If the Ocean Has a Soul

The ocean is filled with scientific discoveries—and God’s presence.

For marine biologist Rachel Jordan, both science and Scripture are means of knowing creation and Creator. In If the Ocean Has a Soul, Rachel considers the natural world through a spiritual lens, meshing marine biology with biblical truths in a keen and current take on faith and science. With engaging storytelling and deep knowledge of the Bible, she asks and answers questions like:

How can Christians reconcile religion and science when the two seem opposed? What do suffering and death teach us about the character of Jesus? How do we care for the environment when there seems to be little hope for repair? What do the ocean and its sea creatures, specifically, reveal about God? In these chapters, Rachel recounts fascinating aquatic phenomena alongside the sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic stories of animals she has known. You’ll lose yourself in the shadows of an underwater labyrinth; hear spiritual wisdom from a great-grandmother coral the size of a Volkswagen Beetle; and fall in love with Porky, the pudgy porcupinefish greeting visitors at the Windjammer shipwreck. And along the way, you’ll see how the promise of restoration unfolds in both physical and spiritual ways. Rachel’s thoughtful scientific and theological insights encourage us to know the Creator of the sea and everything in it.

1. Opening Credits
2. Dedication
3. Preface: Unfathomable Seas
4. Chapter 1: Land of the Living
5. Chapter 2: The Bothers of Beachcombing
6. Chapter 3: Choir of Creation
7. Chapter 4: Leviathans in the Deep
8. Chapter 5: Living Water
9. Chapter 6: Valley of the Shadow
10. Chapter 7: Crab and Clam Treasures
11. Chapter 8: Invisible Lights
12. Chapter 9: Buddy Breathing
13. Chapter 10: Fireworms and Butterflies
14. Chapter 11: Bungling the Bailout
15. Chapter 12: The Betta Hospital
16. Chapter 13: Snuggling like Seahorses
17. Chapter 14: The Promised Garden City
18. Chapter 15: Bubble-Brained
19. Chapter 16: Whale Whispers
20. Chapter 17: Silhouettes in the Maze
21. Chapter 18: Someone Is Watching
22. Chapter 19: Tending Wild Gardens
23. Epilogue: The Greatest Hope
24. Acknowledgments
25. Closing Credits