Science and the Eastern Orthodox Church  . Edited by DanielBuxhoeveden and GayleWoloschak . Farnham, Surrey , England : Ashgate , 2011 . xii + 217 pages. $89.95 .

Typically, the religion and science dialogue has focused on the Western theological tradition, perhaps due to its connections with enlightenment rationality. In recent years, it has been a welcome development to see more dialogical texts coming from the Eastern Orthodox tradition. In Science and the Eastern Orthodox Church, a group of Orthodox scholars present topics connecting the Eastern theological tradition to important philosophical and scientific scholarship. This makes for a dialogue that is not only uniquely Orthodox, but one from which many Christian traditions will benefit. The volume is edited by Daniel Buxhoeveden and Gayle Woloschak. Buxhoeveden is a physical anthropologist and director of the Religion and Science Initiative at the University of South Carolina. Woloschak is a professor of radiology as well as cell and molecular biology at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. She is also currently the Associate Director for the Zygon Center for Religion and Science in Chicago, Illinois.

The book is divided into three major sections: “Compatibility and Balance,”“Limitations and Problems,” and “Selected Topics,” with all of these titles being prefaced by “Science and Orthodox Christianity.” The first section deals with Orthodox figures and broader ideas, with one essay dealing with twentieth‐century Orthodox figures and their approaches to science, as well as an essay on the Cappadocians and science. In this sense, both ancient and modern Orthodox scholars are represented. The second section engages reductionism and the limitations of science, as well as the environment and bioethics. These four chapters engage key issues both philosophically and practically for the broader religion and science debate, finding applications outside of Orthodoxy. The third section is a mixture of topics, ranging from technology to political economy to the construction of an “Orthodox Philosophy of Science.” I suspect most readers will be drawn to certain groupings of essays, but the volume as a whole addresses many issues that those of faith will find essential to the religion and science dialogue.

Overall, the text is an eclectic mix of scholarship, but the individual articles deliver a powerful defense of the ancient Orthodox tradition while addressing relevant topics to the religion and science discussion. Addressing the limitations of science, while still respecting the methodology and findings of scientific disciplines, this volume creates an important balance, which hits the right note. Certain essays are more clearly addressed to Orthodox readers, but the majority are relevant for those working in the religion‐science dialogue. The text specifically benefits those who are engaging Christian theology and science from a traditional point of view that values different forms of spirituality. Science and the Eastern Orthodox Church is a welcome addition to the religion and science community, specifically those looking not just at the rational but the spiritual aspects of this dialogue.