The Comprehensive Guide to Science and Faith: Exploring the Ultimate Questions About Life and the Cosmos

by William A. Dembski, Joseph M. Holden

Science and Faith Can—and Do—Support Each Other

Science and Christianity are often presented as opposites, when in fact the order of the universe and the complexity of life powerfully testify to intelligent design. With this comprehensive resource that includes the latest research, you’ll witness how the findings of scientists provide compelling reasons to acknowledge the mind and presence of a creator.

Featuring more than 45 entries by top-caliber experts, you’ll better understand…
how scientific concepts like intelligent design are supported by evidence
the scientific findings that support the history and accounts found in the Bible
the biases that lead to scientific information being presented as a challenge—rather than a complement—to Christianity
Whether you’re looking for answers to your own questions or seeking to explain the case for intelligent design to others, The Comprehensive Guide to Science and Faith is an invaluable apologetic tool that will help you explore and analyze the relevant facts, research, and theories in light of biblical truth.

Genres: Science, Religion, Philosophy, Christian, Audiobook, Theology, Christianity

656 pages, Paperback

Published October 5, 2021

About the author

A mathematician and philosopher, Dr. William Dembski has taught at Northwestern University, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Dallas. He has done postdoctoral work in mathematics at MIT, in physics at the University of Chicago, and in computer science at Princeton University. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago where he earned a B.A. in psychology, an M.S. in statistics, and a Ph.D. in philosophy, he also received a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Chicago in 1988 and a master of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1996. He has held National Science Foundation graduate and postdoctoral fellowships. He is the recipient of a $100,000 Templeton research grant. In 2005 he received Texas A&M’s Trotter Prize.

Dr. Dembski has published articles in mathematics, engineering, philosophy, and theology journals and is the author/editor of over twenty books.

His most comprehensive treatment of intelligent design to date, co-authored with Jonathan Wells, is titled The Design of Life: Discovering Signs of Intelligence in Biological Systems.

As interest in intelligent design has grown in the wider culture, Dr. Dembski has assumed the role of public intellectual. In addition to lecturing around the world at colleges and universities, he is frequently interviewed on the radio and television. His work has been cited in numerous newspaper and magazine articles, including three front page stories in the New York Times as well as the August 15, 2005 Time magazine cover story on intelligent design. He has appeared on the BBC, NPR (Diane Rehm, etc.), PBS (Inside the Law with Jack Ford; Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson), CSPAN2, CNN, Fox News, ABC Nightline, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A BROAD COLLECTION OF ESSAYS SUPPORTING INTELLIGENT DESIGN

Stephen C. Meyer wrote in the Foreword to this 2021 book, “The authors of this volume deny that the evidence of the natural world … conflicts with theistic or Judeo-Christian belief. Many of them think that certain discoveries of modern science… may actually support theistic or Judeo-Christian belief. Here, in this book, they have helped to develop another understanding of the relationship between theistic belief and science---one that I call ‘qualified agreement.’ This idea maintains that, when correctly interpreted, scientific evidence and theistic belief can and do support each other… Though advocates … acknowledge … that much scientific research and theorizing does address metaphysically and religiously neutral topics, we do not agree that ALL scientific theories have this characteristic… proponents … view theological and scientific truth as issuing from the same transcendent and rational source---namely, God… The authors of this volume---who include a diverse group of scientists, scholars, and theologians---also consider many other relevant questions about the relationship between scientific knowledge and theistic belief (or even biblical teaching).”

Co-editor William Dembski states in the opening essay, “Where methodological naturalism becomes especially problematic for science is with intelligent design… from a naturalistic point of view, intelligence is a consequence of nature, not something that was present from the start…. [It] requires that all intelligences in nature derive from processes that give no evidence of intelligence… Intelligent design turns this view on its head, arguing that there can be good reasons … to think that intelligence in nature can be scientifically studied and discovered even if intelligence is unevolved.” (Pg. 25-26)

