Review of Greg Cootsona, Mere Science and Christian Faith

This is a well-written introduction to the relationship between science and Christianity. It seeks to engage “emerging adults,” a category taken from psychologist Jeffrey Arnett somewhat narrower than “millennials,” the term I am more familiar with. Essentially these are 18-30 year-olds and are “emerging” because they reach five milestones marking adulthood – leaving home, finishing school, becoming financially independent, getting married and having children – later than previous generations. It is a demographic looking for personal meaning and identity, frequently changing direction and open to many different futures, and with attendant anxieties; and it is a generation much less likely to be church-going than earlier generations. However, whilst recognising the narrative of conflict in the surrounding culture, emerging adults are, on the whole, more tolerant and open to alternative readings....