The Heavens Proclaim His Glory

The Heavens Proclaim His Glory: A Spectacular View of Creation Through the Lens of the NASA Hubble Telescope Hardback: 176 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: Sept. 2010

Source: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program.

Book Description from Publisher Website:
Our world displays the handiwork of God all around us—in the land and sea, the animals and the plants. But in respect to the sky, the heavens, the universe…there’s a realm of beauty and creation man has not been able to witness, until now. The Heavens Proclaim His Glory is a compilation of stunning photography taken by NASA’s Hubble® Telescope capturing striking images of stars, galaxies, cosmic events, planets, and more. Vivid up-close photographs are paired with a romantic Psalm or quote, as well as a short description of the image. The Heavens will open up a whole new world of worship and praise for our God.

Contributors include: Francis Chan, Mike Huckabee, John MacArthur, Stephen Mansfield, Sarah Young, Max Lucado, Jenna Lucado, Henry & Richard Blackaby, Robert Morgan, Kirk Cameron, Homer Hickam, and more.


Review:
The Heavens Proclaim His Glory is a coffee-table type book full of full-color photos taken in space accompanied by poems, Psalms, and quotes from Christian authors. Each picture was labeled as to what it was and often had a short explanatory paragraph about what it showed.

The photographs were of galaxies, nebula, stars, planets in our solar system, regions of space, the Hubble telescope, and a few other space objects. The pictures were lovely, especially the full-page ones. There were also a fair number of photographs that were smaller--only about one-fifth of a page in size. Sometimes the smaller size was used to allow room for multiple pictures of different views of the same object.

There was a poem, Psalm, or quote on the page opposite of the photograph with a space and "God created the universe" theme. The text didn't take long to read. The photo information was usually on the same page as the photo. This meant text sometimes obscured part of the picture in the full-page photographs.

Several times, the labels referred to "galaxy evolution" and "star evolution." A few of the author quotes also touched on the origins debate. All of the quotes gave God the credit for creating the universe, but there was one quote explaining why the Big Bang fit with the Bible and proved God exists (which, according to Danny Faulkner in Universe by Design, is a flawed argument if you fully understand the Big Bang model and when you compare the order to the Genesis 1 creation account). There was also a quote explaining how there could be literal 24-hour days of creation before God created the sun, moon, and stars.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, though I did wish that all of the photos had been full-page since that's what I was mainly interested in. I'd recommend this book to Christians who'd like easy access to printed photos of the beauty found in space.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Universe by Design by Danny Faulkner

Universe by Design by Danny Faulkner Paperback: 143 pages Publisher: Master Books Released: September 2004

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, my take:
Written for high school students and adults who are interested in cosmology, this book explains the developments in human understanding of the universe starting with ancient Greeks and ending with the latest ideas in modern cosmology. Dr. Danny Faulkner explains what evidence led to the development of these various ideas and what new information caused them to be replaced. For the modern models (Big Bang, Steady-State, and Plasma models), he explains their strengths and weaknesses in terms a layman can easily understand.

He then explains why some criticisms of modern cosmology aren't valid because they misunderstand the concept or model. Finally, he discusses the few Bible-based, young earth ideas that have been proposed (along with their strengths, weaknesses, and other possible areas that might be explored in the future).


Review:
Universe by Design is an educational book about the developments in cosmology from the ancient Greeks to modern times. The author explained why these various ideas were developed (what evidence they were based on), so it was easy to follow the reasoning and remember the idea. He then explained what evidence overturned those ideas and what new ideas replaced them.

He also briefly explained, among other things, quantum mechanics, general relativity, the string theory, the cosmological constant, the Hubble constant, dark matter, and dark energy. For modern cosmology, he discussed the Big Bang in detail and, more briefly, the Steady-State model and the Plasma Universe model. He maintained a respectful tone and was careful to accurately represent the model even when he didn't agree with the idea.

