The most recommended religion and science books

Who picked these books? Meet our 28 experts.

28 authors created a book list connected to religion and science, and here are their favorite religion and science books.
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Book cover of Questioning Spirituality: Is It Irrational to Believe in God?

Lisa McCourt Author Of Free Your Joy: The Twelve Keys to Sustainable Happiness

From my list on igniting joy despite all the crap in your life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I wasn’t always a joyful person. But today I’m freaking sunshine, and full-out committed to being an effective member of the team that’s elevating the level of love and joy in the world! My positions on that team have included writing dozens of mega-selling books (my own, and as a ghostwriter), founding my online Joy School at LisaMcCourt.com, hosting my Do Joy! podcast, and collaborating on projects with many other popular teachers of consciousness and joyful living. My books have sold over 9 million copies, earned 7 publishing industry awards, and garnered over 9,000 glowing Amazon reviews. Joy is my jam. I know a joyful book when I read one! 

Lisa's book list on igniting joy despite all the crap in your life

Lisa McCourt Why did Lisa love this book?

My books and trainings are all about joy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t geek out on the science behind it all.

I’ve long admired Eldon Taylor’s approach to bridging the gap between spirituality and what is considered hardcore scientific understanding at this current stage of human evolution, and this book addresses a question that underlies all of the work I do.

If more people could release the widespread, ridiculous idea that spiritual concepts (understood and practiced by our far wiser ancestors thousands of years ago) are somehow not as “real” as the other arbitrary, culturally-accepted paradigms they subscribe to, we’d have a far more joyous, compassionate, successful society.

Eldon provides a fact-based bridge for readers to cross in this well-researched book! 

By Eldon Taylor,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Questioning Spirituality as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A pragmatic case for the rational viability of a spiritual belief in a higher power. [Taylor] makes a compelling case that the scientific worldview--one that sees humans as "meat machines"--is inconsistent with people's experiences of themselves and is not nearly as rationally superior as it is so often presented. This alone makes the author's compact consideration a worthwhile read. A philosophically astute challenge to the rational supremacy of science over its spiritual rivals. Kirkus Reviews


Book cover of Outgrowing God: A Beginner's Guide

Keith Heyer Meldahl Author Of Rough-Hewn Land: A Geologic Journey from California to the Rocky Mountains

From Keith's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Geologist Professor Outdoors-person Musician Nature-lover

Keith's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Keith Heyer Meldahl Why did Keith love this book?

Richard Dawkins, celebrated science communicator and avowed atheist, has struck a great blow for reason with this guide for young and old.

In a dozen provocative essays, he explains how the natural world arose without design or intention; there is no need to invoke God. Indeed, nature becomes simultaneously more understandable, marvelous, and awe-inspiring when we recognize the power of natural forces to shape life. To me, miracles seem trite and boring compared to the realities that science has revealed.    

By Richard Dawkins,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Outgrowing God as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Should we believe in God? In this new book, written for a new generation, the brilliant science writer and author of The God Delusion, explains why we shouldn't.

Should we believe in God? Do we need God in order to explain the existence of the universe? Do we need God in order to be good? In twelve chapters that address some of the most profound questions human beings confront, Dawkins marshals science, philosophy and comparative religion to interrogate the hypocrisies of all the religious systems and explain to readers of all ages how life emerged without a Creator, how evolution…


Book cover of You Are the Universe: Discovering Your Cosmic Self and Why It Matters

Larry Gottlieb Author Of Hoodwinked: Uncovering Our Fundamental Superstitions

From my list on to help us understand human being.

Why am I passionate about this?

As long as I can remember, I have wanted to understand how the universe works. I studied physics with a firm belief in scientific materialism, the belief that all things can or will be explained by science, including consciousness. However, after earning an advanced degree I found myself no closer to a satisfying answer to my inquiry into the relationship between consciousness and the physical world. Then, a personal experience of unembodied consciousness convinced me that my answers would have to come from a reexamination of all that I had believed, an internal journey over decades that has borne fruit in unexpected and magical ways.

Larry's book list on to help us understand human being

Larry Gottlieb Why did Larry love this book?

Deepak Chopra has been exploring the relationship between spirituality and science for many decades, and Menas Kafatos’s peer-reviewed research on cosmology and astrophysics, among other topics, is well documented. Their work in this book makes it clear that instead of living in a material, unknowing and uncaring universe, we instead live in what they call a human universe, one that is living, conscious, and evolving. This book makes the case convincingly that we create our own reality in a conscious universe that responds to the beliefs and thoughts that reside in our minds. I have watched Mr. Chopra speak numerous times, and I appreciate his loving and gentle delivery. This book gave me a condensed and satisfying explanation of his worldview.

