Einstein: His Life and Universe is distinguished as the first major biography written about one of the greatest scientists of the twentieth century since the release of all of Albert Einstein's papers in 2006.
The last two sentences of Walter Isaacson's recent book on Einstein summarize the thread that struck me the most in this masterful and well-researched biography by the former Managing Editor of Newsweek:
"He was a loner with an intimate bond to humanity, a rebel who was suffused with reverence. And thus it was that an imaginative, impertinent patent clerk became the mind reader of the creator of the cosmos, the locksmith of the mysteries of the atom and the universe" (p. 551).
Einstein saw faith as profoundly foundational to the entire project of science: "The cosmic religious feeling is the strongest and noblest motive for scientific research" (p. 390). He envisioned a mutual dependence of science and religion as illustrated when the physicist famously said, "…science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind" (p. 390).
Early in his life, Einstein was struck with the wonder of nature. He remembered that when he was no older than five his father had given him a compass. Isaacson reports, "The fact that the magnetic needle behaved as if influenced by some hidden force field...produced a sense of wonder that motivated him throughout his life" (emphasis mine). Einstein himself wrote, "I can still remember -- at least I believe I can remember -- that this experience made a deep and lasting impression on me. Something deeply hidden had to be behind things" (p. 13).
Einstein was a theist and efforts to marshal his thoughts or persona for the purpose of atheism rankled him. At a dinner party in Berlin, Einstein was overheard disparaging astrology. Assuming the professor was an atheist, another guest made the assumption that Einstein felt similarly about religion. When the host of the party let the other guest know that Einstein was, in fact, religious himself, the guest didn't believe it and asked Einstein himself it if was true that he was religious. "Yes, you can call it that. Try and penetrate with our limited means the secrets of nature and you will find that, behind all the discernible laws and connections, there remains something subtle, intangible and inexplicable. Veneration for this force beyond anything that we can comprehend is my religion. To that extent I am, in fact, religious" (pp. 384,385).
A discovery during Einstein's life that Isaacson relates serves to illustrate the vast limitation of the mind of Man to which the professor referred. Isaacson writes,
"Back in 1917, when Einstein had analyzed the 'cosmological considerations' arising from his general theory of relativity, most astronomers thought that the universe consisted only of our Milky Way, floating with 100 billion or so stars in a void of empty space
...
Then came a series of wondrous discoveries, beginning in 1924, by Edwin Hubble, a colorful and engaging astronomer working with the 100-inch reflector telescope at the Mount Wilson Observatory in the mountains above Pasadena, California. The first was that the blur known as the Andromeda nebula was actually another galaxy, about the size of our own, close to a million light years away (we now know it's more than twice that far). Soon he was able to find at least two dozen even more distant galaxies (we now believe that there are more than 100 billion of them)" (p. 353).
In fact, the intricacies of a universe divinely made humbled Einstein. "The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only simply understand these laws" (p. 386).
Realizing that the universe was itself inscrutable, Einstein nevertheless received some comfort from the order he perceived from the Mind that created everything. Einstein received solace from his constant searching of God's design. When his second wife was discovered to have an illness that would eventually take her life, Isaacson reports that Einstein "threw himself more intently into his studies." The biographer quotes an early comment of Einstein: "Strenuous intellectual work and looking at God's nature are the reconciling, fortifying yet relentlessly strict angels that shall lead me through all of life's troubles" (p. 441)
Though he would not have characterized himself as a Christian, Einstein admired Jesus: "I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene." When asked if he believed that Jesus was a historical figure, he responded, "Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus" (p. 386).
Nevertheless, Einstein did not affirm the Christian God. He did not, for example, believe in a God of judgment. In response to a letter from a Colorado banker, Einstein wrote, "I cannot conceive of a personal God who would directly influence the actions of individuals or would sit in judgment on creatures of his own creation" (p. 387). He did not believe that prayer motivated God to supernaturally intervene in human events. He responded to another inquiry from a sixth grade girl about prayer: "…a scientist could hardly be inclined to believe that events could be influenced by a prayer, i.e. by a wish addressed to a supernatural Being." At one point he summarized, "I believe in Spinoza's God, who reveals himself in the lawful harmony of all that exists, but not in a God who concerns himself with the fate and the doings of mankind" (pp. 388,389, link added). Perhaps most significantly, Einstein did not believe in a personal God. He opined, "The main source of the present-day conflicts between the spheres of religion and of science lied in the concept of a personal God" (p. 391).
That being said, Isaacson nonetheless suggests that Einstein's religiosity had a leavening effect upon his character: "For Einstein, as for most people, a belief in something larger than himself became a defining sentiment. It produced in him an admixture of confidence and humility that was leavened by a sweet simplicity. Given his proclivity toward being self-centered, these were welcome graces. Along with his humor and self-awareness, they helped him to avoid the pretense and pomposity that could have afflicted the most famous mind in the world" (p. 385).
Einstein's perspective on God's creation is instructive. Einstein did not begin speaking until he was three years old. He believed that was one reason he retained such a sense of wonder when it came to natural phenomena that the rest of us tend to take for granted. The type of awe most of us feel when witnessing a particularly glorious sunset or a clear night sky away from the city was experienced by Einstein when considering the facts of nature. He possessed a sense of wonder that propelled him to continuously wish to learn more. For the Christian, such a wonder can be a motivation for worship and adoration.
Stephen Shields
http://faithmaps.blogspot.com
means that I am always on the lookout for books and resources which help refine my understanding of the current college generation. Unfortunately, it is rare that I find something which doesn’t simply rehash what many others have already said. That is why I was so excited to discover the book Millennial Leaders by Bea Fields, Scott Wilder, Jim Bunch and Rob Newbold. Millennial Leaders is actually a collection of interviews with a broad range of people, ranging from young leaders and entrepreneurs to those who work with Millennials. This is first and foremost a business oriented book, so most of the interviews have something to do with relating to Millennials in the business environment, but this in no way means the book isn’t an excellent resource for pastors wanting to know how to relate to their newest, youngest staff members, university ministers or anyone else wanting to understand what makes Millennials (those born 1980 to 2002) tick. And that has changed drastically from previous generations. For instance, for many Millennials, job location is just as or even more important than the job itself. For instance, does your community have a low "after-hours" index? Then you may well have trouble recruiting that young leader to come and work alongside of you in your ministry. Or would it surprise you to learn that the person interviewing for your ministry opportunity is in reality interviewing you and that part of the consideration of whether they will come and work for you is your attitude towards responsible living in relation to God's creation? Welcome to the newest generation in the workplace.
Compelled by Love: The Most Excellent Way to Missional Living is a new book by researcher and missiologist, Ed Stetzer, and church planting missionary, Philip Nation. 
