The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God

Wonderful synopsis of current thought

Many of us are on the quest for God, and often you wonder, when challenged with evolution and other 'scientifically established' results if your inner thoughts are so wrong. Asking questions, finding answers, and inner whisperings are all satisfied in this book. Scientists are beginning to realize, with excellent reasoning, that for us to be on this quest, there has to be something that exsisted before us, that created us and the quest we are on. The miracles of life, the exact conditions that make our universe and our life, could not have been accidental, nor could the complete equipment that we have, which gives us the ability to make the quest for God. If you are on the quest for God, this is an easy book to read, with lots of references for further enriched and in depth reading.

9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

Solidly Supported

I'm not sure if LouisEagle and Strongbark read the same book as I did...I read The Case for the Creator and felt that Strobel provided a great deal of substantiation -- interviews with world-reknowned scientists (and not just Christians although many came to that belief after their own research led them there...they weren't supporting their belief after the fact, rather it is whether the science took them). Interviews were taped, transcribed and reported verbatim. Strobel doesn't interject his beliefs, rather he plays the skeptic and asks the questions that personally troubled him and prevented his initial belief in God. Everything is footnoted for further study and reference and there is even a section for additional independent study and reading at the end of most chapters. For the open minded reader it is really quite helpful. If you have an open mind, I think you will find the science most intriguing. I literally couldn't put the book down. I'm also recommending another book I couldn't put down and have now read several times -- The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard. One of the most intelligent discussions I've read to date.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Prodigious

What magnificence! For anyone who seeks the infallible truth, I recommend this book more than any other in my library. These pages started me on a vigorous Strobel 'fit.' It inspires fierce motivation for precious discovery. Relentless factual affirmations with a matter of fact approach found unflinching when persuading the faithless. Thoughtfully written, this book should be a prerequisite for belief. Don't be left behind!! I dare any atheist to investigate ... it will save your eternity.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Outstanding Scientific Material - well written

As an engineer who appreciates well thought-out scientific investigations - this book is excellent! I Highly recommend it. After reading this book one can see it takes alot more faith to believe in evolution than creation. The author studies both sides of about 10 scientific issues. Would go one step further and say the young earth model is more accurate but the author is not trying for that angle - he establishes 'A case' for a creator. Check it out!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Nothing New Here

This book is effectively the same literature that is found in other Intelligent Design/ Discovery Institute materials. The arguments are the same, just in new packaging. This book is almost solely scientific. It would be interesting to see what Strobel thinks about the theological implications of ID. Strobel tries to align the Intelligent Design theory to the Genesis creation account, but I am unconvinced. There is a growing body of scientific evidence that disproves the arguments here and there are logical answers to the questions they pose that are not addressed. Overall, not an earth shattering book. If you purchasing it, you probably already agree with what is in the book, and more importantly want to believe in the arguments they make.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

BLOWN AWAY

I am still reading this book and am almost finished. My mind is just completely BLOWN AWAY. I've always loved science and philosophy and debating topics (like the ones in this book) with other people. It almost seems as if he wrote this book just for me (allthough i know that's not the case). If you have a truely open mind (athiests are welcome), then read this book. And if you know someone who is a science teacher or student, buy this for them as a gift. Probably the most thought prevoking book i have ever read, and i read a s@#$load of books.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The demise of reason

There are few science books written by Christian fundamentalists that I would bother to pick up. Sometimes curiosity gets the better of me. That is not a good thing. Its like when you have seen a really bad movie and lamented the lost time you could have used profitably. Save yourself the trouble, this book misrepresents science, It is highly selective, and does not provide information from scientists expert in their fields, only those selective of supporting arguments for an 'American style' Christian fundamentalism. It is the kind of book that makes your intellect feel dirty. Enough to drive you to intellectual asceticism. Ouch. Read truly inspired and enlightening science books instead. The books listed will show many cases of self organising phenomena.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

real disappointment

I am a Christian so I thought that this book would help increase my faith and I could learn something new. What Strobel attempts to do is take interviews with a science minded Christian and use his "views" as scientific evidence for the existence of God. I felt that it was a insult to my intelligence. I guess it just goes to show you that science and faith don't always mix well. The author finds someone to interview and suddenly he is a believer because of the "sceintific evidence", which frankly he doesn't prove he just talks about his scientific ideas. Much a the book goes somthing like this: " Well this particular organism is so complex so there is no way it could have evolved, therefore it was put here by God." I mean, come on.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Perfect Book For College-Aged People Seeking Proof Of God!

