And the Trees Clap Their Hands: Faith, Perception, and the New Physics

Ever since Newton, people - including Christians - have considered matter to be strictly mechanical, uninformed by any "spirit" and without sentience. Such a view, says Virginia Owens, "demotes to mere metaphor" all the natural imagery of Scripture that calls for creation to participate in the praise of its maker. Now, however, contemporary physical theory offers us an expanded view of the cosmos, which suggests that it is indeed sentient and informed with knowledge. For Christians, Virginia Owens argues in this book, the cosmos bears witness to the Incarnation itself. Owens offers a brief history and exploration of physics, interwoven with vivid and provocative perceptions of the physical world (reminiscent of the writings of Annie Dillard). The heavens really do proclaim the glory of God, Owens insists. "The prophet's figure of trees clapping their hands is a living reality." "And the Trees Clap Their Hands" will appeal to all general readers who are interested in the relationship between faith and our understanding of the physical world.