The Heavens, the Waters, and the Partridge: The Historical Interaction of Faith and Science Before Modern Science
The history of the interaction between Christianity and science is often treated as though it began with modern science. However, Christians have grappled with the interaction of their faith and the science of their day since the days of the early Church. The Heavens, the Waters, and the Partridge explores this fascinating and underappreciated history. This book explores various issues, looking at the Scriptural and scientific background, how different historical Christians interacted with the issue, and how that interaction has fared in the light of modern science. This history provides lessons that will help Christians know how to think about the interaction of Christianity and science today.
Explore the historical discussion about questions such as:
- Are the heavens immutable?
- Has mankind always existed?
- Is there water under the Earth?
- Are the heavenly bodies alive?
- What was the star of Bethlehem?
- And many more
Advance Praise for The Heavens, the Waters, and the Partridge…
Christians have been wrestling with the relationship between science and faith since the early days of the church. Yet surprisingly, there has not been an in-depth study of how the church fathers engaged classical science with focus on what we can learn for the current debate. The Heavens, the Waters, and the Partridge addresses some of the most interesting science-faith questions, such as the existence of the Star of Bethlehem, the size of the Ark, and Creatio Ex Nihilo. You will both learn from and enjoy this book.
—SEAN MCDOWELL, PhD, Author, Speaker, Associate Professor, Biola University
The Heavens, the Waters, and the Partridge fills a much-needed gap in the study of Christianity’s relationship with science. In it, Ewert covers 28 scientific controversies with which famous Christian writers from the past grappled. Sampling Christian luminaries such as Basil, Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, and Luther, Ewert shows that the Church has always faced attacks from those who thought science and Scripture were at odds. This book is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to fully understand the relationship between Christianity and science.
—JAY L. WILE, PhD, Adjunct Professor, Memoria College
Winston Ewert's carefully-documented and clearly-written book fills a huge gap in the study of the relationship of Christianity and science. While most treatments pick up the story of this contested relationship after Copernicus (and especially after Darwin), Ewert addresses that history before Copernicus, and what he finds is of great value to historians, scientists, philosophers, and Christian apologists.
—DOUGLAS GROOTHUIS, PhD, Professor of Apologetics, Cornerstone University
By turning to the past, Ewert has unlocked opportunities for us in the present—opportunities to reexamine our pet theories, the prevailing wisdom, and the questions that have haunted humanity from time immemorial.
—JED C. MACOSKO, PhD, Professor, Wake Forest University
WINSTON EWERT is a software engineer and intelligent design researcher with a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Baylor University. His work focuses on computer simulations of evolution, genomic design patterns, and information theory. A Senior Research Scientist at Biologic Institute and Senior Fellow of the Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence, Winston has written a number of articles and contributed to several books. He lives with his wife Elyse and their two sons, Malachi and Thatcher, who provide daily evidence that the real test of any theory is whether it holds up at 3 a.m.
