My Review of The Priviledged Planet by Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay W. Richasrds

I found this book to be a fascinating and well writen scientific evaluation of the uniqueness of our solar system and Earth in particular. It is not just for scientists however. It is written so that even someone like me  - who clepted the sciences in college in the 1990s so I could finish college with a degree when I was closer to 70 than 60 years old – could understand and appreciate it.

This book has a lot of illistrations and there are 19 plates in the center of the book for greater understanding and pleasure.

On page 231 the authors talk about Copernicus, how he lived during the Renaissance and early Reformation which were periods of enormous change and upheaval – periods that helped form his own revolutionary ideas. He saw the problems of Aristotelian “epicycles” and “equants” and wrote his mathematical model which proposed that the earth rotats around its axis while it revolves around the sun along with the other planets. That was in 1543 so the idea was static then, but it opened the door for Newton to go through.The authors show Copernicus to have been “a Christian neo-Platonism in which the material worls itself, as the creation of an omnipotent God, could reflect the precision of mathematics, something unthinkable to the strict neo-Platonist.”

There are almost a hundred pages of notes for the reader to persue.

I recommend this book to both arm chair scientists and anyone who likes to go to You-Tube and see the videos from outer space, especially Christians.

This is the way the book is described on amazon:

In this astute mix of cultural critique and biblical studies, John H. Walton presents and defends twenty propositions supporting a literary and theological understanding of Genesis 1 within the context of the ancient Near Eastern world and unpacks its implications for our modern scientific understanding of origins. Ideal for students, professors, pastors and lay readers with an interest in the intelligent design controversy and creation-evolution debates, Walton's thoughtful analysis unpacks seldom appreciated aspects of the biblical text and sets Bible-believing scientists free to investigate the question of origins.

This is my review:

I got five copies of this book for a book study that never materailzed. I read it and wanted to share it with others because it was so good. Each chapter is a new proposition. It is a fascinating look at the first chapter of Genesis from the viewpoint of who it was writen for and the understanding of the people it was writen for at the time it was writen. It is revelent for us today of course, but easier to understand if we are aware of the way the ancients understood cosmology. There is a question and answer section at the back and a chapter for summary and conclusions. Although the writer recommends this book for students or people who are interested in science, I recommend it to everyone who loves the god of the Bible and needs a better understanding of his Word - that would be you I think. Anyone interested in getting a copy of this book by paying the postage may contact me at akleslieprice@gtmail.com 

Fred Heeren's book, Show Me God, is a demonstration of the message from the Bible that "the heavens declare the glory of God." Fred's unique style and sense of humor make this book full of scientific facts a real pleasure to read. one of Fred's shocking summary statements is: "Some Creationists believe in the big bang theory and some don't, but everyone who believes in the bag bang theory must be a creationist." The last chapters of the book are a fiction story "The Message From Space." I highly recommend this book, I certainly enjoyed it.

A Road Called Love - The Complest Series by Murray Pua 

I'm not too fond of Amish or Love stories, but something made me want to check this one out. I'm so glad I did. I felt like I was in love and forgot the characters were fiction until I started praying for their safety and thanking God for the good people they met on their road trip. This isn't just a trip across America by a couple of Amish kids for a lark. It's a look into the heart of God through his people in strange places. It's an eye opener for the reader as he/she looks at the lives of dedicated Christians who know how to wait on the Lord and act according to his directions even when fear threatens to paralyze them.