The author started by making it quite clear that he holds to a "God created about 6,000 years ago" view. He presented current Bible-based cosmological ideas--both their strengths and weaknesses--and suggested possible ideas to explore in the development of future models. He also spent a chapter explaining common misunderstandings about what modern cosmological ideas say so that the reader can intelligently discuss these models with those who hold them.

Overall, the information was clear, easy to follow, and easy to understand and remember. However, I did have to re-read and think over the sections on the constancy of the speed of light before I understood it (apparently, all it means is that the speed of light through space is always the same--it's not influenced by the speed and direction of the source or of the observer). I also never understood his argument for how Inflation worked since matter would move (in relation to itself and other matter) even if it's space that's expanding.

Black and white pictures illustrated the text, and the author defined the scientific terms in the text. The book kept my interest throughout, and I found it very informative. Overall, I'd highly recommend this book to high schoolers and adults interested in the history of cosmology, modern cosmology, and the strengths and weaknesses of current universe-origins models.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Historical Atlas of the Medieval World by John Haywood

Historical Atlas of the Medieval World, AD 600-1492 by John Haywood Hardback: 96 pages Publisher: Barnes and Nobles Books Released: 2002

Source: Bought used through Amazon.

Book Description from Book Flap:
The Historical Atlas of the Medieval World offers a fascinating guide to the history of humanity from the emergence of Islam to the voyages of Christopher Columbus. Combining superbly detailed maps with a wealth of supporting narrative and an invaluable A - Z historical encyclopedia, it provides not only unique perspectives on the broad sweep of world history but also detailed coverage of regional developments, presenting hard facts and expert interpretation in a form that is both readily accessible and visually exciting.

Central to the atlas is a series of world maps that present an overview of the grand themes of history at key dates between AD 600 and 1492. They chart the shifting patterns of human settlement and the rise and fall of empires and states, reviewing in addition the spread of trade and exploration on a world scale. These snapshot surveys are then followed by regional maps that look more closely at the great events of each era--the flowering of medieval Europe and the Renaissance, the far-flung Islamic empire of the Arabs, Tang and Song China, and the dynamic Mongol and Inca empires. Equally illuminating insights are also given into the less familiar history of medieval Japan, the empire of Harsha in India, the first African empires, and the Thai state of Nan Chao. All the maps are supported by a wealth of annotation, succinct accompanying essays, and summary timelines, and they are also backed by a network of useful cross-references, an index, and a substantial encyclopedic section that provides an A-Z guide to the people, places, and events that made their mark on history.

Planned with both the expert and the amateur historian very much in mind, the Historical Atlas of the Medieval World forms a highly accessible, beautifully presented survey that will prove ideal for quick reference or more leisurely browsing.


Review:
Historical Atlas of the Medieval World gives an overview of world history for 600 AD - 1492 AD. It didn't give much information on any one event but instead showed the shifting of power on a world scale.

Each 2-page spread had a map, a timeline, and text that tied the timeline and the map together. The text also explained how events in individual empires or countries interacted with the whole to affect overall power shifts. The full-color maps were packed with information but were also easy to read.

The altas divided the world into five areas: Americas; Europe; Middle East; Africa; and East & South Asia. The first series of maps and timelines gave an overview of the major events in all of these five areas at once as well as other details (like were they a nomadic society, a empire, a state, etc.). Then the altas focused on each of the five major areas in turn and covered their major events in more detail. At the back, there was a A-Z guide to the people, places, and events that were mentioned in the text. It gave a summary about the subject and references to where it was mentioned in the text.

Overall, I found this atlas interesting, visually appealing, easy to use, and easy to understand. I'd recommend it to those who are interested in an overview of world history during this time period.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from "Viking Age Europe - 793-1050"
In eastern Europe, Swedish venturers known as Rus pioneered trade routes along the rivers of Russia to the Black and Caspian Seas, giving their name to the Russian state which developed at Novgorod around 862.

