By Tim Richards
Lee Strobel’s journey to faith was long and difficult. The former atheist was an award-winning legal editor of the Chicago Tribune when he set out to discredit the Christian faith. Strobel was shocked when his research instead led him to faith in Christ.
Following his conversion, he became a successful author writing more than 25 books. His 1998 work, The Case for Christ, became a successful 2017 movie. It was not well received by critics; however, it received a rare A+ rating by audiences polled by Cinemascore.
I recently listened to the updated audio version of another Strobel classic, The Case for Faith. It featured interviews with spiritual experts as well as an extended conversation with a Christian who had walked away from his faith and then attacked Christianity.
Walter Bradley was interviewed by Strobel in this second book and I found his comments about God especially fascinating. Bradley had received his doctorate in material science from the University of Texas at Austin. He later became a professor of mechanical engineering at Texas A & M for 24 years, including four years as department head.
Bradley shared an illustration of why he is so convinced God is the origin of everything. He referenced the movie, Contact, which though fictional is based on scientific facts. It was written by Carl Sagan. In the book astronomers scanned the heavens with radio telescopes searching for anything which would demonstrate intelligence. When the scientists intercepted a transmission of prime numbers, that is, numbers divisible only by themselves and one, they concluded there must be intelligence behind the numbers. Bradley summarized, “…we know that where there is intelligent communication there’s an intelligent cause.”
Based on this he continued, “And if a single message from space is enough for us to conclude there’s an intelligence behind it, then what about the vast amounts of information contained in the DNA of every living plant and animal… Each cell in the human body contains more information than in all thirty volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica… it’s the unmistakable sign of an Intelligent Designer.” Bradley’s conclusions can be summed up in his fascinating statement, “I think people who believe that life evolved naturalistically need to have a great deal more faith than people who reasonably infer there’s an Intelligent Designer.”
What Bradley said makes sense. King David made a similar point when he wrote, “The fool says in his heart, ‘there is no God.’” (Psalm 14:1, ESV) Our world silently, yet powerfully proclaims God exists. While none of us audibly hear God say, “I am alive, I exist and I created everything,” science reveals our world has God’s fingerprints all over it. The more we learn about our physical world, the stronger the proof that God is real.
During four decades as a pastor he has served five churches, three in rural Missouri and two in St. Louis. He may be reached by email at iamtimrichards@yahoo.com.
