The Genesis view in Haydn’s oratorio "The Creation"

Image from Naxos

The Appendix of The Imagined Conflict lists five main positions for reconciling science and the Bible. In order to understand them, it is important to grasp the historic context of their origins. One of the ambitions of the The Imagined Conflict has been to provide that context for these views:

1. Young Earth creationism (YEC): Solar day theory
2. Old Earth creationism (OEC)
• Chaos-restitution interpretation 
• Gap theory
3. Progressive creationism: Day-age interpretation
4. Guided evolution
5. Planned evolution

There are in fact two more also listed: Deistic evolution and Atheistic evolution, but these views are not really about reconciliation as they more or less ignore the Bible as a source of knowledge.

Sometimes these five views are presented as a menu to choose from, but they have been developed in a dialogue with the development of science. They are best understood in a history of science context. 

A scientist evaluates the Galileo affair

Page 86 from "The Imagined Conflict"

A persistent myth is that Galileo's observations (see image) were proof that the Earth revolves around the sun. Galileo himself knew very well that he did not have a very good case scientifically for this hypothesis. He tried to advance an erroneous argument based on the tides, but his "Tidal proof" convinced few at the time and is actually incorrect.

In chapter 3 of “The Imagined Conflict” (Wipf & Stock, 2025), a major part is entitled “Galileo was right and so were his critics”* (pp. 85–102). My claim is that this chapter has one of the most accessible and comprehensive accounts available about the science at the time of Galileo. Unique for the book in this genre is also that it has 41 figures and illustrations, 11 of which are in chapter 3.

Table of contents

Here is a detailed table of contents. It complements the table of contents on page vii of the book which only lists the chapter headings.

Introduction                                                         1
    God has arranged all things

    The big questions

1 God's two books                                              12
    Does science make religion unnecessary?
    A faith to be proud of
    Too much to doubt and too little to believe
    Seven different perspectives

2 The amazing creation                                     31               Consciousness and language
    The finely tuned water molecule
    Created from stardust
    Cosmic evolution and intelligent life
    A creation that points to a creator

Differences from Norwegian original

The main difference between this English version and the Norwegian original from 2021 is that the appendix consists of material which was previously at the end of chapters 3, 4, 6, and 7. 

The section titled “The Complex Complexity Argument” in chapter 6 has been completely rewritten and shortened. The section on “What Is Science?” at the end of chapter 5, the section “The Inexplicability of Evolutionary Transitions” in chapter 6, and “The Mystery of Language Evolution” in chapter 7 are all new, as is chapter 8, "The Perceived and the Real Conflict", which has been completely rewritten. 

There are, in addition, minor differences from the original in most chapters including some 9 new references to literature from 2021–2024.

The Imagined Conflict

Of course, there is a conflict between science and God, many say, and they do not even bother to ask for justification. This myth-based view is dominant in our culture. Sverre Holm regularly encounters attitudes that reflect such a perception, which is based more on opinion than on fact. This has inspired him to embark on the exciting task of elucidating how classical Christian faith, with a little effort, can go together with science. The result is an educational and engaging book for anyone interested in science, its history and philosophy. "Science is strangely vague when faced with the question of human consciousness and calls the origin of its most prominent characteristic, the ability to speak, a mystery. Nevertheless, there is no lack of certainty about how evolution can explain everything about human nature. Are we approaching the limits of what science can explain here?"

The book's page at Wipf & Stock, November 21, 2025: The imagined conflict: On Science and God. 

3 Commendations for The Imagined Conflict

John C Lennox:

Holm’s book is an excellent addition to the literature on science and religion.  With a delightful Scandinavian flavour, and with the keen insight of a practising research physicist, Holm takes a balanced three-pronged approach to the topic—historical, scientific and philosophical.  Amply supported by carefully curated, detailed research, he rehabilitates the science of the Middle Ages, illuminates in a fresh way the iconic historical controversies on the motion and age of the earth and reflects on contemporary thinking on the nature of evolution.  

Showing a clear grasp of the importance of distinguishing science from worldview, Holm traces how the idea of conflict between science and God developed and why that conflict is imagined rather than real. 

This book is a model of fair enquiry, and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone interested in understanding how science and the Christian faith can both coexist and thrive in fruitful dialogue.  

John C Lennox MA MMath MA(Bioethics) DPhil PhD DSc FISSR
Emeritus Professor of Mathematics, University of Oxford
Emeritus Fellow in Mathematics and Philosophy of Science
Green Templeton College, Oxford.

Science with Overtones

Science with Overtones:

21 Natural Scientists and Their Belief in God.

Scientists with a belief in God have played a central role in the development of science for more than four hundred years. Some might think that belief in a creator God and the practice of science must have been a source of conflict, but the stories of the scientists tell a completely different story. They had a divine perspective on science, and it made their work better, not worse. Be inspired by 21 of the world's most important scientists!

The book has two authors. First, Professor Sverre Holm presents the scientist's life's work and beliefs, then Sven Aasmundtveit reflects on what this can mean for us today.

The book is in Norwegian and in sale from October 30 (2025).