By Deepak Chopra, Menas C. Kafatos,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked You Are the Universe as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Deepak Chopra joins forces with leading physicist Menas Kafatos to explore some of the most important and baffling questions about our place in the world. 

"A riveting and absolutely fascinating adventure that will blow your mind wide open!" —Dr. Rudolph E. Tanzi
 
What happens when modern science reaches a crucial turning point that challenges everything we know about reality? In this brilliant, timely, and practical work, Chopra and Kafatos tell us that we've reached just such a point. In the coming era, the universe will be completely redefined as a "human universe" radically unlike the…


Book cover of In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife

Marcia E. Herman-Giddens Author Of Unloose My Heart: A Personal Reckoning with the Twisted Roots of My Southern Family Tree

From Marcia's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Marcia's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Marcia E. Herman-Giddens Why did Marcia love this book?

Junger, a non-religious man, very nearly died even as he lay conscious in the midst of high medical drama. He hears his father's voice. This is a true story, a powerfully written page turner, that will make you think about what may be outside our direct knowledge.

By Sebastian Junger,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked In My Time of Dying as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A near-fatal health emergency leads to this powerful reflection on death—and what might follow—by the bestselling author of Tribe and The Perfect Storm.

For years as an award-winning war reporter, Sebastian Junger traveled to many front lines and frequently put his life at risk. And yet the closest he ever came to death was the summer of 2020 while spending a quiet afternoon at the New England home he shared with his wife and two young children. Crippled by abdominal pain, Junger was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. Once there, he began slipping away. As blackness encroached, he was…


Book cover of Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries

Rebecca Hefner Author Of A Paradox of Fates

From my list on for fellow science dorks.

Why am I passionate about this?

I volunteered at my local library in small-town North Carolina from a very young age. One day I picked up Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, cementing my love of science. Sagan’s explanation that we’re all just a speck on the pale blue dot called Earth spoke to me and made me curious to know more. I begged my parents to let me go to Space Camp in Alabama and I went to North Carolina Governor’s School for Physics. I didn’t pursue a scientific career but I always retained my love of science. When I finally became an author in my 40s, I knew I would someday write a sci-fi time travel romance—eventually, A Paradox of Fates was born.

Rebecca's book list on for fellow science dorks

Rebecca Hefner Why did Rebecca love this book?

Tyson has done a wonderful job taking over as the layman’s communicator about science after his mentor, Carl Sagan, returned to the stars. This book in particular explains a plethora of scientific questions while showcasing Tyson’s humor and overall science acumen. I enjoy anything he writes and always find his books informative and witty.

By Neil Degrasse Tyson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Death by Black Hole as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Readers of his essays in Natural History magazine recognise Neil deGrasse Tyson's talent for guiding them through the mysteries of the cosmos with clarity and enthusiasm. Here, Tyson compiles his favourite essays across a myriad of topics. The title essay introduces readers to the physics of black holes by explaining the gory details of what would happen to your body if you fell into one. "Holy Wars" examines the needless friction between science and religion in the context of historical conflicts. And "Hollywood Nights" assails the movie industry's feeble efforts to get its night skies right.


Book cover of Indescribable: 100 Devotions About God and Science

Amy Houts Author Of God's Earth Is Something to Fight for

From my list on Christian Earth Day books for kids.

Why am I passionate about this?

As the author of 100+ children’s books, I work mainly on assignment for educational and faith-based publishers. But when I’m freelancing, I want the topic to be something I’m passionate about. Being married to a science teacher, we often discuss science issues. After having grandchildren, I wondered, what type of planet are we going to leave them? Our grandchildren are aware and concerned about severe weather patterns. I asked myself, what can I do? Plus, I wanted to write through the lens of my faith. I wrote my picture book, God’s Earth is Something to Fight For, to instill hope and give practical ways for children to help save Earth.

Amy's book list on Christian Earth Day books for kids

Amy Houts Why did Amy love this book?

The devotional book, Indescribable, is engaging way to show kids how our world (science) and God are connected in the most wonderful way.

Including a Bible verse, nonfiction information, a closing prayer and a “Be Amazed” sidebar, topics include space, earth, and animals. For example, after quoting Isaiah, “He calls the stars by name,” the author gives facts about the stars. Then Mr. Giglio says “But do you know what’s even more astonishing and wonderful?

