For two millennia, generations have pondered whether the Bible has a place in the task of observing and understanding the natural world. When faith and reason conflict, which one trumps? Jeffrey N. Hardin posits a novel idea: they cooperate.

Unlike dogmatic opinions trickling down from an ivory tower, these essays covering a variety of psychosocial, scientific, and political trends urge readers to apply logic and critical thinking to consider whether biblical teachings and faith can coexist with systematized knowledge and reason.

From the humorous to the pensive, these...