The Viking raids and settlements were prompted by developments within Scandinavia itself. By the late 8th century, power was becoming centralized, creating an intensely competitive society. For many, pirate raids overseas became a means to acquire wealth, a reputation, and an armed following to support their ambitions at home. Others, denied the chance to rule at home, sought to conquer lands for themselves and their followers abroad. Trade and land hunger, caused by a rising population, were other important factors in the Viking phenomenon.

Life of Washington by Anna Reed

Life of Washington by Anna Reed Hardback: 290 pages Publisher: Attic Books Released: 2009

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description:
Anna C. Reed, niece of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, authored this biography of George Washington's life for the American Sunday-School Union. It was originally published in 1842 and then translated into over 20 languages within a few years. The book was among the most widely-read biographies of Washington of the time.

ASSU missionaries carried books published by the mission in saddlebags to leave with the fledgling Sunday schools they had started, promoting literacy, education, and the very best in Christian moral values.

This biography of George Washington covers his life from his childhood to his death and was written using his journals, letters, and other records.


Review:
Life of Washington is an interesting biography of George Washington from his birth (1732) to death (1799) that was written in 1842, not long after his death. There were many quotes from Washington's own journals and letters as well as from other people's journals and letters (comments about incidents involving Washington). It was very interesting to see his life based on his own words and those who knew him. The book used formal language, but it was very readable and written in a way that kept my attention. This was also partly because it brought out interesting and often exciting events in his life that I hadn't known about before.

The book spent about 45 pages on his early life (1732-1763), and most of that was new to me. There were about 145 pages on the events leading up to the Revolutionary War and the war itself. A fair amount of that was about the various battles and troop movements, but woven throughout were antidotes about how Washington treated his men, made decisions, and the "behind the (battle) scenes" efforts that he had to engage in. About 52 pages were about the forming of the Constitution and his election as President. Very little was said about what he did as President. The focus was more on how he conducted himself during that time. And about 16 pages were about his retirement, how he almost was called to service again, and his death. At the back of the book, there was a sample of "rules of proper conduct" that Washington had copied out as a child, the text of the Declaration of Independence, and a few other things about Washington.

Since the book was written for the American Sunday-School Union, it highlighted Washington's Christian faith and his admirable actions and morals. Since it was written by a niece of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, it's also patriotic (though not in a way that glorifies war). There were a few black and white drawings to illustrate the text. Overall, I'd recommend this book to those who enjoy biographies and who want a unique look into George Washington's life and his faith.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from page 25-26
...when [Washington] was nineteen years of age, he was appointed one of the adjunct generals of Virginia, with the rank of a major. At that time, the French nation had large settlements in Canada, and in Louisiana, and they determined on connecting those settlements by a line of forts; in doing this they took possession of a tract of land which was considered to be within the province of Virginia. The governor of Virginia (Mr. Dinwiddie) thought it was his duty to notice this, in the name of his king; and it was very important that the person whom he employed in the business should have resolution and prudence. Young Washington was worthy of his confidence and willingly undertook the perilous duty; as it gave him an opportunity of being actively employed for the advantage of his native province. The dangers which he knew he must meet did not, for a moment, deter hm from consenting to set out immediately on the toilsome journey, although winter was near. He was to take a letter from the governor to the commanding officer of the French troops, who were stationed on the Ohio river; and the way he had to go was through a part of this country that had never been furrowed by the plough or, indeed, marked by any footsteps but those of wild animals..."

How to Grow Fresh Air by B. C. Wolverton

How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office by B. C. Wolverton Paperback: 144 pages Publisher: Penguin First Released: 1997

Source: Bought from Amazon.

Book Description from Back Cover:
How Pure is the Air You Breathe?

Plants are the lungs of the earth: they produce the oxygen that makes life possible, add precious moisture, and filter toxins. Houseplants can perform these essential functions in your home or office with the same efficiency as a rainforest in our biosphere.

