Who Made God? Searching for a Theory of Everything

by Edgar Andrews

Publisher:

Evangelical Press

, 2009

Overview

If you've been waiting for a really effective riposte to the “new atheism” of Richard Dawkins and others (or even if you haven't), here it is—gently humorous, highly readable, deeply serious, razor sharp, and written by an internationally respected scientist. Who Made God? dismantles the arguments and pretensions of scientific atheism and presents a robust biblical theism as a positive—and altogether more convincing—alternative.

The Logos Bible Software edition of Who Made God? is designed to encourage and stimulate your understanding of creation. With Logos, you can perform powerful searches by topic and find what other authors, scholars, and theologians have to say about the Creation and evolution.

Key Features

• Presents a defense of the biblical hypothesis of God
• Addresses findings in modern physics
• Refutes the assertions of atheists and their writings
• Answers complicated question on the origins of the universe, time, law, life, human mind, and morality

Contents

• Sooty and the Universe: Who Made God?
• Yogurt, Cereal, and Toast: Can Science Explain Everything?
• Stringing It All Together: Searching for a Theory of Everything
• Pouring Concrete: Foundations and Hypotheses
• Ferrets and Fallacies: A Brief Critique of God, the Failed Hypothesis
• Defining God: What Do We Mean by “God”?
• Starting with a Bang: Cosmic Origins
• Steam Engine to the Stars: Time and the Hypothesis of God
• Peeling Onions: The Ubiquity of Law in Conscience, Nature, and Society
• Cosmic Chess: The Origin of the Laws of Nature
• Over the Moon: Natural Law and Miracles
• Information, Stupid!: The Origin of Life
• Life in a Cake Mixer: The Origin of Living Organisms
• The Tidy Pachyderm: A Critique of Neo-Darwinianism
• The Mighty Mutation: Can Mutations Create?
• The Second Shoe: Man and His Mind
• Man and His Maker

Top Highlights

“Indeed, the whole point of these two chapters is to demonstrate that, far from explaining everything, science actually ‘explains’ nothing. What science does is describe the world and its phenomenology in terms of its own specialized concepts and models—which provide immensely valuable insights but become increasingly non-intuitive as we dig ever deeper into the nature of physical reality. As Alice might say, the ‘explanations’ afforded by science grow ‘curiouser and curiouser’ as it opens up the world around us.” (Pages 28–29)

“No? Oh well, that’s thermodynamics for you. Disordered states of matter arise spontaneously; ordered states do not.^{9” (Page 22)}

“Having agreed, presumably, that the world does exist in spite of its extreme complexity and organization (high improbability), the argument goes on to say that God is unlikely to exist because he is … well, er, highly improbable. OK, so God is arguably more complex and thus less probable than the physical universe. But by what logic must we accept that one highly improbable entity exists (the universe) while another highly improbable entity (God) does not exist—simply because he is too complex or organized to do so? In my neck of the woods they call that special pleading (when they are feeling polite).” (Page 24)

“To avoid assuming at the outset what we want to prove, we must start by allowing that there might indeed be a spiritual realm. Because cause and effect is only proven for the physical world, we can no longer insist that cause and effect are relevant when it comes to the origin of a spiritual entity like God. Therefore God doesn’t have to have a cause—he can be the ultimate uncaused cause, a being whom no one made.” (Page 25)

Praise for the Print Edition

Thoughtful, readable, witty, wise. I discovered things I didn’t know!

—Fay Weldon, novelist, broadcaster, and playwright

As a distinguished scientist, Professor Edgar Andrews is well qualified to counter the current outpouring of attempts to airbrush God out of existence—and in this book he does so with intelligent and infectious enthusiasm. Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion is an obvious target and he expertly dismantles its atheistic claims, reducing them to rubble with a lightness of touch I had never before come across in a book of this kind. Readers, with or without scientific backgrounds, are likely to find themselves turning the pages with smiles on their faces. I know of nothing quite like it.

—John Blanchard, author, lecturer, and conference speaker

With vigorous panache and deft argument, Dr. Andrews tackles one of the key issues of our times—does God exist and why should we believe that he does? In a masterly combination of science and theology, he reveals the absurdity of the so-called ‘new atheism’ and presents a solid case for Christian theism. Highly recommended.

