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Mike McHargue

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Finding God in the Waves: How I lost my faith and found it again through science Paperback – January 1, 1755

by Mike McHargue (Author)

4.6 1,014 ratings

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Language

English
Publisher

Unknown
Publication date

January 1, 1755
Dimensions

6.1 x 0.87 x 9.21 inches
ISBN-10

1473653681
ISBN-13

978-1473653689
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Unknown (January 1, 1755)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1473653681
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1473653689
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.1 x 0.87 x 9.21 inches

Customer Reviews:
4.6 1,014 ratings

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Mike McHargue

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Mike McHargue is a public educator trusted by millions to use empathy and deep scientific insights to help them navigate some of the most difficult parts of the human experience. He’s the host of Ask Science Mike, co-founded the chart-topping show The Liturgists Podcast, is the bestselling author of Finding God in the Waves, and You’re a Miracle (and a Pain in the Ass), and works as a science advisor and story consultant for film and television working with clients including Marvel Studios and Pete Holmes.

Mike has been featured in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, The Huffington Post, and scores of other notable publications. Mike is an in-demand speaker appearing all over the world—including appearances at Google and MIT. Mike’s next book You are a Miracle (and a Pain in the Ass) comes out on April 28, 2020.

Mike lives in Los Angeles, CA with his wife Jenny, his daughters Madison and Macey, and their beloved dog, Ruby.

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simplehand

A game changer of a book. So well done.

Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2016

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Easily one of the most memorable books of the decade. The thing I love about this author and podcaster is his sincerity and genuine mission to help those who feel a profound loss when it comes to their ability to connect with-- or even believe in-- God. This is one of the most beautiful bridges between science and faith I have ever read. I went to a university that valued faith and reason and will always be grateful for that introduction into "thoughtful faith." It's been ten years since I graduated college, though, and I've since had just as many questions. While in college it was Blue Like Jazz and Velvet Elvis, two stepping stones McHargue himself also mentions as part of his journey, I can easily see Finding God in the Waves being one of the most transformational books for me on today's journey in much the same caliber as the game changing works by Donald Miller and Rob Bell.

The book is divided into two parts. Part One of the book is an easier read because it is primarily narrative and McHargue is a natural storyteller. I was enthralled. The second half did take longer for me to get through because it was heavier and more scientific, but perhaps my favorite part of the book was the last chapter when everything was so beautiful woven together. The prose is so on point I might have cried.

I think it was Rob Bell who first caused me to really chew on the idea of faith being like a house of cards. Say, for example, the virgin birth was somehow proved to be untrue-- that Mary wasn't a virgin and here we have Jesus anyway. Would that utterly destroy my faith? In the same way, Mike makes even bolder claims that many will not be ready for. But again-- the point is to help people who've already thought about these things deeply and with a great amount of skepticism (i.e. the claims of the Christian faith that, when you actually stop to think about them, can seem absurd) to be able to believe in the power of faith and possibility.

I can't adequately express my gratitude to Mike for writing this book and for all he has done for this community.
I hope you'll read this book, enjoy it, and find comfort in our shared humanity, spirituality, and earthly potential.

3 people found this helpful

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Stephen Reid

A book written from no-man's (no-person's) land

Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2024

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The author of this book, widely known as "Science Mike," seems like the kind of guy you'd love to have as a friend, or at least grab a beer with. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, largely because it presents a thoughtful, honest critique of the relationship between faith and science, while at the same time sharing a highly engaging personal story. That said, I suspect that it occupies a bit of a philosophical no-man's land that is unlikely to please many readers. Evangelical Christian readers will almost certainly take a dim view of the reductionist brand of faith to which Mike has returned, while those with a more scientific bent probably won't see the value in efforts to make Christianity more palatable. I myself was left wondering if Mike would have come within 1000 miles of the Christian faith if he had not been raised in it and surrounded by Christian friends and family whom he didn't want to disappoint. Without that background, Mike's scientific explorations would probably not have taken him too far in that direction. That said, I completely understand where he is coming from and hope readers will give the book a chance. My life has followed a similar arc, from a Southern Baptist upbringing to atheism/agnosticism to a progressive form of Christian faith. At some point, I concluded that Christianity is an inescapable part of my story, and that I will always find meaning and comfort in the rituals of the church and the person of Jesus. But no need to push that on anyone else, a stance that Mike seems to share.

