BOOK REVIEW: FINDING GOD IN THE WAVES, BY MIKE McHARGUE
By: Rob Rynders
Tags: Christianity, Religion

I grew up in Livermore, CA, home of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. My grandfather had been a scientist there. He was also a lifelong Methodist. In fact, I grew up in the same church he raised my dad in, Asbury United Methodist Church, which was located just down the street from “The Lab.” This meant that I grew up in a church full of scientists. At the time I didn’t know the effect this would have on the development of my faith. The influence of science on my system of belief wasn’t totally obvious, though. I felt like I developed a faith based on standard Mainline Christian and Wesleyan doctrines. However, no Sunday School teacher, youth group leader, or pastor ever discouraged questions or doubts about Christian beliefs and the bible. If anything they encouraged them. Critical thinking was never out of bounds at my church. I thought that’s how all Christians functioned until one day, as a teenager, my bubble was burst when I got into an argument with my fundamentalist frozen yogurt shop co-worker. She maintained that having doubts and asking challenging questions about one’s faith meant you weren’t a real Christian.

My upbringing is a big reason that I appreciated reading Mike (popularly known as “Science Mike”) McHargue’s Finding God in the Waves: How I Lost My Faith and Found it Again Through Science. The book is a journey through Mike’s experience of growing up a staunch Southern Baptist whose faith begins to unravel soon after his dad announces that he’s leaving Mike’s mom for another woman. Eventually Mike’s doubts turn into full-blown atheism as he both wrestles with the questions of his parent’s divorce and dives deep into exploring and expanding his knowledge of science. Despite his unraveled faith Mike has to remain a closet atheist out of fear of destroying his relationships with his still faithfully believing family and a church community that he loves and continues to maintain leadership in.

While Mike eventually comes clean to his family he doesn’t actually leave his church until he unexpectedly rediscovers his faith, a faith reignited by a mystical encounter with God on the beach, and a faith strongly informed and shaped by science and reason.

It’s this newfound faith that allows him to be comfortable with his beliefs, doubts, and questions, while also identifying as unabashedly Christian. His church, however, finds no comfort in his public embrace of doubts, questions, and science. Eventually, Mike and his family make the painful decision to leave their church home, ultimately finding a congregation (that happens to be a United Methodist Church) that wholeheartedly embraces them.

While Mike’s story is powerful enough on its own he intersperses it with his vast knowledge of cosmology and neurology, helping us understand how these scientific disciplines relate to the development of faith and belief. He does this in a way that is natural and easy to understand, even for a reader with minimal exposure to what can be intimidating concepts.

Finding God in the Waves will be a non-starter for fro-yo serving fundamentalists. Conversely, for people of faith who comfortably integrate religious belief and modern science this book won’t be shocking or controversial. It’s still a worthy read for progressive Christians, however. McHargue’s book will be transformational for many though, especially those who have doubts, questions, and a scientific worldview, yet are a part of more evangelical and conservative congregations. My hope is that Mike’s story and wisdom will help them feel less alone and have honest conversations with the people they care about. Finally, this is a helpful book for anyone who has left church, or was forced out of church, and is wondering if it’s ever possible to find their way to a healthy and critical thinking friendly form Christianity.

Science can be a difficult topic to tackle for many congregations, but I’m thankful for the scientists who helped shape my faith, and I’m thankful for Science Mike’s bravery and witness that will help shape and affirm the faith of many others.