are being found; new schemes are being offered to explain the origin of life and the origin of humankind; new paradigms are being offered for interpreting origins issues from within Christendom. The four revolutions I presented in that edition have continued to generate new ideas and new technologies, posing new challenges to Christian thought. Who could have foreseen the dramatic advances brought to us by biotechnology in the human genome, cloning, stem cells, and reproductive techniques? Finally, the challenges of caring for Gods creation have pointed to our need to achieve a transition to a sustainable society. Those of us in the life sciences are clearly in the midst of some of the most far-reaching and exciting developments unfolding in this twenty-first century.

I offer once again a book that speaks to these issues from the point of view of a biologist with a long career in research and teaching at a Christian college and now with the opportunity to look back at what has happened and ahead to what must happen. Considering again the issues that bring biology and Christian thought together has served only to strengthen my faith as I realize even more the greatness of God as it is revealed in his works. I continue to be deeply indebted to those who have looked into the subject matters of this book and have put their thoughts in writingespecially those who have had a burden to bring knowledge from Gods world into harmony with knowledge from Gods Word. I also continue to have a profound appreciation for those who are seeking new knowledge in the life sciencesfor those who have been motivated to learn about how this world of life is structured and have chronicled their work in journals and books. This is a part of biology that I have participated in and would not have missed for the world!

I am especially grateful to three biologist colleagues who have read and commented on the chapters of this second edition: Jim Nichols, of Abilene Christian University; Andy Whipple, of Taylor University; and John Moore, also of Taylor University. My special thanks also go to Ron Mahurin, CCCU vice president of Professional Development and Research, for his diligent work in moving this project forward. I also thank my HarperSanFrancisco editors, Julia Roller and Lisa Zuniga, for their cheerful encouragement and careful editorial help in bringing the book to press. Finally, I thank my wife, Ann, whose loving care and patience have been the joy of my life.