Richard G. Howe observes, “When a scientist insists that the information content of a DNA molecule cannot be accounted for by natural causes, critics accuse the scientist of illicitly sneaking God into the argument and appealing to the supernatural… that the scientist is no longer going science but… is doing religion. The critic fails to appreciate the different meanings of ‘natural’ and the distinction between ‘natural’ versus ‘artificial,’ or ‘natural’ versus ‘supernatural.’ … something can be intelligently designed and yet be natural in the sense of being within the universe and subject to natural laws---but that same thing might not necessarily relate to God or the supernatural.” (Pg. 47-48)

David Haines explains, “Christian theologians have historically taught… that there are two books (nature and Scripture) that were ‘written’ by one author---God… there can be no true contradiction between these sources of knowledge… The Christian description of … two books written by one author has inspired Christian theologians to engage in natural philosophy, for they believed… that the cosmos was highly intelligible and would render many truths to those who studied it.” (Pg. 78)

Fazale Rana argues, “the scientific case for the image of God … entails the following facets: *A moral component… *A spiritual component… *A relational component… *An intellectual component… Because humans uniquely bear God’s image, Christians have historically regarded
humans as exceptional… and entails that humans have infinite worth and value.” (Pg. 107-108)

Jay W. Richards acknowledges, “There is controversy about the complete list of fine-tuned cosmic parameters. And philosophers argue about how to calculate the probabilities involved. Even so, there are many well-established examples of fine-tuning that are widely accepted even by scientists who are generally hostile to theism and design. For instance, Stephen Hawking made this admission in ‘A Brief History of Time’…: ‘The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers [the constants of physics] seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life.’” (Pg. 127-128)

Casey Luskin notes, “many evolutionary scientists bet that noncoding DNA would be useless junk---a gamble that didn’t pay off. A striking example is seen in ID critic Kenneth Miller’s … argument during the 2005 ‘Kitzmiller v. Dover’ trial. He testified that a particular pseudogene was ‘broken’ and ‘nonfunctonal’---i.e., junk DNA---but then function for this pseudogene was reported in a 2013 paper… Even [Richard] Dawkins has been forced to backtrack on junk DNA…” (Pg. 165) Later, he adds, “In his influential 1976 book ‘The Selfish Gene’ Richard Dawkins predicted that ‘a large fraction’ of our genomes has no function, because ‘the true “purpose” of DNA is to survive, no more and no less.” (Pg. 185)

William Dembski asserts, “Here’s the problem for chemical evolution: chemical evolution must explain the origin of life, but the only example of life that we have is the cell, and even the simplest cell is immensely complex… There’s one pattern in particular that … is best explained by intelligence and that remains totally unexplained in terms of natural processes. I’m talking about the genetic code… lit requires immensely complex machinery in the cell to work, including messenger and transfer RNAs, as well as ribosomes.” (Pg. 193)

Brian Miller points out, “In reality, neither Hawking’s nor Vilenkin’s research demonstrates that the universe could emerge out of another purely due [to] the laws of physics. The underlying mathematics actually presuppose an already-existing universe… the ‘nothing’ from which the models start is not a literal nothing but a universe that has already begun, albeit with zero spatial volume, after the big bang event.” (Pg. 227)

Bruce L. Gordon asks, “What are the ontological preconditions for the very possibility of knowledge, including science? There are at least three… The first… is that there exists an explanation for the way everything is… Second, nature has to possess an INTELLIGIBLE order…Third… insofar as the causal structure of the natural world is NOT sufficient unto itself, it must be completed by something that TRANSCENDS it. If there is no PHYSICAL explanation for something, then there must be a METAPHYSICAL explanation for it.” (Pg. 254-255)

Walter L. Bradley and Casey Luskin note, “careful critiques of the Miller-Urey experiments and other experiments created great doubt in their significance, though they are still taught in some high school textbooks as if they were scientifically sound. The atmosphere used in their experiments assumed a very energy-rich primordial atmosphere of methane, ammonia, and hydrogen, none of which would have been chemically stable in an early-Earth atmosphere.” (Pg. 272)

Günter Bechly observes, “it is not true that there are no out-of-place fossils that appear in the wrong geological strata. Two striking examples are the land plant ‘Parafunaria’ from the Cambrian in China and an advanced winged insect larvae… from the Devonian Rhynie chert in Scotland. Both have been found in much-too-early periods of Earth history, where they definitely should not exist, according to the evolutionary narrative. Both cases are documented in the technical literature, but have been consistently ignored by evolutionary scientists rather than considered as conflicting evidence and refutations of Darwin’s theory.” (Pg. 353)

This book will be of great interest to anyone studying Intelligent Design, and related topics.

