More Than Meets the Eye

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY OCT 9, 2000

This forgettable survey of divine design in the natural world offers an awkward treatment of what could have been a compelling topic. Swenson, a physician and consultant best known to evangelical readers as the author of Margin, alternates between schoolbook science and pious observations in a style reminiscent of the Wonders of God's Creation films put out by Moody Bible Institute a generation ago--if lacking the vividness of the latter. The book aims to illuminate both the greatness and intimacy of God's involvement with creation, spanning astronomy, biology, physiology and the microphysical world. This is a delicate task, as some resonances between science and theology are more apt than others. Swenson's attempt to quantify Jesus' red blood cells is particularly inane ("Without a doubt, he shed at least one red blood cell for every human who ever lived," he assures readers). Swenson primarily focuses on Christian devotional interests, occasionally hinting at broader discussions about biological complexity and cosmological coincidences. But the largest share of the book is devoted to more or less direct expositions of specific sciences, mining their subject matter for impressive statistics and handles for (often strained) biblical allusions. Problems of disease or suffering are not acknowledged. Christian readers looking for theological reflection on human physiology will prefer Paul Brand and Philip Yancey's near-classic Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, which approaches the topic with notably deeper insight and compassion.