God and Galileo takes us on a journey back in time to when Galileo wrote a letter to describe the circumstances of his being censored by The Church. It was when he came up with some of his Astronomy theories that flew in the face of accepted church theories on the origin of the Universe.

Galileo was able to prove that the Earth is not the center of the universe. As such, he came under fire for going against Copernicus and the accepted belief that the Earth was the center of the universe and everything orbited the Earth. Instead he showed how the Sun was what the Earth orbited and thus we were relegated to being a bit less important in the scheme of things.

David Block takes us from how the Church was the authority to how Science is now seen as the authority. But he brings us back to Galileo and the concept that the Church and Science should be able to coexist. One does not trump the other. But they are complimentary.

I found his hypothesis interesting and enjoyed reading the views that he is pushing forward. I think this book will give you much to think about and much to talk about with your science friends.

Enjoy!

"God and Galileo," a collaborative project by astronomer and inspirational speaker David Block and astronomer Kenneth C. Freeman, rehashes many of the familiar arguments in the ongoing debate between religion and science within the context of Galileo Galilei's 1615 Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany. The authors structure their history on certain passages of this letter, using it to draw together an argument calling for a greater degree of humility in the sciences. The history spans familiar territory as it seeks to reconcile the two domains of knowledge of Science and Religion, referred to as the Book of Nature and the Book of Revelation, respectively. Galileo and his humble attitude towards science is used as a pinpoint to show how the two may be peacefully reconciled; the philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal is another. For anyone who has followed the ongoing Science and Religion debate, this book will offer little new information, however in this age of polarized opinions and with the science/religion question often posited as an all or nothing game, the message bears reiterating. The authors argue for the sciences to take a more humble approach and not to claim more than their facts present; a belief in the Multiverse Theory is here referenced as an Act of Faith. The authors also write that many elements of the sciences of nature are still just foothills to knowledge, or "known unknowns.;' in astronomy, several examples are given: what is dark matter? why do spiral galaxies have their spiral shape? how are galaxies getting the gas supply to produce new stars?

More importantly, the book asks that readers remain humble and open in the search for truth, and not to be swayed by the opinions of powerful personalities, such as Richard Dawkins.

Although frequently redundant and with little new information, "God and Galileo" gives an important and humble perspective to the life and beliefs of one of the world's greatest astronomers during a time of upheaval in the traditional relationship between science and belief.

Reviewed in exchange for a free copy from Netgalley

This was an interesting book and I enjoyed learning about Galileo and his beliefs, however, it was at times too technical for me.
I received this book free form the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

We see before us two books, as Galileo did: the book of nature (a book of process, unfolding the mysteries of our universe step by step according to scientific methodologies)and the Bible, the book of Scripture. The book of Scripture is a book of purpose. The blindness of Galileo's opponents was to force the book of Scripture to say what it does not say. The nature of truth spans a vast horizon, not being restricted to science or to the book of nature alone.

How the pendulum swings. As the church back in Galileo's day thought the earth was the center, when in truth the Sun is and now we today think of ourselves as the center of all things. Where we are still in confusion of what is truth. In this text Galileo's struggle was against the church's ideals and their own agendas and that his own fight on what is truth is an example for us today as we struggle for truth. The culture says your truth matters and the reality of that stinks. It does not hold to reality. The text is historical but also cultural in the age of Christianity as it plainly points that two truths do not contradict each other.

The fight for truth matters as it clearly displays God. In my opinion, truth matters because it affects how we worship him and ultimately how we love others. If you find yourself in your search for the truth, looking back historically in Galileo's life and fight teaches us that faith and science ultimately do not contradict each other, but strengthen each other.

A Special Thank you to Crossway Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.