Statistics and Faith

Bringing Integrity to the Stories Numbers Tell When we tell stories with numbers, we depend on the field of statistics-but how do we know that those stories are true? Almost everything in life is connected to data, and that data can help us make sense of truth in a world that feels increasingly challenging to navigate as Christians. But in a world where we are told to 'do our own research,' it can be nearly impossible to know whether we’re just gravitating toward stories that confirm our own untested biases, or whether we’re analyzing the data in a way that is illuminating truth. Exploring a range of contemporary topics, professor of statistics Jason Wilson shows both non-experts and experts alike that statistics has something to say when it relates to the polarizing issues that we face today. Exploring topics such as gambling, Covid, and media bias, Wilson shows that the ways we collect, organize, analyze, and interpret data have something to say in conversation with the Christian faith. In Statistics and Faith, you’ll find examinations of contemporary issues using statistical concepts, tools, and theories; case studies from history that show how statistics can be used in ways that are helpful or harmful; application chapters based on over fifteen years of research; and reflection questions to help you explore how to do statistics with integrity. This book is ideal for professors seeking to help students explore the history and application of statistics from a Christian worldview as well as for Christians who are curious about how we understand truth through numbers. It serves as an ideal supplementary text for statistics courses and other disciplines that incorporate statistical methods, and it offers an insightful perspective on how statistics in conversation with Christian faith can speak to today’s polarizing issues, empowering readers to discern truth through data in a noisy world. 6