Will science someday rule out the possibility of God?

That is the title of an interesting new MSNBC article based on an interview with theoretical cosmologist Sean Carroll. Here's an excerpt:

Over the past few centuries, science can be said to have gradually chipped away at the traditional grounds for believing in God. Much of what once seemed mysterious — the existence of humanity, the life-bearing perfection of Earth, the workings of the universe — can now be explained by biology, astronomy, physics and other domains of science.

Although cosmic mysteries remain, Sean Carroll, a theoretical cosmologist at the California Institute of Technology, says there's good reason to think science will ultimately arrive at a complete understanding of the universe that leaves no grounds for God whatsoever. 

Carroll argues that God's sphere of influence has shrunk drastically in modern times, as physics and cosmology have expanded in their ability to explain the origin and evolution of the universe. "As we learn more about the universe, there's less and less need to look outside it for help," he told Life's Little Mysteries. 

He thinks the sphere of supernatural influence will eventually shrink to nil. But could science really eventually explain everything? (read more)

The leading defender of the Cosmological Argument for God's existence is William Lane Craig, and he addresses some of the claims made by Carroll in this article, here.

Looking for an accessible introduction to the evidence for God based on the beginning of the universe? Start here (chapter 5).

Knowledge isn't that important...is it?

"People perish for lack of knowledge, because only knowledge permits assured access to reality; and reality does not adjust itself to accommodate our false beliefs, errors, or hesitations in action. Life demands a steady hand for good, and only knowledge supplies this. This is as true in the spiritual life as elsewhere." - Dallas Willard

Not only is it critical to be able to ask and argue if Christianity is true but even more important is whether it can be known to be true.

Here's a good place to start your search and learn how to make the case for the Christian worldview.

The Projection Theory Cuts Both Ways

If it can be argued that humans created God out of a need for security or a father figure (cf. Freud), then it can just as easily be argued that atheism is a response to the human desire for the freedom to do whatever one wants without moral constraints or obligations. Perhaps atheists don’t want a God to exist because they would then be morally accountable to a deity. Or maybe atheists had particularly tragic relationships with their own fathers growing up, projected that on God, and then spent most of their adult lives trying to kill a “Divine Father Figure" (for more on this point, see the chapter by Dr. Paul Vitz here).

Moreover, perhaps the idea that humans invented God to meet their desires is precisely backward. Perhaps the reason humans have a desire for the divine is because something or someone exists that will satisfy them. C. S. Lewis powerfully articulates this point: “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water…If I find in myself a desire, which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

But is there good, positive evidence for God? Yes. I write about that here with Sean McDowell:


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True Reason and the Reason Rally

Whose side is reason really on? A new book ($2.99) will help you think through these issues for yourself:

"The New Atheists are convinced that good thinking means disbelief in God and that their leaders are models of good reasoning. They’re planning a “Reason Rally” for March 24. Richard Dawkins heads up a “Foundation for Reason and Science.” Sam Harris is founder and chairman of “Project Reason.” The American Atheists define atheism as “the mental attitude which unreservedly accepts the supremacy of reason . . .” John Loftus tells us “Faith and Reason are Mutually Exclusive Opposites.”
In this they are quite mistaken. 

They are wrong because their claims to good reasoning do not match the evidence of their performance. Dawkins’ book The God Delusion is rife with logical fallacies and demonstrably anti-scientific prejudice. Sam Harris devoted most of a recent debate to avoiding logic, advancing an argument based on emotional appeals instead. John Loftus says that his “Outsider Test for Faith” shows that belief is irrational, when his test actually demonstrates the opposite. 

They are also wrong because Christianity is built on a foundation of evidence and thought. The Bible is a record of what God has done. It tells us through and through to see what he has done, and to trust him based on what we know to be true of him. Jesus requires his followers to love God with all of their minds. The Apostle Paul reasoned in the synagogues and with the Greek philosophers. Down through history, many of the world’s greatest thinkers have been Christians. It’s still true today. 

