The Language of God by Francis S.
Collins
God, Truth And Believers
Dr. Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome Project, is one of the
worlds leading scientists. He works at the cutting edge of the study of
DNA, the code of life. Yet he is also a man of unshakable faith in God and
scripture. He believes that God cares about us and can intervene in human
affairs - on rare occasions, even miraculously. Collins has personally
discovered some of the scientific evidence for the common descent of all
living creatures, even though he repudiates the materialist, atheistic
worldview argued by many prominent Darwinists.
In short, Dr. Collins provides a satisfying solution for the dilemma that
haunts everyone who believes in God and respects science. Faith in God
and faith in science can be harmonious - combined into one worldview.
The God that he believes in is a God who can listen to prayers and cares

about our souls. The biological science he has advanced is compatible
with such a God. For Collins, science does not conflict with the Bible,
science enhances it.
For many years Dr. Collins kept his views largely to himself, as he helped
oversee the Human Genome Projects stunning sequencing of the code of
life. Now, in what may be the most important melding of reason and
revelation since C. S. Lewiss Mere Christianity, Dr. Collins explains himself
in detail. The Language of God makes the case for God and for science.
Dr. Collins considers and rejects several positions along the spectrum from
atheism to young-earth creationism - including agnosticism and Intelligent
Design. Instead, he proposes a new synthesis, a new way to think about
an active, caring God who created humankind through evolutionary
processes. He has heard every argument against faith from scientists,
and he can refute them. He has also heard the needless rejection of
scientific truths by some people of faith, and he can counter that, too. He
explains his own journey from atheism to faith, and then takes readers on
a stunning tour of modern science to show that physics, chemistry, and
biology can all fit together with belief in God and the Bible. The Language
of God is essential reading for anyone who wonders about the deepest
questions of all: Why are we here? How did we get here? And what does
life mean?
Personal Review: The Language of God by Francis S. Collins
Many reviewers note that Collins' book doesn't really provide evidence for
belief and complain that the subtitle is misleading. It is-- no doubt thanks
to the publisher. Many also note that Collins says as much in the text.
"BioLogos [theistic evolution] is not intended as a scientific theory. Its truth
can be tested only by the spiritual logic of the heart, the mind, and the
soul" (p. 204). Faith and science are compatible, but if you are looking for
an authoritative scientific demonstration of faith, you won't find it here or
anywhere else.
So why did he write the book if it contains no dazzling new scientific
breakthrough? Because today the vanguard atheists are evolutionists like
Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett, who proclaim that an acceptance of
evolution in biology requires an acceptance of atheism in theology (p. 161).
Collins is not attempting to convict atheists of "ignoring the evidence." He
is pointing out that Dawkins and Dennett have no business claiming that all
theists (not just Creationists and Intelligent Design theorists) are ignoring
the evidence. Indeed, Collins suggests that it may very well have been the
subordination of science to progressive politics by those two luminaries
that led to the creation of Intelligent Design in the first place! "ID could be
thought of ironically as the rebellious love child of Richard Dawkins and
Daniel Dennett" (p. 184). If believers who do not understand evolution very
well are told by evolutionary authorities that biology makes faith untenable,
is it any wonder that they will see Darwin as the anti-Christ?

So do not criticize Collins because he is not offering breakthroughs. He is
only trying to return to the status quo ante, where individuals had to decide
for themselves what to make of life. Dawkins and Dennett want to change
the situation in which we respect people's religious choices. Since they
think religion is so harmful, they want to stamp it out, even if they have to
claim more authority for science than it has. Despite the subtitle of Collin's
book, it is Dawkins and Dennett who are arrogant (calling their side
"bright"), while Collins- as most reviewers of all stripes recognize-- is
modest and unassuming.
One other point: a number of reviewers seemed to think that Collins' God
is a "God of the gaps" despite his explicit denial of that view (which invokes
God to explain what science can't yet explain). Science will never explain a
God that transcends nature. Neither will religion, of course. But religion
wants to relate to God, not explain Him. If, like Collins, one comes to God
though heart, mind, and soul, one has no need for gaps in the fossil
record!
Albert Schweitzer was a physican, theologian, and musician. Collins gets
my vote for an Albert Schweitzer award.
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