by Elizabeth A. Frykberg
Elevate Publishing, Boise, Idaho. 194 pages
Once upon a time it was not uncommon for the most imaginative scientists to be Christians in pursuit of truth. Those Christian scientists looked especially to the natural world for the discovery of wider knowledge of God’s creation. This scientific vocation was not inconsistent with the Christian vocation to know God and practice the ways of faith in the world. The author of this intriguing book writes in the same vein as those imaginative scientists. A pastor with a Ph.D. in physics, Frykberg focuses our attention on the fractal, a naturally occurring geometric pattern first discovered by mathematician Benoit Mandlebrot. The fractal pattern is found throughout nature; see, for example, a fern or a cauliflower. The pattern always manifests a “self-similarity” that Frykberg beautifully suggests is akin to the pattern within the Trinity. She develops this theologically and then helpfully offers a seven-fold pattern of Christian discipleship that bears the pattern of the Jesus Fractal. The creative thinking on display here deserves our attention. Yet, beyond that mere fact, the pattern she develops has also been tested and practiced in her own congregation. The spiritual practices that flow from the Jesus Fractal can be manifest in personal and community life. If you want to see a marvelous recovery of the vocation of science and theology in the pursuit of practical truth, read this book.
