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Title: The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God
ISBN: 0310240506
Author:
Lee Strobel
Publicate Date: 2005-03-01
Publish: 2005-03-01
List Price: $14.99
Average Customer Rating: 3.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $5.88
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1: A Different Point of View
I have been using this book as resource for a Bible study and I was quite impressed with it, but before I proceed with the review, let me state a couple of things...
First, I am an Aerospace Engineer and have been studying physics and applied science for almost a decade. Science is extremely important to me and I fully accept that science can, and does, lead to Truth.
Second, I am a Christian. As such, I believe that all Truth is revealed by God to us in whatever manner He sees fit, including, but not limited to, science.
Now, to the book. Strobel has done a remarkable job with this text, compiling a comprehensive argument for creation in the form of Intelligent Design. If you're at all curious about ID, I definitely recommend this book, you'll learn pretty much everything you need to know about ID. That said, you'll have to keep an open mind, ID is just a different way of looking at the exact same evidence evolutionists see. Think of it this way, Copernicus saw the EXACT same sky that Ptolemy did, but Copernicus came to an entirely different conclusion(the helio-centric solar system). Similarly, ID proponents look at the Big Bang, that same Big Bang proposed by an evolutionary universe, and come to a different conclusion(the existence of a "divine" intelligence). This is one simple example of what ID really is, a different way of looking at the evidence, and it's this type of argument you'll find in Strobel's book.
I had intended this review to be more technical, but I think I've said what needs to be said. If you read Strobel's "The Case for A Creator" with an open mind, I think you'll be surprised by what you'll learn.
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2: This book made me rethink my ideas about creation
An excellent book and my reading it has caused me to rethink some ideas that I have held since early adulthood. Two points raised by Lee Strobel just won't go away after you put the book down: one, the concept of irreducibly complex mechanisms and the second, the gap in evolutionary records that must be eliminated before evolution as presented in classrooms can be presented as fact. Before I read this book, I thought there must be countless thousands of Earths spread throughout the universe, but if you consider as Lee Strobel points out, the many things about our earth that are just right for life, and the remote probability that all of these conditions could be duplicated on another planet, then mathmatically you realize that the likelihood of another Earth is incalculably small. All these points, lead to the conclusion of the existance of a creator. This book will help you reconcile your scientist with your spiritual being. Five stars!
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3: A Great Case for a Creator and against Evolution and Naturalism
This book makes a great case for three important ideas. First, science can not tell us, and is unlikely to be able to tell us, how the universe began. A Creator who transcends time, space, and matter is the most reasonable cause of the "Big Bang." Similarly, science can not tell us, and it unlikely to be able to tell us, how life began. A Creator who made DNA, the coding for all life, is the most reasonable cause of the origin of life. To believe that the universe and life had naturalist or materialist causes takes much more faith than to believe in a Creator. The weakness of the materialist case is proven by the rhetoric and logic that proponents typically use. The Case for a Creator actually addresses the more rational, scientific arguments for the case against a creator, but regrettably, the rhetoric of materialists, including atheists, often gets very emotional, something I find ironic coming from people who supposedly are defending Reason from Faith.
I have just read Case for a Creator and participated in an eight-week discussion group, led by a Ph.D in Molecular Genetics. "Bill" is in total agreement with Stobel's position, in fact, his doubts about evolution started him on a twenty-year journey that turned him from atheism to theism and eventually to Christianity.
This book is well-written and, I think, has just the right amount of detail for the average reader. Some science would be helpful but not necessary. I found the Kalam argument particularly convincing, as well as the concept of irreducible complexity. As for evolution, I don't know how believers in materialism get around the problem of the origin of life without DNA (Since DNA is incredibly detailed information that determines all life, where did it come from?).
The section on the Icons of Evolution was very intriguing as well. I wondered if the author that Strobel interviewed, Jonathan Wells, was overstating his case, so I took a look at two recent college Biology textbooks that I had at home, and sure enough, I found 3 of the 4 "icons" in both texts. If the case for evolution is so strong, why do these textbooks include material that is so obviously incorrect (the Miller experiment and misleading drawings of embryo's) or "proof" that could also be used to support a Creator (homology in Vertebrate limbs). And if you review these texts you will not find any transitional forms. If they exist, as evolutionists insist, why don't they picture them in their texts? All they can give us are cartoons drawings that represent their dreams of how they think they might have appeared. There are simply no transitional forms in the fossil record. 5 Billion years of history and we can't find any transitional forms?
This book, reinforced by the discussions that I had with others in the group, has strengthened my faith in a Creator and weakened my faith in the explanatory power of mainstream science when it deals with topics that touch on faith. There is definitely bias among the evolutionary scientists and they should be embarrassed by the lack of evidence to support their theory.
Thank you, Lee Strobel.
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4: Convincing Evidence for the Existence of God
"We are, by astronomical standards, a pampered, cosseted, cherished group of creatures; our Darwinian claim to have done it all ourselves is as ridiculous and as charming as a baby's brave efforts to stand on its own feet and refuse his mother's hand. If the universe had not been made with the most exacting precision we could never have come into existence." ~ John A. O'Keefe, pg. 190
If you are looking for evidence of God's existence then "The Case for a Creator" is an excellent place to start. Lee Strobel interviews scientists and asks a number of pertinent questions designed to perplex even the brightest of minds. While the scientists argue in favor of Intelligent Design, Lee Strobel asks all the right questions, pretending to be a skeptic.
It was interesting to learn about how the conditions for life to even exist are very precise. Even our sun is unique as the vast majority of stars would not be able to "support a planet like earth." We are living on a very finely-tuned planet. It is very unlikely that anything just happened by chance. This book covers a wide range of topics like Darwinism, The Big Bang, consciousness, molecular machines, the human brain, earth's dependence on the sun and moon, faked fossils, prebiotic soup, the Cambrian Explosion, Cosmology, Astronomy, near-death experiences, DNA, Panpsychism and Panthesim.
If you were taught in school that evolution is a fact then you will come across some startling new information. Lee Strobel examines the deficiencies of Darwinism and presents some convincing arguments against evolution. He also discovered "that there were credible scientists who harbored significant skepticism toward Darwinian theory." For more information you may want to read Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth? Why Much of What We Teach About Evolution is Wrong.
I really enjoyed reading this book as it looks at Intelligent Design from a variety of angles. One minute you are learning about biology and the next considering the soul. This is truly a fascinating read that is best taken in small doses, as it is fairly complex. For a while I've been looking for a book that would convince others of the existence of God and finally I think I've found one that does exactly that!
Lee Strobel was an investigative reporter who was once was an atheist. In his search for evidence about the life of Jesus Christ he became a Christian. You may also enjoy his book: The Case for Christ: A journalist's personal investigation of the evidence for Jesus.
~The Rebecca Review
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5: Good, but not anything new
This book is an apologetics volume that leans more toward the scientific. It doesn't just argue for intelligent design. It states there is a creator of every thing and every system. In reality, it is more a series of interviews with various scientific figures. Strobel interviews a professor with a PhD in molecular biology and religious studies, a proffessor with a PhD in history and philosophy and science, and a professor with a PhD in cosmology.
Strobel doesn't really write much in this book. He just lets his interviews talk, and then he cites a lot of facts. Strobel is a former journalist, so if you like to read the newspaper, this book is for you. There are also a few times when the scientists that he speaks with get a little to technical with their language, and it leaves you reaching for headache medicine.
If you've never read a book on apologetics and intelligent design, then this might be worth picking up. But honestly, Strobel doesn't cover anything new. If you're hoping to convert someone to Christianity, don't think this book will do it, even if they are in to science. Please try something more spiritual.
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