And they are mistaken in not seeing how Christianity leads people to treat each other reasonably. Sure, there have been exceptions, but on the whole Christianity has been the world’s greatest force for freedom, peace, human rights, and of course the highest good of all: knowledge of God. 

This is not the party line. Even Christians may not know this is true. If any of this seems surprising to you, then it’s time for you to discover True Reason."

Learn more and order the book here...

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Mindless Accident or Wonderfully Designed? Conception to Birth Visualized (Video)

Alexander Tsiaras has invited us to witness the wonder and complexity of a developing human being like you have never seen it before. Wow...



Psalm 139 in action.

Make the case for life in 5 minutes or less

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How Do We Know That Jesus Is Who He Claimed To Be? - Jonathan Morrow (Video)

This is the central issue when it comes to examining the claims of Christianity. Here are 2 powerful reasons that support Jesus's radical claims.

How Do We Know That Jesus Is Who He Claimed To Be? - Jonathan Morrow from Think Christianly on Vimeo.

Here is a link to the Think Christianly podcast with a talk I did on the historical evidence for the resurrection that goes into more detail.

I have a chapter on it here:

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More Compelling Evidence For Intelligent Design...

I highly recommend this truly remarkable documentary exploring the breathtaking beauty and design of butterflies. Here is the video preview and product description of Metamorphosis (available on Blue Ray and DVD):

"Throughout history butterflies have fascinated artists and philosophers, scientists and schoolchildren with their profound mystery and beauty. In Metamorphosis you will explore their remarkable world as few ever have before. Spectacular photography, computer animation and magnetic resonance imaging open once hidden doors to every stage of a butterfly's life-cycle. From an egg the size of a pinhead to a magnificent flying insect. It is a transformation so incredible biologists have called it "butterfly magic." The superbly engineered body of a butterfly is magnified hundreds of times to reveal compound eyes made of thousands of individual lenses, wings covered with microscopic solar panels that warm the insect's muscles for flight, and navigational systems that unerringly guide Monarch butterflies on their annual migration from Canada to Mexico. How did these extraordinary creatures come into being? Are they the products of a blind, undirected process? Or, were they designed by an intelligence that transcends the material world? Filmed in the rain forests of Ecuador, Mexico's Trans-Volcanic mountain range, and leading research centers, Metamorphosis is an unforgettable documentary filled with the joys of discovery and wonder."

Enjoy!

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Everyone answers the question of God and every answer matters

Mortimer Adler wisely observed that “More consequences for thought and action follow from the affirmation or denial of God than from answering any other basic question. They follow for those who regard the question as answerable only by faith or only by reason, and even for those who insist upon suspending judgment entirely.”

The question of God is no mere ivory tower proposition! It works its way down into all the crevices of thought and life. The evidence for God, contrary to what you may have heard, is actually quite strong. Have you ever rationally considered it? Do your students have more than just a "blind faith and love Jesus" approach to the Christian life? It is critical that we understand that faith in God is a reasonable position to hold and help the next generation come to understand this. The stakes are way too high.

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The impact of Darwin is not limited to biology

Check out Marvin Olasky's article about why when it comes to Darwin, the influence of evolutionary thinking reaches far beyond biology. The bottom line: Daniel Dennett in Darwin's Dangerous Idea hit it right...Darwin created a "universal acid" that eats through any "meaning coming from on high."

Read the rest here

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Atheist, Christian students square off in debate

"Two Christian students and two atheist students squared off Tuesday night in a 90-minute high school debate about the existence, role and relevance of God. Focusing on the philosophical implications of believing in Christianity vs. atheism, the students explained to an audience of about 125 why their beliefs made logical sense and attempted to poke holes in the other side's arguments....."

Read the rest of the story here

The Christians are Sean McDowell's students (my coauthor of Is God Just a Human Invention?). Awesome!

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Is Hell For Real?

What if Hell doesn't exist? That is a question asked by Time magazine during Holy Week. Here is a video promo for my upcoming equipping seminar (Thanks Andrew Humphreys!)