In research designed to create a breathable environment for a NASA lunar habitat, noted scientist Dr. B.C. Wolverton discovered that houseplants are the best filters of common pollutants such as ammonia, formaldehyde, and benzene. Hundreds of these poisonous chemicals can be released by furniture, carpets, and building material, and then trapped by closed ventilation systems, leading to the host of respiratory and allergic reactions now called Sick Building Syndrome. In this full-color, easy-to-follow guide, Dr. Wolverton shows you how to grow and nurture 50 plants accessible and trouble-free as the tulip and the Boston fern, which includes many beautiful but commonly found varieties not generally thought of as indoor plants. He also rates each plant for its effectiveness in removing various pollutants, and its ease of growth and maintenance.

Studies show that Americans spend ninety percent of their lives indoors, which means that good indoor air quality is vital for good health. How to Grow Fresh Air will show you how to purify the environment that has the most impact on you.


Review:
How to Grow Fresh Air is a nonfiction book about plants' ability to remove common office and household toxins from our indoor air. The book had two parts: 31 pages on how plants purify the air and what the research said about which plants are best at removing common air pollutants; and 100 pages with details about the 50 house plants.

The first part discussed indoor air pollution and the health problems caused by it (with a chart showing what sources--like carpeting, paint, and plywood--gave what harmful air pollutant). The author then described how plants produce oxygen, put water into the air, etc. He then talked about studies done on the effectiveness of using houseplants to remove harmful air pollutants and what they found. He included charts showing the results for the ability of various plants to remove four different harmful air pollutants and charts for other findings. The last seven pages were a basic plant care guide on light level, planting medium, watering, and pest management.

The plant listing had a 2-page spread for each plant listed. The first page had a small, full-view picture of the plant, the plant's name (common and official), and some information about the house plant, its selection, and its care. Along one edge of the page, the following information was briefly given: name; origin; how much light it likes (full sun, semi-shade, etc.); preferred temperature range; pests and problems; care; and what to plant it in. A chart at the bottom of the page rated the plant on its ability to remove chemical vapors, ease of growth and maintenance, resistance to insect infestation, and the amount of water it puts into the air. The second page was a full page, close-up picture of the plant's leaves.

I bought this book several years ago because my house just "felt sick" to me. I had only three small house plants since I was growing so many plants outdoors. I found this book very interesting and immediately bought several more houseplants. They flourished, and my house stopped feeling so "sick" to me--plus I stopped getting sick all of the time. So I do think this information helped. I'd recommend it to people who feel mildly sick most of the time or are concerned about their indoor air purity.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean

The Disappearing Spoon: ...the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean Hardback: 400 pages Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company First Released: July 2010

Source: Advanced Reader Copy from the publisher.

Book Description, my take:
Learn about the history of the world through the story of the periodic table. From the tale of how the Big Bang created all of the natural elements to stories from the international race among scientists to discover and then create new elements, it's not a peaceful history. Sam Kean teaches the chemistry and physics surrounding the elements on the periodic table through stories of the Noble-winning scientists who studied them. It's science and social history with some trivia (like the prank involving a dissolving metal spoon) scattered throughout.


Review:
The Disappearing Spoon teaches the chemistry and physics of atoms and the periodic table. It's taught primarily in the context of short biographies about the Noble prize winning scientists (plus some others) who discovered the various elements or who discovered important things about how the elements or atoms are put together.

Based on the book description I was given, I was expecting more trivia about the elements and how they are and have been used rather than a book teaching science with a main focus on scientists. However, the author's casual, lively, and sometimes crude tone made the stories entertaining--probably even more so to young males than to me. I did get a little tired of the author's judgmental attitude, though. It seemed like every human action had to be either brilliant or insanely stupid.

The author's explanations of how things worked (atoms, periodic table, etc.) were easy for me to follow, but that might partly be because I took a lot of science courses in college. The initial science lessons were high school level, but the ending lessons were more college level (though high schoolers can probably follow them).

