Birch, Charles. Science and Soul. Philadelphia: Templeton Foundation Press, 2008.

Abstract

Preeminent evolutionary biologist Charles Birch credits many pivotal scholars in the science and science-religion worlds with shaping his worldview. In his memoir Science and Soul, he reflects on twenty leaders in these areas who became his mentors, contributing to his perception of the meaning of life, the duties of science, and his views on process-relational thought. These key figures come from the fields of modern evolutionary biology, animal ecology, the philosophy of religion, and science and religion and include Theodosius Dobzhansky, J. B. S. Haldane, Margaret mead, Charles Elton, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Ian Barbour.

As well as exploring his personal and professional relationships with leading twentieth-century scientists and theologians, Birch also explains his belief that "religion, like science, ought to be endlessly modifiable." Coming from a restricted evangelical Christian background, Birch first encountered Alfred North Whitehead's process thought as an undergraduate, opening up for him new dimensions of Christianity and expanding his own philosophy of life.  His candid commentary about process thought and its effect on his life and thinking shows how Whitehead's philosophy contributes to a belief in both science and faith.