The Works of the Lord: 52 biblical reflections on science, technology and creation
Author info
Dr Ruth Bancewicz is Church Engagement Director at the Faraday Institute, where she equips and encourages churches to include engagement with science as part of their regular ministry and mission. She studied Genetics at Aberdeen and Edinburgh Universities, and is now studying with Highland Theological College. She a member of Christians in Science, and belongs to City Church Cambridge.
Title | The Works of the Lord: 52 biblical reflections on science, technology and creation |
Author | Ruth Bancewicz |
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Description | ‘Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them,’ says Psalm 111:2. We all benefit from science, and we all make choices about how to use its fruits. This series of reflections lets scientific discoveries fuel your worship and helps you to consider how we can move forward wisely in a scientific society. Written by a diverse group of scientists and theologians associated with the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion in Cambridge, UK, you are invited into the conversation whether you are a scientist or not, and you are given the opportunity to respond in both praise and practical action.
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Dr Ruth Bancewicz is Church Engagement Director at the Faraday Institute, where she equips and encourages churches to include engagement with science as part of their regular ministry and mission. She studied Genetics at Aberdeen and Edinburgh Universities, and is now studying with Highland Theological College. She a member of Christians in Science, and belongs to City Church Cambridge.
‘This insightful collection of 52 biblical reflections, expertly edited by Ruth, is helpful in exploring the connections between science and faith. As a pastor, It’s a wonderful tool for understanding and sharing how science and creation harmonise with God’s Word in meaningful ways.’ Ben Norris, Pastor, GodCentral Church.
‘The passages and reflections were just the right length…often the topic lent a fresh perspective on the passage used… I can easily see the book being a useful tool from which to start thinking about a particular topic… I found myself pondering on what I had read at the start of the day during the day and on occasion it informed conversations had.’ Ruth Chamberlain, ordained priest and teacher of Biology and Science
‘For the scientist who is a Christian, the exploration of the natural world is not just the joy of intellectual curiosity but is an act of worship enhancing prayer and the reading of the Bible. In this book we get an insight into that worship which is both inspiring and challenging for our own relationship with Jesus.’ The Revd Professor David Wilkinson, Project Director, Equipping Christian Leadership in an Age of Science, St John’s College, Durham University
‘This book fills a crucial gap by encouraging us to use all that science tells us about our world and universe to help us to worship and pray in a deeper and more informed way. It will be a great help in engaging with the many major developments of our time, such as climate change and AI, in a more reflective and rounded way. It will appeal to a broad range of church traditions and I hope it will be very widely used in private devotions and corporate worship.’ Bishop Richard Cheetham, Member of the Anglican Communion Science Commission, Fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion
Review by Christine Lafon in the City Church Cambridge newsletter May 2025
A devotional from a new mould, fitting for the extraordinary and sometimes confusing times in which we live. Initially imagined and now brought to life by City Church’s own Ruth Bancewicz, it features 52 short reflections on science, technology and creation. In each contribution a diverse group of scientists and theologians voice their praise and awe of specific aspects of the grandeur, minutiae, or complexity of God’s creation in its broadest sense. The aim is to inform about the science as well as inspire worship in the reader.
This compact little book is attractively packaged, tactile, well organised and easy to dip into. Beautifully illustrated by coloured photographs, a few of many intriguing subject headings include: Choosing good trees, Through the telescope, New beginnings, The earth mourns, Increasingly Human and Release from eco-anxiety.
New technologies are included, such as AI and gardening, and Crowned with Glory! Guided by AI? To quote: whilst 'the Bible has nothing to say about AI specifically, it has much to say in general about how we use it, and this section will equip you to think about how AI affects our lives and how we can use or respond to it'.
An aid to worship that is unafraid to raise some of the difficult ethical questions we face today - see Disability and Gene Editing, Care for the Vulnerable and other subjects in the section Being Human - this unusual collection is thoroughly deserving of a place on your bookshelf or bedside table, or even on your gift list for friends and family.
Whilst from the opposite end of the literary spectrum, nevertheless these passages mirror the whispered awe of Kenneth Grahame’s Ratty in The Wind in the Willows: 'O, Mole! The beauty of it!...the music and the call must be for us.'
Reviewed by Christine Lafon
Review by Major Heather Poxon, Territorial Environmental Officer, The Salvation Army, UK & Ireland
Dr Ruth Bancewicz draws on her background as a student of genetics, and her experience studying theology, to present a beautifully written and carefully presented devotional book that successfully marries issues of science and faith in a way that is enjoyable and rewarding for the reader.
Giving appropriate credence to both disciplines, Ruth manages to construct bite-sized reflections that are useful in their brevity yet meaningful in their depth, offering contemplations that are thought provoking, fresh, and insightful. She endeavours to broker harmony between two areas of speciality that have too often been seen as at odds with each other.
The thoughts on offer are rooted in serious intellectualism, but they are immensely accessible too, provoking, indeed, a sense of wonder and awe.
For anyone interested in the hot topic of global warming, and for anyone looking for devotional material encompassing elements of worship allied to science, technology and creation, this is just the book.