I first picked up this book because I have two college-aged children who are surrounded by athiests at school. I wanted to find a reference book for them to use to fight back against the professors and other students who mock their faith. This book hits a homerun for that purpose!

This book is not for the "uneducated" in science. But, if you (or someone you know) is educated at the college level in science, then this is the book!!!! Mr. Strobel proves, without doubt, that God exists. The fascinating way that he does it truly remarkable. He takes the arguments that agnostics and athiests have formulated (to prove that there is no God) and uses these arguments to prove that God does exist! The facts in nature speak for themselves and all of the facts, if understood, point directly to a creator.

Please consider this book for yourself if you are in college and doubting the existence of God. If you have college aged children, this is a must buy for Christmas!

Well done!!!

A very well done approach to showing the half-truths, situational ethics and bias of the pro-evolution side. Mr. Strobel - who starts off his adult life an athiest and confirmed evolutionist, remember - does a great job of showing thru interviews with learned bio and paleo scientists just how biased and in a lot of cases invented the 'evidence' to support Darwinism really is. Mind you, while the evolutionists try to bar discussions of Intelligent Design from occuring concurrently in the classroom claiming it not to be 'good' science, it becomes quite clear that evolution is anything but 'good' science as well. What I found particularly interesting was the lack of emotionalism behind the presentation of Mr. Strobel's case and how he ends up showing that many of the supposed supporting arguments for evolution quite clearly point to an anything but random nature to the universe & particularly to the chances of such a sophisticated happening as earth and its occupants both human and otherwise. Again, a very unemotional, rational presentation of how science did NOT end up supporting his original conviction of evolution under closer examination.

Science Over And Against Evolution

'Deliberations' Chapter 11 post analysis of 'The Case For A Creator' contrasts the essence of Science versus Evolution. Revealed in the examination of evidence, 'The Cumulative Case...' adumbrates the Creator, while author Lee Strobel's conclusion that 'Darwinism was too far-fetched to be credible' is irrefutably posited. Strobel's unrelenting sifting of scientific data presented against theoretical evolution emphasizes the bedrock reality Christians trod versus the primrose garden in which evolutionists frolic to their own peril. T L Farley, author, When Now Becomes Too Late.

Must -Read on Intelligent Design

I have read many Intelligent Design books, and this one is the most inclusive. The author basically interviews really smart scientists who have written books on Intelligent Design, and summarizes their most compelling arguments in dialogue format. If you only read one book on Intelligent Design, it should be this one because it gives you the whole scope of the arguments for God and against evolution.

A Case for Truth

In Case for a Creator, Lee Strobel interviews several top scientists who argue the case for Intelligent Design. The arguments are so compelling, one gets the sense that empirical science supports creation and disproves Darwinian evolution to the point, that atheism based on evolution is wishful thinking. Strobel interviews scientists and philosophers and covers evolution, biology, chemistry, astronomy and mathematics, as well as philosophy This is a must read for anyone whose faith is being challenged by current scientific culture. The book shows the weaknesses behind the evolutionary model, and thus atheism. It is also a strong read for anyone, who is seriously interested in these things.

A Universe of Truth

First of all Lee Strobel is a great writer -he gets the reader so involved that you feel like you are actually present as he interviews world-class scientists about the evidence for a Creator. Strobel never claims that the evidence 'proves' there is a God/Creator however, he does show that virtually all of the credible scientific evidence points in that direction. Some might argue that science is irrelevant to religion, which is based on faith - belief in the unseen, but Strobel reminds his readers that our faith should still be based on logic. He then takes the reader on a tour of the mountains of scientific evidence (logic) that points toward an intelligent designer. He convincingly makes the point that it is only scientists, and not science itself, that denies a Creator. This book helped strengthen and build my faith. Be forwarned however that there is real science in this book, and if that isn't your cup of tea, you might try the student edition, which is less likely to get you bogged down in scientific terminology and technical details.

