Francis S. Collins

Tha Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief

By the leader of the Human Genome Project. A most important book for any curious person, scientist or layman.

Francis Collins is one of the most distinguished scientists in the world. This book is a call to end the wars between science and faith. The author proves that the theory of evolution is not an impediment to faith in God (theism). On the contrary, evolution is the language by which God spoke life into being.

Science will never be able to explain the big truths that humans are most concerned of: Why was the universe created? What is the meaning of life? In the first place because that is not the purpose of science, but to study empirical data.

The author claims that "Theistic Evolution" is the best option to stand by in this world of clashes between atheists, agnostics, creationists, proponents of ID, etc. He also intends to rename this synthesis of creation/evolution as BioLogos. Beautiful name, if may say.

Here are the premises on which he and many other scientists (at [...]) rest their proposal:
1. The universe came into being out of nothingness, approximately 14 billion years ago.
2. Despite massive improbabilities, the properties of the universe appear to have been precisely tuned for life.
3. The mechanism of the origin of life remains unknown. Development of biological diversity and complexity through evolution and natural selection.
4. Once evolution got under way, no special supernatural intervention was required. (Evolution was part of God's plan).
5. Humans are part of this process, sharing a common ancestor with the great apes.
6. But humans are also unique in ways that defy evolutionary explanation and point to our spiritual nature. This includes the existence of the Moral Law (the knowledge of the right and wrong) and the search for God that characterizes all human cultures throughout history.

This book is a very easy read for anyone. Science exalts God's creation; it does not dimish His work.

This book is also, partly, a testimony of a man who found his personal relationship with God after being an atheist, later agnostic and, finally, accepting Jesus Christ.