"Darwinists limit their scientific inquiry to naturalistic explanations, while scientists in the intelligent design movement are open to going wherever the evidence points them, even if it’s toward an Intelligent Designer. It doesn’t make sense to me to rule out any explanation at the outset. In fact, when all the data are analyzed, they point powerfully toward the existence of a Creator." - author Lee Strobel

1st April, 2004

DAVID ADAMS speaks with acclaimed US author and journalist Lee Strobel about his latest book, The Case for a Creator...

At the start of your latest book, The Case for a Creator, you ask the question of whether science and faith are always doomed to be at war. What was your conclusion? "After thoroughly investigating the issue, I agree with scientist and philosopher Stephen Meyer, who says that science, when done right, points toward God. Discoveries over the last fifty years in cosmology, physics, astronomy, biochemistry, biological information, and human consciousness solidly support theism. To me, this is a very exciting development!"

Why did you decide to make the issue of the origin of life a subject of your book? "Because it was the origin-of-life issue that originally helped propel me toward atheism. I was taught as a student that scientists had re-created the atmosphere of the primitive earth and shot electricity through it in order to simulate lightning. The result was a red goo containing amino acids, the building blocks of life. I immediately recognized the implication: if life developed naturalistically, then God was out of a job. Consequently, it was important for me to determine whether this experiment has stood the test of time. The answer is that it hasn’t. Scientists now believe the early earth’s atmosphere was quite different from what was used in that 1953 experiment – and when the correct atmosphere is used, amino acids aren’t produced. In fact, the more scientists have tried to come up with a naturalistic explanation for the origin of life, the more stymied they have become. Actually, as the experts demonstrate in The Case for a Creator, there is simply no way that life could have developed by itself from non-living chemicals."

For the book you interviewed numerous scientists about the theory of intelligent design. What is the theory of intelligent design and how does it fit with the Darwinian view of evolution? "Darwinists limit their scientific inquiry to naturalistic explanations, while scientists in the intelligent design movement are open to going wherever the evidence points them, even if it’s toward an Intelligent Designer. It doesn’t make sense to me to rule out any explanation at the outset. In fact, when all the data are analyzed, they point powerfully toward the existence of a Creator."

How have technological advances of the past century helped to provide evidence to support this theory? "For example, virtually all cosmologists have now concluded, based on the latest scientific discoveries, that the universe had a beginning. This is very significant, because whatever begins to exist has a cause. If the universe began to exist, then it had a cause – and we can logically deduce that this cause must be an uncaused, beginningless, timeless, immaterial, personal being endowed with freedom of will and enormous power. That’s a pretty good start in describing God. Also, recent discoveries in physics have established that the universe is balanced on a razor’s edge in order to support life. This can’t be the product of mere chance – again, it’s evidence of a Creator who intentionally provided a habitat for the life he would create."

What has been the impact on the scientists who are involved in researching this subject? "Their faith in a Creator has been strengthened by their study of science. That’s quite the opposite of what most people would expect! Many people believe science contradicts faith, and yet that’s simply not the case."

What was the most surprising discovery for you during the course of interviewing scientists? "For me, the cumulative case for a Creator was the most powerful discovery. In other words, when you put together the data from a wide range of sciences, you find that the overall case for the existence of God is incredibly persuasive."

Should a Christian believe in evolution in any sense - such as evolutionary changes occurring within a species - or is it a case of one or the other? "Certainly some sort of adaptation has occurred over time. For example, we have over 200 varieties of dogs. That’s micro-evolution, or change within a species. However, Darwinism claims much more than that. Darwinists believe in macro-evolution, which is the idea that all life came from a common ancestor. This is simply unsupported by the evidence. In fact, after examining the evidence, I realized that to embrace Darwinism and its underlying premise of naturalism, I’d have to believe that nothing produces everything; non-life produces life; randomness produces fine-tuning; chaos produces information; unconsciousness produces consciousness; and non-reason produces reason. To me, that meant Darwinism required a leap of faith I was simply not willing to make."

Has Christianity generally been effective in meeting the claims of Darwinian evolution and have Christians been scientific enough in approaching such questions? "There are more and more scientists who are producing evidence for an Intelligent Designer of the universe. We ought to continue to encourage them in their research and also challenge other scientists to respond to the evidence wherever it points, even if it’s toward a Creator. I also believe that we ought to give students a good education by disclosing to them all of the evidence that contradicts Darwinism, as well as all of the evidence that suggests the existence of an Intelligent Designer. Right now, students in public schools are being told only part of the story, and many are coming to false conclusions as a result – like I once did. Overall, I believe the tide is turning. The more evolutionary theory is studied, the more its central pillars rot away. The church should be letting people know that there is an alternative that’s grounded in science – which is that the universe and life itself have a Creator."

What’s your next book going to be about?
"Good question! I’m juggling a lot of ideas right now and hope to decide soon. In any event, it will be a book that seeks to build the faith of Christians while pointing spiritual seekers toward the forgiveness and eternal life they can find in Jesus Christ."