Everyone is talking about hell these days. TIME magazine even had a cover story on it during Holy Week asking—Is Hell Dead? When it comes to this topic everyone has questions: How could a loving God send people to hell? Is hell forever? Will everyone be saved in the end? What about those who have never heard of Jesus? Did Jesus really believe in hell? In this timely seminar, equipping pastor and author Jonathan Morrow will be responding to these and other issues from a distinctively Christian worldview so that we can better understand what the Bible teaches about this topic and how we can engage others when these issues come up in conversations at work, home, or on campus. When: Wed. night May 18th from 6:30 – 8:30 at Blackman Middle School. Childcare $10 per family at the door. Please sign up by emailing info@fbcrc.org or putting the bulletin tab in the giving box.

If you are in the area, come on out! (please sign up) I address this question in this book as well:

Here is a link to my post yesterday on you, me, Gandhi, and Osama bin Laden in case you missed it

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Is Your Jesus Big Enough To Explain Easter?

Everyone has an opinion about Jesus. But one of the questions everyone has to answer-especially historians-is how one explains Jesus being worshipped as God within 20 years of his public and disgraceful crucifixion as the King of the Jews? You need a big enough cause to generate that effect! I think the resurrection would do it. Here is a link to the audio of a message I gave last Easter on the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.

"Students of Jesus today are faced with a multitude of options, ranging from the traditional Jesus who was Savior, Lord, and founder of the church, to a Jesus who was considerably different—a Jesus who was a sage, a religious genius or social revolutionary. These latter three portraits though clearly drawing their energies from live wires in the Gospels, leave us with a Jesus who is not big enough to explain his crucifixion, his following, or development of the Church. If we today are going to be honest about Jesus, we have to choose a Jesus who satisfies all the evidence historians have observed and who will also explain why it is that so many people have found him to be so wonderful that they attend churches every week to worship him."—Scot McKnight

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C.S. Lewis, God, and Miracles

“If we admit God, must we admit Miracle? Indeed, indeed, you have no security against it. That is the bargain.”—C.S. Lewis

If it’s even possible that God exists, then we can’t rule out his intervention in the natural world before we consider the evidence.

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What Rob Bell Should Have Said In His MSNBC Interview (video)

It saddened me to watch Rob Bell in this interview for several reasons. First, Bell is a creative and articulate person who was given a platform to speak into our culture in the midst of tragedy and quite frankly dropped the ball. This was a cultural moment and he balked. In a recent article in Outreach magazine, Pastor Dan Kimball said "I am more and more convinced that we need to be theologians in our culture today." That is what we need to be about.

Second, he was theologically irresponsible. It was hard to find much that was distinctively Christian in the interview. Again, I don't say this to beat up Rob Bell. This should serve as a reminder for all of us to "be always ready to give an answer for the hope we have" (1 Peter 3:15)

Finally, Bell exerts considerable influence with the emerging generation (18-30 year olds). Many will follow Bell because he is charismatic and creative. But in this case, he is not stewarding the truth well (James 3:1).

When asked to address the problem of evil and suffering, Bell simply dodges the question. What he should have said was something like this: Christians are called to pray for and serve those in need. The prophet Jeremiah reminds us that part of what it means to know God is to care for poor and needy (22:15-16). Our hearts break for the people of Japan.

We all ask the question where is God in the midst of this tragedy in Japan? This is where Christianity brings hope of an all powerful God who did not remain quarantined from our pain and tears. God was the exact same place during this event he was as he watched his son Jesus die an unjust death. It appeared that evil won. “Experience cannot be allowed to have the final word," reminds Alister McGrath, "it must be judged and shown up as deceptive and misleading. The theology of the cross draws our attention to the sheer unreliability of experience as a guide to the presence and activity of God. God is active and present in His world, quite independently of whether we experience Him as being so. Experience declared that God was absent from Calvary, only to have its verdict humiliatingly overturned on the third day.”

So even if we don’t know why these things happen, we know it is not because God does not care—that can’t be the reason. We know this because of the Cross. What we cling to in these moments is summed up well by Os Guinness, “we know why we trust the God who knows why.”