—Michael Haykin, professor of church history, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Edgar Andrews is thought-provoking, witty, extremely readable, and ultimately devastating in his critique of evolutionary atheism. He demonstrates that a right understanding of the scientific enterprise poses no threat to biblical Christianity—indeed, that the kind of world we live in is precisely what the biblical account of God and creation would lead us to expect. Richard Dawkins has more than met his match!

—Robert Strivens, principal, London Theological Seminary

Starting with the hypothesis of God, Professor Andrews sets out to demonstrate that the existence of the God of the Bible makes better sense of what we can actually learn from science than does atheism. On his way to this conclusion he also points out the scientific and logical inadequacies of evolutionism. He succeeds in doing so with a deceptively light touch—but there is nothing lightweight about either his analysis or the rigor with which he pursues his case. This is apologetics at its best: immensely instructive for the Christian and utterly devastating for the atheist.

—Daniel Webber, director, European Missionary Fellowship

I recommend this book. I like the style; it is more approachable than a straight rebuttal. I think, for example, of Dawkins’ own writing style, which is more conversational than academic, and people are reading his books. My thoughts are that both Christians and unbelievers are dealing with the same issues. You will never convince those truly entrenched in atheism but there are many on the fence that could use a good rebuttal of this type.

—Gary Gilley, pastor, Southern View Chapel, Springfield, Illinois

In our increasingly multi-disciplinary world, we need those rare scholars who are able to combine the expertise of two different fields of study. Edgar Andrews possesses this unique ability, bringing together scientific and theological expertise to present a work that is both engaging and palatable—a synthesis that makes this book a very important and unique contribution to the larger arena of faith and science. This is not simply another book on Intelligent Design, nor is it a defense of Theistic Evolution. Who Made God? masterfully weaves a mature Christian theology with recent scientific findings to produce a nuanced and compelling argument that maintains the integrity of both science and theology. Coupled with a witty and playful writing style, this makes the book a ‘must’ read for those who question the intersection of science and Christianity.

—David H. Kim, director, The Gotham Initiative

The question which forms the title of this book is one I am asked frequently, an issue people struggle with. Thankfully, Professor Andrews has now written a very thorough but incredibly readable book dealing with this important subject. Drawing from an amazing breadth of learning, Professor Andrews writes in an easy conversational style, dealing comprehensively with the question. Beneficial for the ordinary person in the street, this book should be in the hands of all who truly want answers.

—Philip Swinn, vicar of St. John’s (Church of England), Hatfield, UK

If you have been looking for a thoughtful, cogent and accessible counterpoint to the recent flurry of publications by the so-called New Atheists, you need look no further than Edgar Andrews’ Who Made God? Rather than offering an ad hoc response to the assertions made by Richard Dawkins and the like, Dr Andrews instead asks us to consider a different way into the conversation—to approach belief in the biblical God as a thesis in and of itself, one that is worthy of our thoughtful consideration. He asks us to apply the methodology of hypothesis to the question of God to see how it fits—and it, in fact, proves to fit remarkably well. With great clarity and rousing humor, Dr. Andrews applies the thesis of God to questions like the problem of time, the nature of humanity and the question of morality, and demonstrates how belief in God is characterized by a simple elegance and a far-reaching explanatory power.

—Abraham Cho, fellowship group director, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York

Though a layman, I have read a fair amount in apologetics and this is one of the most vivid and helpful works in that field that I’ve ever encountered—disarming, teeming with verve and humor, conversational, yet deadly serious, disciplined and coming from a scientifically and legally trained mind.

—Scott Kauffmann, executive director, Redeemer Labs, New York

Product Details

• Title: Who Made God? Searching for a Theory of Everything
• Author: Edgar Andrews
• Publisher: Evangelical Press
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 303

About Edgar Andrews

Edgar Andrews is emeritus professor of materials at the University of London and an international expert on the science of large molecules. In 1967 he set up the Department of Materials at Queen Mary College, University of London, and served both as its head and later as the dean of engineering. He has published well over 100 scientific research papers and books, together with two Bible commentaries and various works on science and religion and on theology.