The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief

There is growing hostility, often exploited by the media, between religion and evolutionary science. This is exacerbated by scientists who claim that an acceptance of evolution not only implies but actually requires atheism.

Collins delves into the history and nature of atheism. Two factors facilitated the growth of atheism: the discovery of natural laws during the Scientific Revolution in the 16th and 17th centuries and the rebellion against established authority as manifested in the French Revolution of 1789. The writings of Darwin in the late 19th century and Freud in the early 20th were seen to give “additional fuel” to the atheist perspective. Atheists seized upon these new ideas as “a powerful counterweight against spirituality” (162).

Agnosticism means doubt or uncertainty about God’s existence. While agnosticism is more logically defensible than atheism, it also “runs the risk of being a cop-out” (168) if it fails to look at all the evidence. Collins stakes a major claim in the debate between science and religion: “If the existence of God is true […] and if certain scientific conclusions about the natural world are true, then they cannot contradict each other. A fully harmonious synthesis must be possible” (169).

As most often used today, “creationism” is the insistence on a literal reading of Genesis chapters 1 and 2, and therefore a complete denial that evolution is true. The most extreme faction espousing this idea is the Young Earth Creationists, who apply a literal interpretation to Genesis. Various polls suggest that a majority of Americans subscribe to this view.

Collins rejects creationism because it denies truths discovered through the sciences. He argues again that “ultraliteral interpretations of Genesis are unnecessary” (174). Collins insists that God cannot be a “great deceiver” and makes a plea to evangelical Christians not to attach themselves to this flawed set of ideas, which amounts to “committing intellectual suicide” (178).

Intelligent Design (ID) is a more recent way to counter evolutionary theory. Its proponents argue that the complexity we observe in nature could only have been created by an intelligent designer, i.e., God. However, for Collins, ID fails as a scientific theory. This is because it relies on irreducible complexity in nature as a proof for God’s existence, while science has found undirected natural explanations for this complexity. ID also fails as theology because it is a “God of the gaps” theory that assigns God a very circumscribed role. In this way, ID is “ironically on a path toward doing considerable damage to faith” (195).

As he continued to study genetics, Collins came to realize that his own position on the relationship between evolution and faith corresponded with “theistic evolution” (TE). This position accepts that God created the universe out of nothing, then set the mechanisms of evolution in place. It also points to man’s intelligence, awareness of the Moral Law, and intuition about the existence of God as part of a unique “spiritual nature” that sets him apart from the rest of creation. Collins sees this view as compatible with both science and “the great monotheistic religions of the world” (201). He estimates that it is the view held by most biologists who are religious believers.

However, many scientists who hold this view are reluctant to speak about it for fear of a negative reaction from either fellow scientists or the theological community. Moreover, the media seems to thrive on conflict between scientists and believers and thus has little interest in publicizing TE. To make TE more widely known and popular, Collins advocates renaming it BioLogos—a term conveying the idea that life expresses the will of God. Collins believes that BioLogos is the only viable option, one that “allows science and faith to fortify each other like two unshakable pillars, holding up a building called Truth” (210).

In the concluding chapter Collins speaks again of his spiritual journey. He went to Nigeria in 1989 to treat seriously ill patients under difficult hospital conditions. While there, he saved a young farmer’s life by performing a rare operation. This experience showed him that “we are each called to reach out to others” (217). Selfless acts of love, born of the Moral Law, bear witness to the existence of a good God in a way that science cannot do.

Early in his exploration of faith, Collins felt morally unworthy in the face of God’s goodness. In studying the Gospels and carefully weighing the claims that Christ made, Collins discovered that this figure came into the world to save sinners like himself. Soon after, in the midst of the beauty of nature, Collins “surrendered to Jesus Christ” (225), becoming a committed Christian.

Collins encourages his readers to make their own search for truth. He exhorts believers to seek truth wherever it is found, because all of the universe bears witness to God; indeed, believers can be leaders in scientific inquiry. Collins exhorts scientists to welcome faith as a path to knowledge that is complementary to science. Finally, Collins asks everyone to answer the call to end the war between science and faith, a step toward healing our world.