Bell also punts to speculation regarding final judgement and the importance of responding to God in this life when the Bible is clear on the matter:

"And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment—so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him."--Hebrews 9:27-28

Let us pray for boldness and compassion to love this world well. And let us remember the world is watching to see what we say and what we do.

KEVIN DEYOUNG's review of Love Wins

Mark Galli of Christianity Today reviews Love Wins

Albert Mohler on Praying for Japan

William Lane Craig on God and Natural Evil

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Jonathan Morrow - God and the Problem of Evil (video) Part One

There are few questions that gnaw at the soul quite like this one—If God is so good, then why is there so much evil and suffering in the world?

The problem of evil confronts us both intellectually and emotionally. In this short video, I begin addressing some of the intellectual questions we all ask: What is evil? Did God create evil? Is evil only a problem for Christians or is it everyone's problem? I have written more on the problem of evil and suffering here and here.​

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Recovering Christianity As A Knowledge Tradition Means Saving Minds As Well As Souls

As humans, we were designed to act on knowledge in everyday life. If you and I don’t think the Bible and other sources of knowledge about God, morality, and the spiritual life are possible and we are not growing in this knowledge; then following Jesus in everyday life will be next to impossible because we always default to what we know. Moreover, there appears no good reason to exclude the knowledge claims of Christianity simply because they are “religious.” If they do not hold up to scrutiny, that is one thing. But Christianity, which is rooted in history, makes many claims, some of which are empirically testable, while others are testable by non-empirical means. The crucial point to grasp is that Christianity rises to the level of being either true or false, and it can be known to be true or false (cf. Luke 1:1–4).

If Christianity is relegated to the realm of fairy tales, which may provide personal significance or meaning but not knowledge, then people will continue not taking the claims of Jesus or the Christian worldview very seriously. If, however, people are invited to consider the claims of Christianity as a knowledge tradition then chances are good that they might come to know the living God and live life according to the knowledge provided in His Word. Charles Malik summarizes this idea well: “The problem is not only to win souls but to save minds. If you win the whole world and lose the mind of the world, you will soon discover you have not won the world.”

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Faith, Evidence, and the Promises of God

Mark Twain once quipped, “faith is believing what you know ain’t so.” That isn’t Christianity. The fact that some Christians may have blind faith is not the same as Christianity itself championing blind faith and irrationality. Historic Christianity has always emphasized that faith and reason go together. In everyday terms, faith is simply trusting in what you have good reason to believe is true. Faith in the Christian life is trust that God is who he claims to be and will do all that he has promised to do. This is reasonable because God has shown himself to be reliable and trustworthy. So faith is not belief in spite of the evidence, but belief in light of the evidence.

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Naturalistic evolution leaves no room for souls, free-will, and consciousness

"The important point about the standard evolutionary story is that the human species and all of its features are the wholly physical outcome of a purely physical process .... If this is the correct account of our origins, then there seems neither need, nor room, to fit any nonphysical substances or properties into our theoretical account of ourselves. We are creatures of matter. And we should learn to live with that fact." - Paul Churchland

"For the naturalist, there is in principle no scientific explanation as to how evolution, a strictly physical process operating on physical materials, could give rise to something utterly non-physical. How can unconscious, purposeless, mindless particles give rise to unified immaterial selves with internal mental states by simply rearranging according to strict physical laws? The naturalist simply has no answer to this question. By contrast, the Christian theist has an excellent answer as to how mind could arise in the course of events that constitute the history of the universe. For the Christian, personhood and, in fact, a Specific Person, is more fundamental to reality than matter. So it is no problem to conceive of a personal God creating finite personal selves by an act of His will. But no amount of study of matter will make it at all conceivable that physical stuff, all by itself, could give rise to mind." - J.P. Moreland



Naturalism, Christianity, and the Human Person by JP Moreland

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How should we engage those who don't believe in God? (Video)

How should we engage those who don't believe in God or may even be hostile to what we believe? What should our attitude and approach be? (1 Peter 3:15)



For more on engaging those who don't believe in God, see my new book with Sean McDowell:

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Is God Just a Human Invention Video

Here is a video of my co-author Sean McDowell talking about the evidence for God, enjoy!

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