The book primarily focused on science and scientists, but there were a few stories of invention, greed, destruction or just plain weirdness based around non-scientists. Though I didn't actually check to make sure, it seemed like every element on the periodic table was covered at least briefly. Some of the areas in which he discussed the use of the elements were warfare (chemical warfare, nuclear bombs, dirty bombs), medicine, politics, art, biology (especially DNA), as poison, as money (counterfeiting, a strange gold rush), and under super-cool conditions. He also covered a Big Bang model of how the elements were formed (with a "see, no god needed!" emphasis), how radiometric dating methods were thought up and used to generate dates for the age of the Earth that were old enough to give biological evolution a chance of occurring (since previous dating methods gave too "young" of an age to allow for it), and how biases can prevent critical viewing of scientific data (though he didn't seem to notice his own bias).

He worked a lot of "there is no God, humans & Earth aren't special, and evolution is true" apologetics into this book. I wouldn't mind so much if, in the appendix, he hadn't presented what "young-earth creationists believe" by mixing true statements with misrepresented and apparently ridiculous ones as well as completely inaccurate ones. So now, if these readers come across the true argument, they'll dismiss it without really considering it--they'll think they know all about it when they don't.

There were a few black and white photographs of scientists and a few charts. I thought it funny that the author mentioned how important bubble research proved to be in furthering atomic research, yet my grandpa--who was world-renown for doing some of the basic bubble research the author kept referring to--was never mentioned by name. (It's funny because I could never understand why researching bubble formation was important until after he died, when I'd read books like this one.)

Overall, the book was entertaining and interesting, though not so much so that I'd want to read it again. The people who'd be most interested by it are probably high school or college age males who idolize science as pure and untarnished but who also like somewhat scandalous tales about scientists, their competitions to make Noble-winning discoveries, and their fights over who made a discovery first.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from pages 47-48:
Disappointingly, German chemist Robert Bunsen didn't actually invent "his" burner, just improved the design and popularized it in the mid-1800s. Even without the Bunsen burner, he managed to pack plenty of danger and destruction into his life.

Bunsen's first love was arsenic. Although element thirty-three has had quite a reputation since ancient times (Roman assassins used to smear it on figs), few law-abiding chemists knew much about arsenic before Bunsen started sloshing it around in test tubes. He worked primarily with arsenic-based cacodyls, chemicals whose name is based on the Greek word for "stinky." Cacodyls smelled so foul, Bunsen said, they made him hallucinate, "produc[ing] instantaneous tingling of the hands and feet, even giddiness and insensibility." His tongue became "covered with a black coating." Perhaps from self-interest, he soon developed what's still the best antidote to arsenic poisoning, iron oxide hydrate, a chemical related to rust that clamps onto arsenic in the blood and drags it out. Still, he couldn't shield himself from every danger. The careless explosion of a glass beaker of arsenic nearly blew out his right eye and left him half-bind for the last sixty years of his life.


Read an excerpt.

Christianity on Trial by Caroll & Shiflett

Christianity on Trial by Vincent Caroll & David Shiflett Trade Paperback: 264 pages Publisher: Encounter Books First Released: 2002

Source: Book I bought.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
"While there is nothing wrong with remembering the evil that men do, there is something altogether perverse in consistently disregarding the good that men do.""

In Christianity on Trial, the authors don't shrink from confronting the tragedies that have been perpetrated throughout the ages in the name of Christianity. But they argue that the current indulgence of anti-Christian rhetoric in our culture involves not only bad taste but tunnel vision and willful historical illiteracy as well. Carroll and Shiflett dispassionately consider the indictment of Christianity--specifically that it has justified racism and misogyny, encouraged ignorance, promoted the despoliation of the environment, and even justified genocide. Then they answer these charges.

Christianity on Trial challenges readers of all beliefs--even those with a belief in disbelief itself--to reevaluate the role of Christianity and discover that it's not only a source of consolation but of enlightenment and human liberation as well.


Review:
Christianity on Trial explores if the charges critics most frequently level against Christianity are true and if they accurately represent the history of Christianity. The authors kept a neutral tone throughout (though they obviously thought Christianity more good than bad) and discussed both the good and the bad in Christian history. They looked at the actions of all Christians--Catholics, Quakers, Puritans, Protestants, etc.

