The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel
Week 4: Objection 3 — Evolution Explains Life, So God Isn't Needed
Read Objection 3 (Chapter 3) of The Case for Faith. Interview with Walter Bradley. Key passages: Genesis 1:1; Psalm 19:1–4.
Previewing Week 4 of The Case for Faith
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 11-week guide when you’re ready.
Does Darwin's theory make the Creator redundant, or does the fine-tuned complexity of life actually point back toward a Designer? This week Walter Bradley helps Strobel examine what the science of origins actually — and doesn't — establish.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Bradley is an engineer and materials scientist, not a theologian. Why does Strobel choose a scientist rather than a philosopher or pastor to address this objection? What does that choice say about how Strobel thinks this question should be engaged?
2.Bradley distinguishes between the question of biological evolution (how existing life changes over time) and the question of the origin of life (how the first living cell arose from non-living matter). Why is that distinction crucial for this objection? Which question does Darwinian evolution actually address?
3.Bradley discusses the staggering complexity of DNA and the information it encodes, arguing that undirected chemical processes cannot account for the origin of biological information. Do you find that argument compelling? What would a skeptic say in response?
a.Bradley uses the analogy of finding a meaningful sentence in a bowl of alphabet soup. How helpful is that analogy, and where might it break down?
b.If Bradley is right that undirected processes can't account for information, what follows — does it prove the Christian God, or something less specific?