That same God who knows the stars’ names also knows your name.” What a great introduction to God’s world from a Biblical perspective for 6-10-year-olds.

By Louie Giglio, Nicola Anderson (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Indescribable as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 6, 7, 8, and 9.

What is this book about?

Discover the wonders of the universe with the Creator. Based on Louie Giglio's popular messages "Indescribable" and "How Great Is Our God," Indescribable: 100 Devotions About God and Science will help kids discover the incredible creation of our indescribable God.

Indescribable displays the majesty of creation with scientific findings, photography, and original illustrations. Children who are fascinated with the world around them, nature, and the earth will deepen their faith as they explore God's Word. These 100 devotions encourage awe and appreciation for God's creativity with an in-depth look at these categories:

space, galaxies, planets, and stars Earth, geology, oceans,…


Book cover of Life's Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe

Nicholas Spencer Author Of Magisteria: The Entangled Histories of Science & Religion

From my list on science and religion through the ages.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been working on science and religion for 15 years now. While there are a number of books on Darwinism and religion (too many to count), the number on Darwin himself and his own (loss of) religion is far smaller. So, I wrote a short "spiritual biography" of the great man. Reading through the Darwin archives, it emerged that there was so much more to the story than “man finds evolution but loses God,” and the more I read around this topic and spoke to the leading academic scholars on the subject, the more I realized that that was the case for science and religion overall.

Nicholas' book list on science and religion through the ages

Nicholas Spencer Why did Nicholas love this book?

Simon Conway Morris is a Cambridge academic, and his book is published by Cambridge University Press–but don’t let that put non-academic readers off. This is one of the few books I think you can genuinely call important.

It takes on the now wearyingly familiar idea that evolution is pure random chance, with no direction, no purpose, no goal, and dismantles it–with page after page of detailed information.

This is absolutely no ill-informed, anti-evolutionary rant but the work of a great scholar with complete mastery of his subject. While it does not engage with religion directly, the implications for religion (and indeed for so many other vital human beliefs and activities) are left hanging in the air.

By Simon Conway Morris,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Life's Solution as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The assassin's bullet misses, the Archduke's carriage moves forward, and a catastrophic war is avoided. So too with the history of life. Re-run the tape of life, as Stephen J. Gould claimed, and the outcome must be entirely different: an alien world, without humans and maybe not even intelligence. The history of life is littered with accidents: any twist or turn may lead to a completely different world. Now this view is being challenged. Simon Conway Morris explores the evidence demonstrating life's almost eerie ability to navigate to a single solution, repeatedly. Eyes, brains, tools, even culture: all are very…


Book cover of Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop: 52 Fizztastically Fun Experiments and Devotions for Families

Alyssa Clements Author Of The Size of Everything: Ginormous Galaxies, Itty-Bitty Quarks, and Me

From my list on children’s science for Christian families.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a third-grade teacher turned book editor and writer who loves learning about the fascinating world God has made and exploring how it all points back to him. During my time in the classroom, I worked at a Christian classical school where my grade’s scientific focus was astronomy. I loved introducing my students to this awe-inspiring, gigantic universe that we are a part of and considering together just how big, powerful, and loving God must be to have designed and created it all. I am also mom to two wonderfully curious children who love to read, explore, and ask big questions. 

Alyssa's book list on children’s science for Christian families

Alyssa Clements Why did Alyssa love this book?

This wacky science experiment/devotional book is a great resource for families with kids of all ages to explore the deep connection between faith and science.

It has over fifty fun, relatively uncomplicated, hands-on science experiments along with areas for kids to practice core scientific skills, including creating and testing hypotheses and recording observations. Each experiment is also paired with a Scripture passage and related devotion in a way that feels natural and not contrived.

I love that I can easily pull this book off the shelf for a quick science experiment with my kids, or I can choose to turn it into a longer devotional time for our family. I also love that it clearly lays out how all science is meant to point us to God!

By Brock D. Eastman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 6, 7, 8, and 9.

What is this book about?

Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop features 52 easy experiments kids and parents can do together once a week or at their convenience. Each experiment will have a how-to video featured in the free Fizzlebop Labs web series launching in fall ’21. Building on Dr. Fizzlebop’s desire to show kids how faith and science connect, each experiment connects to a devotional that allows kids to go deeper and learn about God’s amazing design for everything around them. On average, each experiment takes 5 to 10 minutes and the devotional is an additional 5 minutes.Our expert and guide, Dr. Phineas Einstein…


Book cover of Saints and Sinners in the Sky: Astronomy, Religion and Art in Western Culture

Chary Rangacharyulu Author Of From Atoms to Higgs Boson: Voyages in Quasi-Spacetime

From my list on stargazers' strife and joy since antiquity.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been pursuing nuclear and particle physics as a career for nearly half a century, mostly in Western countries and Japan. As a professor of physics and engineering physics, I always strive to bring conceptual clarity to what I teach for application-oriented and abstract physics, even when I cannot bring the same level of connection to physical reality in my research. I am deeply concerned that physicists have gone astray in their mathematical quest to develop a glamorous picture of the building blocks of matter and the basic interactions among them. This book is an outgrowth of my search to understand the limits of human knowledge to unravel nature’s mysteries. 

Chary's book list on stargazers' strife and joy since antiquity

Chary Rangacharyulu Why did Chary love this book?

Science meets Religion and Art is an apt summary of this delightful work of Mendillo, an astronomy professor. In a couple of hundred pages, the author shares his knowledge accumulated over a few decades of his studies by analyzing the centuries of work by astronomers, artists, and theologians. This book would be of interest to practicing astronomers as well as casual stargazers.

Having lived on three continents, I am always fascinated by the way religion and the art that goes with it have influenced societies’ thinking and narratives of stellar objects and cosmology. This influence is reflected in the art and images artists create to express their faith. Professor Mendillo has summarized his decades-long exploration of these connections as found in cathedrals, museums, etc., in this book.

By Michael Mendillo,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Saints and Sinners in the Sky as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this book, Boston University Professor of Astronomy Michael Mendillo takes readers deep into the annals of history, showing how visual depictions of the heavens evolved in tandem with science and religion throughout much of Western culture.

With unprecedented scope and scale, Professor Mendillo explores how cave art, illuminated manuscripts, sculptures, paintings and architecture reflected some of the great religious and secular battles taking place over the course of centuries. Enter a world of biblical proportions, where constellations of ancient heroes and pagans were thoroughly recast as Christian saints and the Twelve Apostles.

This nontechnical narrative brings vitality and accessibility…


Book cover of The Physics of God: How the Deepest Theories of Science Explain Religion and How the Deepest Truths of Religion Explain Science

Larry Gottlieb Author Of Hoodwinked: Uncovering Our Fundamental Superstitions

From my list on to help us understand human being.

Why am I passionate about this?

As long as I can remember, I have wanted to understand how the universe works. I studied physics with a firm belief in scientific materialism, the belief that all things can or will be explained by science, including consciousness. However, after earning an advanced degree I found myself no closer to a satisfying answer to my inquiry into the relationship between consciousness and the physical world. Then, a personal experience of unembodied consciousness convinced me that my answers would have to come from a reexamination of all that I had believed, an internal journey over decades that has borne fruit in unexpected and magical ways.

Larry's book list on to help us understand human being

Larry Gottlieb Why did Larry love this book?

As a trained physicist, I think this book contains what may be the best explanation of physics in terms non-scientists can understand, as well as how that discipline can be useful in understanding what it really is to be a human being. In particular, I found this book to be quite helpful in grasping how 20th-century physics helps illuminate extra-ordinary experiences. I had one of these experiences, which occurred outside the bounds of our common understanding of the world and of ourselves. He also helps readers understand the gradual demise of scientific materialism, the belief that all things can or will be explained by science, including consciousness. I found this book an enjoyable read and it kept my interest throughout.

By Joseph Selbie,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Physics of God as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“Selbie clearly describes why phenomena labeled ‘transcendent,’ ‘paranormal,’ or ‘spiritual’ are more consistent with a modern scientific understanding of reality than is commonly supposed.” —Dean Radin, PhD, chief scientist, Institute of Noetic Sciences, author of Real Magic and Entangled Minds

“The book combines science and religion in a way that can change how the reader views reality, the material world, God, and how they see themselves.” —New Spirit Journal

“The Physics of God is an impressive and thought-provoking work which should be regarded as an important commentary regarding the metaphysical mysteries of life, physical reality, and human consciousness. Highly recommended!”…


Book cover of Questioning Spirituality: Is It Irrational to Believe in God?
Book cover of Outgrowing God: A Beginner's Guide
Book cover of You Are the Universe: Discovering Your Cosmic Self and Why It Matters

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