Stars and Their Purpose: Understanding the Origin of Earth's "Nightlights"

by Werner Gitt

"To my mind, scientific findings and biblical affirmations are inseparable. It is a tragic fact of history that these two approaches have diverged and become separated." -From the Introduction Did you know that there are 200 billion stars in our galaxy alone? And that according to current data, there are at least 100 million galaxies in existence? The sheer number of stars in the universe attests to the awesomeness of God's creation. The purpose and features of stars are discussed in this exciting and fascinating book by Dr. Werner Gitt. Learn about topics such

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Astronomy, Christian, Theology

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Engineering degree from the Technical University in Hanover, Germany. Ph.D.

Previously Head of the Department of Information Technology at the German Federal Institute of Physics and Technology (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt [PTB], in Braunschweig).

Previously Director and Professor at PTB.

Reviews

[Yibbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this book. Astronomy has always fascinated me. The incomprehensible vastness of even our own solar system, the overwhelming power of the smallest star, and the awesome beauty unseen till now are endlessly fascinating. And the Bible discusses their creation almost off handedly or simply as a side note to the important creation of this earth and humanity. So, a book that promised to look at both sounded perfect.
Unfortunately, vast sections of it are just lists of scientific facts. I’ve read science textbooks that flowed better. I suppose that if you are trying to catch up on recent astronomical discoveries it might be interesting, but it is like wading through a dictionary of scientific facts. Those would be followed by wonderful sections discussing the what the Bible directly teaches about the stars and their glorious Creator. It just doesn’t flow together very easily. It needed more explanatory material to connect the various sections.
Then there were the errors. I don’t know if they are simply typos or translation errors, but for a book that relies on sharing scientific data there were to many major errors for me completely trust it’s reliability for the numbers.
Most unsettling, and to me most unconvincing, section was the one where he discusses the supposed Gospel message in the constellations. He tries to redeem them from their mythic histories and tie them to various Bible verses or concepts. It wasn’t really fleshed out a lot. But if we accept the meanings, he tries to assign them as being from the earliest history, we have to accept that God revealed the ‘mystery’ of salvation in quite a bit of detail centuries before revealing them through the Prophets and His Son. I’m just unconvinced that there is absolutely any Biblical support for that idea. It seems to fly in the face of Ephesians 3:9 and 1 Corinthians 2:5 – 10.
So, all in all, I didn’t find it as enjoyable as I expected, and don’t really recommend it.

[Michael Schmid · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives good information about the size, number, nature and meaning of stars. Although aimed at a non-academic audience, I still found it quite difficult to read for me as a person who does not know much about astronomy or science. (I skipped most of the appendices at the end, because they contained too many numbers, charts and formulas for me...) The author also gives a good account of what the Bible has to say about stars. However, I found a part of the section on the meaning of the star signs a bit far-fetched and creative. It was more of an attempt to find the star signs in the Bible and attach a deep spiritual meaning to them - to help us be reminded of biblical truths - as is also honestly admitted by the author, which I was thankful for. The book shows us from the Bible that Jesus Christ is the Creator of the stars and helps to show how we can have a relationship with Him.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presents the purposes of the stars from a Bibical perspective. Along the way, Gitt sets out amazing facts about our solar system, our galaxy, and the universe beyond, underscoring the incredible scope and magnitude of it all. The central message, though, is explaining *why* the stars are there. Many people look up at the night sky and wonder what is out there; some even place their hope in the stars. The Bible is not silent on these issues. This book outlines in straightforward fashion why God created the stars. If we believe the Bible, it is worth knowing what it says about the "stars and their purpose" (or, more accurately than the title, their "purposes," for there are more than one). Translated into English from German, the book reads well and quickly, and is an excellent resource.

[CB Harbour · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have recently become more interested in the glories and mysteries of the created universe as a whole, but secular books on the subject, while they can inspire awe and worship, do become tiresome with their constant references to billions of years, evolution, etc. Stars And Their Purpose, on the other hand, is everything I was hoping for. Armed with both an expert knowledge of the universe, and of the Scriptures, Mr. Gitt produces a fascinating and educational glimpse of the creation beyond our own atmosphere. In spite of the occasionally weighty or complex subject matter, it reads very easily, and I never wanted to put it down. I sincerely hope to find more books in a similar vein in the future.

[Kimba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of interesting facts about astronomy and faith.

[Forrest Gump · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stars and Their Purpose? I want to know why they shine!