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Paul Harrison

Great memoir of a faith in process

Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2016

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I’ve enjoyed listening to Science Mike on The Liturgists and Ask Science Mike podcasts because he is very introspective, thoughtful, articulate, enjoyable, and compassionate. There is hardly a wasted word and he's always laughing. I relate with having a fundamentalist Christian past where God was my everything and I had peace and certainty, then had everything come crashing down, leaving me in disillusionment, depression, and despondency. I also relate with having overwhelming mystical experiences that make it hard for me to be a comfortable secularist and atheist, and those experiences happening in a Christian context, but having no way to affirm Christian doctrine with intellectual honesty, so having to swim in Christian circles without knowing exactly what to think or believe while there. The end result is an ever-changing, idiosyncratic faith in which my beliefs are in process, and this is what I found in Finding God in the Waves.

The first part of the book is memoir, giving us a picture of Mike’s life and beliefs, his disillusionment and slide into atheism, and his mystical experiences where he hears Jesus speak to him audibly at a Rob Bell meeting and has a profound mystical experience on the beach that night. The second half of the book are Mike’s reflections on this experience and figuring out exactly what he believes about God, prayer, Christianity, Jesus, the Bible, and the Church. Those familiar with Science Mike will not find it surprising that he lands on the liberal, progressive, mainline end of spectrum with his tentative views that won’t gain him many points with fundamentalists and evangelicals.

I was excited about his chapter on experiencing God by practicing prayer and meditation, but troubled when the advice seemed to be little more than to pretend God exists and to give your brain a concept of a loving God to play with, then in time this God will be real to your brain and you will gain all of the benefits of belief. Further, he doesn’t seem to see God as a person you can pray to and ask things for, so prayer becomes meditation and communing with God instead. Given that he affirms Einstein’s God where the word “God” is at least a metaphor for the forces of nature and elegance of the universe, this wasn’t helpful for reaching an actual personal, volitional, external God who knows my name, loves me, and can actually act supernaturally to speak, guide, and answer prayer. It felt like Mike suggested no more than the atheist criticism that God is a useful delusion that helps believers feel good.

But Mike does affirm the mystery of God in his mystical experiences that would suggest God is loving and volitional while at the same time affirming that everything he thinks and says about God is imprecise and unscientific, explaining that he is squarely in the Christian tradition using new metaphors and understandings of God. I would have liked to see more emphasis on this personal and volitional God more than Einstein’s God or an image of God we invent until our brain’s “muscle memory” believes and experiences it via reinforcement by spiritual disciplines.

I’m thankful Mike shared with us his faith in progress, as so many of us are in the same place. Also, I stood on the beach and prayed and a seagull pooped on my head. Do not try to replicate Science Mike’s mystical encounter.

