Grasp: Making Sense of Science and Spirituality by Jim Trainor (2010. UpNorth Press. ISBN 9781456354084)
This is second of three books given to me by my evangelical friend, Vicky. All of the books, two novels and this nonfiction treatise examining the intersection of faith and fact, were written by physicist-turned-Episcopal-priest, James Trainor. My review of Trainor’s relationship novel, The Sand People, may be found under the “Reviews” tab above as an archived item.
Trainor is a good writer. His prose is succinct and to the point. It’s never flat and it certainly isn’t flowery, which, given the subject matter, hits just the right mark. Structurally, the author concentrates on the history of the “battle” between science and the church, recalling for us the conflict between Galileo and Roman Catholicism concerning the meaning of the orbital movements of planets, including Earth, around the sun. Remember that the science of Galileo’s day supported the notion that, due to humankind’s uniqueness in God’s universe, the Earth was stationary, the center of it all. This notion was disputed heatedly by Galileo and later proven false but, at one time, this human-centric “fact” was indeed not only faith, it was the science of the day. Trainor uses this example to launch a discussion of key modern day principles of physics, including the theory of relativity, the big bang theory, and quantum mechanics to reinforce his thesis that science, rather than being rooted in ultimate, inflexible truth, is sometimes a moving target. Changes in scientific theory and principles happen over time and thinking people of faith, regardless of their belief system, need to understand the relationship between science and religion as the two disciplines, are not, according to Trainor, necessarily mutually exclusive.
I found the writing and editing very nicely done for a Create Space (Amazon.com) book. The cover is a bit simple yet eye catching and Trainor’s approach, to gently prod the reader towards God (and the author’s own Christian beliefs) was spot on. It was an enjoyable and enlightening read that, while it doesn’t walk any new ground or solve any old riddles, is a book every seeker should read and keep on his or her shelf for reflection.
4 stars out of 5.
Inherit the Wind a Play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee (1955. Ballantine. ISBN 9780345466273)
Loosely based in the court case of The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes (usually denoted as the Scopes Trial), this play-turned-novella was the authors’ attempt to call attention to the purges of the McCarthy era by harkening back to an infamous courtroom drama from the 1920s. The authors (and all websites I consulted) make it clear that Inherit the Wind has many elements of fiction embedded in its storytelling but is indeed loosely based upon a trial that featured fundamentalist Christian and perennial presidential candidate, William Jennings Bryan, against Clarence Darrow. The basic plot of the play is true to the underlying events: A teacher (Scopes in real life, Bert Cates in the play) is charged with a crime, teaching evolution in a public school in violation of Tennessee law. Bryan (Matthew Harrison Brady in the play) takes on the role of state’s attorney to prosecute the teacher. Darrow (Henry Drummond) is hired by the ACLU to defend the accused. But while much of the theory and tension behind the original dispute rings true in the stage and movie version of the Scopes dispute, web resources are quick to point out that very little of the detail in the play, including major portions of the characters’ lives, is based on reality. Such slight-of-hand, resorting to fiction when the transcripts of the actual trial are available to support a fictionalized telling of an important tale, seems misguided.
Still, even burdened by archaic language and a somewhat grandiose style, Inherit the Wind reminds readers (and play and movie audiences: the cinematic version of the tale, starring Frederic Marsh in the Bryan role and Spencer Tracy as Darrow/Drummond, was nominated for four Oscars, including Tracy for best actor) of the tension between religious fundamentalism and science in a way that is enlightening and entertaining. (See review above for more on this topic!) An important, if dated, reminder of the fragility of our freedoms both religious and intellectual.
3 and 1/2 stars out of 5.