[BJ Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Comprehensive Guide is a collection of 40 some odd articles on the intersection of faith and science written by 30 some odd scholars. As is often the case with such collections, the quality tends to vary chapter by chapter as different authors put pen to paper. Some of them will be clearly writing for a mass audience with the typical trope of "scientists all hate God and that's why this idea doesn't get the attention it deserves" shining through. Others are clearly more used to writing academic papers than mass market books and so their attention to detail is inversely proportunate to their readibility. Coming in at only 650 pages, the book clearly is not as comprehensive as the title might claim, but it does overall do a decent job of being simple enough to appeal to a broader audience and detailed enough to challenge the mind.

The book is broken into four parts: Science and Faith, Science and Design, Science and Evolution, and Hard Questions with about twelve chapters in each. The first half of the first part are six contributions to the theme "Are science and faith compatable" by various different authors. The second part deals with secondary questions on that theme like science vs scientism, is there a case for Adam and Eve, can science be used in apologetics, and the history of science and faith.

The second book is a defense of intelligent design What Is the Evidence for Intelligent Design and addresses questions like: What is Intelligent Design and How Should We Defend It? What Is the Positive Case for Design? Why does it matter? What Are Its Theological Implications? And is Our Intuition of Design in Nature Correct? Since I am reading through Darwin's Doubt simultaneously, many of these ideas overlap with Meyer's early chapters there. In fact, he is actually the contributor of the first chapter here as well.

The third book goes from a defense of ID to an attack on neo-darwinism. Here there is a larger variation on the contributor's worldview as some of the authors are theistic creationists, some are intelligent design proponents and a couple contributors I don't know so its possible there might even be a YEC or two mixed in (but I doubt it). Because of the topical nature of each chapter, this variance is not always evident and many who aren't familiar with the contributors might miss it. Those topics are things like: Do fossils demonstrate human evolution, did life first arise by natural means, is evolutionary psychology a legitimate way of understanding humanity, can universal common descent be tested, and how has darwinism negatively impacted society.

The fourth chapter goes for a broader view in addressing topics that wouldn't fit into the earlier sections. Here we get things like: human exceptionalism vs genetic engineering, will intelligent machines overtake humanity, is the idea of a multiverse scientifically testable, and how has Christianity helped advance science, and how can we make sense of natural evil? This last topic (not the last in the book, but the last in my review) was one of the few chapters that I completely and totally disagreed with. The author (Dembski in this case) tried to argue he was completely in agreement with an orthodox reading of Genesis 1-3 while also an OEC and the millions of years of natural evil that entails (death, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, etc) by saying that God portioned off a seperate space for an idyllic garden and placed Adam and Eve in it while the outside world around them was still experiencing the natural evil that was a direct consequence of the sins Adam and Eve hadn't yet committed. Anyone else see a problem with this? It is neither scientific, logical, or biblical.

With that said, most everything else in this book was excellent and even when I wasn't in full agreement, there was still a lot of great food for thought and it challenged me to know better how and why I disagree. Whether you are a Christian or not, whether you are academically bent of not, there is a lot here worth reading and mulling over.

[Nicole Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a nice overview of a broad array of scientific topics that are often pitted against Christianity in culture. Each chapter is written by a different expert in the given field, giving a brief summary of the data and the various conclusions it could support. I appreciated the authors' honest treatment of the subjects. They didn't throw the baby out with the bathwater, and (for the most part) were careful to conclude only what their data demonstrated.

There are many different fields of science covered in this book, and some of the chapters I found to be more convincing than others.

[the following sections are not in chronological order of the book]

The section about common ancestry (including phylogenetic and geological evidence) was my favorite, and really the reason I came to this book. I just don't know enough about the evidence that is out there to have any real opinions on the matter. I found it compelling to note that most of the authors in the different chapters did not entirely agree with one another's theories. This demonstrates the degree of interpretation required to make sense of any of these data. I will also note that as far as I can remember, every author in this book agreed that the earth is billions of years old, and most agreed that some degree of common ancestry seems to fit the data fairly well (esp. the geological data). But an important counterpoint is that the phylogenetic tree is described as instead being a "forest" because there is no single tree that can account for everything.