Creates a strong case

Lee Strobel creates a compelling case for the viability of God in the naturalistic worldview our society ascribes to. The book covers current trends in beginning theories like evolution and cosmology, moves to biochemistry and biological evidences for ordered design, and finally finishes with psychological effects of biochemistry. Strobel does not try to wrap God into a scientific package but says evolution may not be as well-structured and well-evidenced as people think. Strobel fails to dig in to specifics in many cases- something unavoidable when trying to cover a topic in such breadth. In effect, he then hinges most of his credibility on the strings of letters after his sources names. This book appeals to the general public and generally covers highly controversial topics in the intelligent design debate. This audience must be taken into account as one reads. Overall, it is written very concretely, but the interview format may get tiring. I'd rate this book 3 1/2 to 4 stars.

I Disagree with both reviews

Did God not create everything? Did God not create us to explore? Is He not in everything? Faith is faith, however, ones map to understanding God can not be map out in only one way. For some, understanding God through science, is how God calls them to Him. Science can prove the existence of God, because our ability to think comes from God. What the mind thinks about, the heart desires, what the heart desires, the will seeks. It's not 'sad' that the author thinks he can show that science proves God's existance. It's God using science to show himself to the scientific minds of our world.

Potential for the unexplained

Lee Stobel is fundamentally a scientist in his ability to ask the questions that challenge most the believe the have they absolute 'facts'. What of the questions that have no answers? This book is much like the others in his library of works, in the way that it provides reasons to question and reasons to avoid simply assuming. It probes the possibility that many are far to quick to dismiss and disregard potential realities, simply due to strong existing opinions against the case for the existence of a higher power. This attitude of absolute dismissal alone creates a 'belief' that is not unlike the stereotyped 'religious ignorance' claimed by many in defense of supporting the case for evolution. This attitude is far from scientific, logical or reasonable. Lee Strobel clearly and simply points out that the case for Intelligent Design does not throw science to the wind, but rather gives science the fresh air to grow out of the dark and protected labs of 'Evolution', by offering reasonable and logical evidence that the simpletons of evolution cannot offer. In summary, this book opens up the minds to the possibilities, instead of closing the mind to a single road of study that needs to be revised and revisited in order to correct original ideas. In other words, this is a book for the truly scientific mind that believes in possibilities. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in all possibilities.

So very Sad

Lee falls into the exact same fallacy that so many atheists do. Science is by nature physical, in that it deals with the cause effect relationship of the physical. Philisophy is more abstract in that it deals mainly on the non-physical(Morals, Political philisophy, God exct) Theirfor common sense tells us that as God is non-physical in nature and not subject to the laws of science(as he made them) Science can never prove or disprove God, only philisophy can. Also as a practicing Catholic I wish I could tell Lee that it was St. Augustine who first came up with the Basic Idea of evolution in the 400's A.D. In fact it was not untill Fundamentalism appeared(as a result of the Protestant fallacy of Sola Scriptura) that any sereious theologian beleived that Genisis was to be taken Literally.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

If, then...

I am all for investigating possible systems of belief, however, knowing what a system's fundamental premise entails is key before building upon such foundations. Example being faith... Faith: 'Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.' Therefore, what proof does one need? Validating the belief in things unseen through a method that is the exact opposite of faith (scientific evidence) does more to comfort one's intellectual basis for belief than to build one's faith. However, as long as one is fine with this concept then all is well. It would do good to remind those reading this book that faith resides in a different realm than science, it would be akin to describing how a color looks by describing how it smells, they are two completely different senses that rely on different means of perception. Even where there is overlap in the two paradigms, faith need not answer to science just as science need not answer to faith and religion. However, I am an outside observer and I like to dabble in both so these books are fun to me. One more thing I must point out the `If-Then¿ arguments presented. Providing `If-Then¿ arguments to support creationism or belief in God is an invalid line of reasoning (as it is when making any argument relating to things of this sort). Example: If one were to claim a lack of evidence for evolution or certain parts of evolutionary theory, that DOES NOT by default PROVIDE evidence for any other theory or belief system. Same goes for saying a lack of evidence for creationism adds credibility to evolution, it does not. Intelligent-Design, Neo-Darwinism, Young-Earth Creationism... these are independent lines of thinking and one does not gain credibility IF another loses credibility, discovering a falsehood in one realm does not establish, by default, a fact in another competing explanation. It is along the lines of one person saying the sky is red and the other saying it is green, just because one person is proved to be wrong and the sky is not red, that doesn't therefore validate the other person's argument that it is green, their theory needs be validated through direct evidence and not an indirect line of reasoning.

Answering Questions

I love Strobel's books, A Case for Faith, A Case for Christianity, A Case for a Creator. I specifically like A Case for Faith as it answered all my tough questions.