Book Review: The Case for a Creator, by Lee Strobel

Have you ever wondered if God really existed?

I believe it’s a question every human has to face at some point in their lives. For me, that happened in high school. For the first time in my life I questioned God, the Bible, and my faith. Looking back in retrospect, those questions were necessary for me to own my faith. Doubt is a good thing as long as we have the heart to seek for answers and find truth.

Lee Strobel is the author of “The Case for a Creator,” one of the most faith building books I’ve ever read because of its compelling scientific evidence for God. Strobel was an atheist for many years before embracing Christianity. He is also the author of the best selling book “The Case for Christ,” where he investigates the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection.

Although “The Case for a Creator” is filled with rich scientific information, I found myself having to read certain pages multiple times and going to Google to search for certain scientific terms. Most of the book is composed of Lee interviewing highly educated men in their respective scientific field, so one can imagine the complexity of some of the conversations.

But what I appreciated about the book is that Lee always asked questions to clarify the content, and most of the experts also provided analogies to simplify their points. That being said, I enjoyed every page I read. So I want to share 3 of the most compelling arguments I found from the book.

1. Every Effect must have a Cause

This is an obvious one, especially for scientists. Every effect must have a cause. When we see smoke in the air, we don’t assume it came out of thin air. Somewhere nearby there is a fire causing the smoke.

Almost all cosmologists believe that the universe began at a certain point in time. This point in time has been coined as the Big Bang. Something happened that propelled the universe into motion, and from that point the universe has been expanding.

Cosmologists can attest that the universe began with this sudden surge of energy, but what they can’t explain is why this happened. What caused the initial conditions for the Big Bang? Who or what propelled the universe into motion?

Here is a thought: “And God said, ‘let there be light’ and there was light.” – Genesis 1:3

2. The Universe Appears to be Fine Tuned

When you examine how life came to be on Earth, it seems like the laws of physics conspire to make our planet habitable. One expert in the field stated that it requires over 30 cosmological and physical parameters to have precise calibration in order to produce a life-sustaining universe.

It simply doesn’t make sense that all of these parameters would come together at random, especially when everything is perfectly tuned to the slightest inch. For example, if the dial on the gravitational force was tweaked by just an inch (Pg. 132 ), life on Earth would not be possible. We are also just the right distance from the sun, located far enough so the planet doesn’t burn and close enough so it doesn’t freeze.

3. DNA is the Instruction Book to life

If you were to find a biology text book in the middle of a park, would you assume that it all came together naturally over time? Or would you deduce that an intelligent being wrote it and assembled it? I’m sure you would choose the latter. Now think about the human body.

It’s far more complex than a biology text book. Think about the complex information needed to create an eye ball for example. You would need information for the shape of the eye, its colour, and its functions. Could it be that all of this information came from random particles interacting over millions of years? Not a chance. If you ask me, it takes a lot more faith to believe that. DNA has a four letter code for goodness sakes, it’s own alphabet! And it contains information to build every protein, the building blocks of life.

The evidence for God is overwhelming, and I’m just scratching the surface of what this book has to offer. For other books suggestions about the evidence of God, check out my post “4 Books Every Christian Skeptic should Read.”

 

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