God and Molecules
Chemical Evolution and Divine Providence
- Science & Faith
- Publisher: IVP Academic (InterVarsity Press)
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
God's Providential Work in Creation Before Life Began God has been present and active in creation from the moment he created it ex nihilo. Few Christians would question this claim, but its implications for ongoing theologyand science dialogues have not been fully explored. In this pathbreaking and field-advancing work, Ross Hastings brings his expertise in both scientific and theological disciplines to bear on the topic of divine providence in chemicalevolution. Based on the latest research in the developing field of chemical evolution and the work of theological giants such as Karl Barth, Hastings shows how God may have been providentially and non-competitively at work in the process by which simple prebiotic molecules gave rise to the complex molecules in the first living organisms. In God and Molecules, Hastings provides cutting-edge theological engagement with the developing scientific field of chemical evolution, advances the discussion in theology and science with this new integrative work, and offers a holistic alternative for thinking about chemical evolution that overcomes the binary of theology versus science. God and Molecules pushes toward new frontiers in theology and science and casts a compelling, integrative, and ultimately healing vision for how God has been lovingly involved in the developmental process of the earliest life on earth.
Endorsements (3)
“Very few books engage contemporary origins-of-life research with such clarity and accuracy. W. Ross Hastings treats both the science and the theology with care and anchors the subject in humility, the best approach when no one knows the answer.”
“In God and Molecules, Ross Hastings charts a constructive way forward for the dialogue between science and theology. With rigor, humility, and grace, he shows how chemical evolution can be understood within God's providential care, inviting readers into a vision that is both scientifically credible and theologically grounded. Faithful scientists in particular will find here a resource that can affirm both their calling in the lab and their place in the life of the church.”
“God and Molecules by W. Ross Hastings brings scientific and theological rigor to our current understanding of life's origins—which are, at heart, a question of chemistry. I found a deep humility in this book which was both essential to its core purpose and inspirational in my own journey of faith and science. I anticipate it will be an important resource for Christian communities seeking to make sense of discoveries regarding the origins of life on Earth and/or possible life elsewhere in the universe.”
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