God’s Existence: Deeper Thoughts for Greater Insights

Lindberg’s thesis in this book was not quite so radical in times past as it may seem now. His argument, that God and science work hand in hand, was a legitimate philosophical position in times past. Now, however, people on both sides of the argument have entrenched themselves and made it difficult to come to any form of compromise that is not dismissive in some way. In this environment, Lindberg’s book is a brave attempt to find common ground in a world that too often dismisses any attempt at doing so.

Throughout most of the book, he takes a thoughtful approach to the questions he asks. He begins with the big question: does God exist? His answer is yes, but he then goes into a discussion of different types of logical reasoning, and how he used them to come to his answer. The second chapter, which deals with evolution, pursues his thesis that God and science go hand in hand by saying that not only is evolution a valid scientific theory but that it is also one of God’s tools by which He shaped the world. In subsequent chapters, he explores a few places in Genesis and Exodus where science and religion might come into conflict before rounding it off with a collection of Bible verses that he considers useful for people to keep in mind as they go through their lives.

The book is intriguing. It’s refreshing to find a book on religion where the author admits in the introduction that he is only presenting ideas to be explored, and that both scientists and the writers of the Bible are fallible humans. Some of his ideas, especially those about the book of Genesis, are fascinating, and I would be very interested in seeing them developed further.

There were two weaknesses I found in the book. The first is related to my interest in seeing Lindberg’s ideas more developed. He often raises points but, rather than pursue them beyond a surface-level answer, moves on to his next idea. The second is that, despite his attempts for balance, he maintains a bias toward religion. Whenever there is a lack of evidence toward a conclusion which would imply an atheistic interpretation of the world, he immediately fills in the gaps with God. On the other hand, lack of evidence toward a theistic interpretation is taken to mean that scientists have not done enough work to find what must be out there.

This is an interesting book, but I still found it wanting.

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