Each chapter started with common charges laid against Christianity by various critics, then discussed if the specific examples often cited were true, then looked at the bigger picture to see if these were isolated incidents, if more was going on to cause the effect than just a Christian influence, and what good things Christians and the Christian ethic was responsible for. The authors quoted people's own words, people writing around the time of the event, and other (not necessarily Christian) historians who have carefully researched the events in question.

The first chapter covered some of the ways Christianity laid the foundational ideas we see in Western society. The next chapters answered: Did Christianity endorse and support slavery? (Ch. 2); Does Christianity hinder science and invention? (Ch. 3); Is religion the primary cause of war and discord? (Ch. 4); Was Hitler a Christian who was simply carrying out the Christian anti-semitism feelings of the time? Did Christians fail to protect Jews from the Holocaust? (Ch. 5); Are Christians more interested in condemning those in need than in helping them? (Ch. 6); Does Christianity teach a destruction-causing view of the environment? (Ch. 7); Are Christians dangerously intolerant of other religions? Where the founding fathers wary of religion and trying to establish a country free from religion (rather than with freedom of religion)? (Ch. 8).

I felt like the first chapter tried to cover so many topics that they didn't give enough information for me to fully understand some of the points they were trying to make. However, some of those points were dealt with more fully later in the book. The rest of the book was easy to follow and was very interesting and enlightening. I knew a lot of what was covered, but the chapter on Hitler was an eye-opener for me.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to Christians and those who are open learning if these charges against Christianity are justified and what positive things have come about because of Christianity.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from pages 75-76
Galileo, whose Sidereal Messenger had propelled him to fame in 1610, was personally warned by the Jesuit scholar Cardinal Robert Bellarmine to soften his noisy promotion of the Copernican view. Galileo, being Galileo, this could not be. He was a controversialist, an intellectual who relished the parry and thrust of debate. He misjudged the value of his relationship with Pope Urban VIII and pushed the pontiff beyond his limit. With almost suicidal rashness, Galileo created the character of Simplicio in 1632 for his brilliant Dialogue, and then let the simpleton mouth the pope's own arguments. This was the insult that brought the great scientist down.

Church apologists are sometimes ridiculed for pointing out that papal authority itself was never invoked against Copernican ideas, as if this were mere hairsplitting. After all, Urban VIII actively supported the charge against Galileo and the disgraceful punishment of house arrest. But hairsplitting is precisely what helped save Catholic astronomy, as J.L. Heilbron explains in his ground-breaking 1999 work, The Sun in the Church:

Galileo's heresy, according to the standard distinction used by the Holy Office, was "inquisitorial" rather than "theological." This distinction allowed it to proceed against people for disobeying orders or creating scandals, although neither offense violated an article of faith defined and promulgated by a pope or a general council....Since, however, the church had never declared that the biblical passages implying a moving sun had to be interpreted in favor of a Ptolemaic universe as an article of faith, optimistic commentators...could understand "formally heretical" to mean "provisionally not accepted."

Galileo's great offense was disobedience, and this was not lost on his contemporaries. They "appreciated that the reference to heresy in connection with Galileo or Copernicus had no general or theological significance," writes Heilbron.

If the heresy had no theological significance, why should it have decisive scientific significance? The answer is, it didn't--not even in astronomy. "Catholic scientists in France and elsewhere (outside Italy) cheerfully ignored the decree" of 1633, Boas Hall reports. But the full truth is even more surprising. As Heilbron painstakingly relates, the church continued to support astronomical research actively in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, even in Italy, in the Papal States, in Rome, and even though the research inevitably reinforced the Copernican system....Indeed, the church "gave more financial and social support to the study of astronomy for over six centuries, from the recovery of ancient learning during the late Middle Ages into the Enlightenment, than any other, and probably, all other institutions," Heilbron maintains.