Then there is a section about Science and Intelligent Design, where the authors discuss how the information found in life is a good indicator of Intelligent Design. I think the Intelligent Design argument is reasonably solid, but not logically required from the given data (i.e., I do think it is technically possible for another theory to exist that explains what is demonstrated here. We do not have such a theory yet, but the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence).

The most compelling part of the theory of Intelligent Design for me is the idea of abductive reasoning. Ultimately, abductive reasoning uses inferences, and is more iffy than other types of reasoning, but I do agree that the evidence given here is very compelling. (And science can technically absolutely prove anything, so abductive reasoning is not alone, in that regard.)

Then, there is a section talking about "evolution" (in quotes because that word can mean tons of different things. The chapters define what exactly they are discussing here). I am very familiar with the first arguments presented about irreducible complexity and the mathematical impossibilities of evolution in biochemistry. I felt the arguments here lacked a bit of detail, but they were summaries, so it's understandable. Biochemistry is my primary field, and I've long thought that evolution just doesn't cut it when it comes to forming the complex machinery of life.

My least favorite chapters were those talking more about philosophy. I found those chapters (esp. chapters 7-9) to not always be convincing. I agreed with their general premises most of the time, but I felt that they took it a step to far at times. Their conclusions didn't always read as logically sound, including the logical fallacies of slippery slope and begging the question. Then again, I don't have training in philosophy. Maybe if I did, I'd have a better understanding of what the authors were trying to accomplish.

And then there was a section about the universe and physics (including quantum mechanics, the theory of the multiverse, the Big Bang, does the universe have a beginning, the gamut). This I found interesting, but ultimately it's not the area of science I'm most passionate about. I did learn a lot about the history of our knowledge of space, though!

[Dustin (dragonarmybooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read and write a review of this book. Here are a few lines from my review.

This volume offers a moderated dialogue between two prominent Christian organizations—BioLogos and Reasons to Believe (RTB)—each bringing thoughtful, well-researched perspectives on the origin and development of life. With the goal of helping lay readers navigate the complexities of science-faith issues, this book aims to clarify where these two groups align, where they differ, and how respectful engagement across theological and scientific disagreements can strengthen the broader church.

Old-Earth or Evolutionary Creation? succeeds in offering a charitable and thought-provoking dialogue between two faithful Christian perspectives. The book’s structure fosters clarity, its contributors bring significant scholarly expertise, and the format allows readers to track each argument side by side. Still, some weaknesses persist. At times, the responses feel misaligned, with key questions left underexplored or misunderstood. BioLogos’s commitment to science and interpretive humility is commendable, though it raises unresolved theological questions. RTB’s theological clarity is refreshing, yet their dismissal of some scientific conclusions can feel overly simplistic. Despite these tensions, the book fosters important reflection and respectful engagement.

End copy/paste.

I appreciate books like this one where dissenting viewpoints are presented, argued, and defended. There's a lot here to ponder on, and is worth reading for those who are already interested in the topic.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is DENSE! There is so much information packed in here. There are a few topics that I didn't align with/agree on with the auhor(s), but none of them were salvific. Overall, I think that this book is a good resource for those who understand that life isn't about science OR faith. It's both and. They don't contradict each other in the way that many of us have been led to believe.

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent range of topics on science and faith from an OEC/ID perspective (though some contributors are YEC). As with any such collection, the quality of the essays varied considerably, but most were good introductions to the subjects they covered.

[Mendy Moscowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. Eber

[Troy Wallin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. I have one objection. Just like God, matter is eternal! It can neither be created nor destroyed; only reorganized. It cannot be created ex nihilo, as the author implies.

[Kelley Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched and well presented compilation of articles.

[Zach Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read for a Christian in need of understanding the world of science. Really, anybody should read this.

[Collin Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, short writings on a wide range of scientific topics pertaining to the theory of intelligent design.