1. God is a very reasonable inference to explain the origin of the universe. One basic argument pertaining to the universe is the following:
- Whatever begins to exist must have a cause; nothing just “pops” into existence from absolutely nothing.
- The universe began to exist. It is not eternal, which most cosmologists now acknowledge.
- So, the universe must have had a cause. And this cause must be sufficient to account for the effects of an existing universe with living things that have consciousness, freedom, and a deep sense of morality. This cause must be powerful and personal, and these are primary characteristics of God.
2. God is a very reasonable inference to explain the origin of life. Only in the last 50 years have we come to understand how amazingly complex even “simple” life is. Furthermore, we now understand that even the simplest forms of life require incredibly vast amounts of information that direct the entire process. Information is not generated by any combination of randomness and inanimate natural operations. Information requires intelligence. Cosmic intelligence ultimately requires God.
3. Our deep sense of moral rightness and wrongness cannot adequately be explained by mere subjective feelings or cultural practices. In spite of how individuals sometimes feel and how cultures sometimes act (e.g. Nazi Germany), we hold them morally responsible—and we do so because of a moral awareness that transcends individuals and cultural norms. God provides that necessary transcendent ground for morality.
4. History depicts an amazing story of God’s interaction with humanity. The God of Christianity is not some abstract spirit who is just “out there” somewhere; He is a God who has been involved with humans from their beginning. The Bible presents the essence of this interaction and of God’s message for humanity through the ancient nation of Israel (in the Old Testament) and through the formation and function of the church (in the New Testament). God’s message coherently and comprehensively focuses on the person of Jesus who is the center of it all.
For more on this issue, see the “Philosophy Room,” the “Cosmology Room,” and the “Biology Room” in our guided tour of a Christian house.
