In Light of the Evidence

Stepping back, and looking simply at the evidence, is it more likely that we live in a universe made by God or by chance? That’s the question examined by Dr. Sean McDowell. In this highly readable essay, McDowell argues that the start of our universe and its many life-permitting, human-friendly features are highly unlikely given a universe without God.

He further argues that life on this planet, the complexity of the human cell, and the miracle of consciousness could not have arisen by chance, and observes that in a strictly material universe it is most unlikely we would find something like free will. Finally, McDowell argues that our world is a moral one, which is an odd feature for a universe composed of nothing but matter.

The goal of this essay is to evaluate the scientific and philosophical evidence of whether we live in a theistic or atheistic universe, and then consider what this means for the probability of the Christian worldview. If we live in an atheistic universe, then Christi-anity is certainly false. But if we live in a theistic universe, or if we at least have good reason to believe we do, then Christian claims become more probable.

The late deist philosopher Antony Flew (who was formerly an atheist) said, “Certainly given some beliefs about God, the occurrence of the resurrection does become enormously more likely.” In my experience of study and dialogue with so many people who seek answers to the great questions about life’s meaning—and in particular, whether they can believe in God or Christianity—I have found that resistance to the miracle claims of Jesus does not arise primarily from problems with the evidence, but from the worldview lurking behind consideration of the evidence—naturalism.