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Simon Wälchli

Spannend auch für Nicht-Wissenschaftler:innen

Reviewed in Germany on October 31, 2022

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Ich kenne den Autoren als er noch Host vom Podcast "the liturgists" war und habe seine Art immer sehr geschätzt. Er hat dort von seinen "axioms about christian faith" gehört und war sehr angetan. Im Buch erzählt er seine Geschichte, wie er in einem christlichen Haushalt gross geworden ist und dann seinen Glauben verloren hat. Das geschah nicht, weil er zu wenig die Bibel gelesen hat, sondern weil er Widersprüche und wissenschaftliche Ungereimtheiten gefunden hat. Sein biblizistisches Weltbild hat Risse bekommen und er musste den Glauben hinter sich lassen.
Durch eine hörbare Begegnung mit Jesus, bei einem Workshop zu Kreativität von Rob Bell, wurde der Glaube wieder eine Option für ihn. Doch er wollte sich nicht einfach auf dieses *Wunder" verlassen und hat für sich 10 Axiome formuliert, die Glauben auch aus einer wissenschaftlichen Perspektive annehmbar machen.
Mir persönlich hat die Lektüre viel gebracht. Das Buch liest sich gut und ist spannend geschrieben. Ich empfehle es Menschen, die den christlichen Glauben kritisch sehen und wissen möchten, wie man glauben kann, ohne seine Fragen unterdrücken zu müssen.

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David Edwards

One Man's Escape from Fundamentalism

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 16, 2018

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This is basically the story of the author's escape from fundamentalism and as with so many things which are wrong, misguided or just bad, it is often necessary to throw the whole lot out and rebuild from basic principles up. This is what 'Science Mike' did, by going from Evangelical to Atheist and back to Christian again, but this time a measured, reasonable Christian of whom Jesus could be proud, rather than a fearful, narrow adherent of a neutered religion.
Well written and most informative. The insight into the Evangelical Southern Baptist’s version of Christianity was chilling. But the measured and balanced explanations of all aspects of faith and Mike’s journey was most enlightening.
If I had been able to communicate with the author early in his struggle with the loss of God from his life I would have pointed out that existence isn’t just Christianity or Atheism. He struggled because he couldn’t think of anywhere else to go, but millions of Hindus have never even heard of the Bible and are very devout indeed, having no trouble believing in God. Similarly Buddhists have a much more sophisticated view of the Divine than the Christian faith allows. Look elsewhere, think more deeply once you have more data. Then you can come back and be a more informed Christian. Look at what the Kabbalah says about God. Look at Theosophy, the Wisdom religion.
It is possible to regain the teachings that Jesus taught to his disciples in ‘the upper room’ but which have been lost. You just won’t find that information within Christianity as it is now.
Even if you stay with the Christian teachings, the big thing is to look to The Sermon on The Mount for your spiritual instruction, not the ghastliness within the Old Testament. Take note of what The Christ taught, not what came before, most which was in need of modification, even two thousand years ago when the New Dispensation was given to mankind.
Taking your spiritual teaching from The Christ, is sort of implied in the name 'Christian', after all.

3 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

If you found your way to this review, you MUST READ this book.

Reviewed in Canada on February 7, 2017

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This is really a must-read book for anyone who is having doubts, struggling with their faith or in the process of deconstructing their belief system. Science Mike is not only analytical, honest and vulnerable in his writing, but also humorous. If you're questioning whether or not to read this book, listen to the podcasts "The Liturgists" or "Ask Science Mike" to get a feel for his voice, as it translates to paper naturally, however provides a medium for Mike to really expand on each thought and nuance. Thanks Mike.

3 people found this helpful

mommahedgepig

Fellowship for journeymen, strugglers and sceptics

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 19, 2016

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Having been already endeared to Mike McHargue through The Liturgists and Ask Science Mike podcast I had eagerly anticipated this book. I found it a delight to read Mikes honest and compelling journey from the conservative religion he had inherited through to an awakening need for authenticity as his faith narrative unravelled. I felt privileged to share in what had once been kept secret and sorrowful and troubled at his perceived and actual need to live a double life as Christian on the outside and Athiest in his mind. I loved his intellectual pursuit of understanding combined with his child like love of prayer. His journey back to a more mystical experiential faith, the beach encounter and ultimately his acceptance of both certainty and uncertainty with great integrity. This book offers fellowship for those who have ever struggled with questions and scepticism and felt alienated by their communities because of their doubt and it's a real page turner too! Mike warmly leads the reader through his journey, it's funny, engaging and in doing so he has created another much needed safe and reassuring space for others.

11 people found this helpful