Within the world of physics there has been a movement to discover a ‘theory of everything’ (TOE) that will embrace every physical process and phenomenon in the cosmos. This effort, by and large, is driven by those who embrace an evolutionary worldview and, therefore, are expecting to find a theory that will disprove the existence of God or at best make God ‘redundant.’ As Richard Dawkins claims Darwinian Evolution has done in biology, many physicists (and Dawkins) have high hopes that this yet-to-be-discovered TOE will do the same in physics.

In this wonderfully written book, Professor Andrews doesn’t seek simply to expose the weakness of the ‘new atheistic’ arguments (which he does). He desires to present a logically consistent and sufficiently more satisfying alternative to anything the Evolutionary Biologist or Atheistic Physicist will ‘discover.’ Professor Andrews demonstrates that there is more to the cosmos than matter, and, therefore, as a result any TOE will have to explain not only the material cosmos, but also realms of the heart, mind, conscience, and spirit.

Throughout the book Professor Andrews seeks to test the various hypotheses offered over and against what he calls ‘the hypothesis of God.’ If this were a technical apologetics book, Professor Andrew’s methodology would be generally referred to as ‘Presuppositional Apologetics,’ a term he does not use. He skillfully avoids using parochial jargon as much as possible, and yet this is essentially the approach taken. By looking at the evidence offered and then analyzing the evidence, he asks, ‘Which hypothesis best explains reality?’ Only when one presumes the God of the Bible as he has revealed himself can one actually make sense of the world, humanity, science, etc. (See pp. 58–62 for the formal explanation of his ‘hypothesis.’) Professor Andrews’ qualifications to write a book such as this are quite substantial.

Professor Edgar H. Andrews (BSc, PhD, DSc, FInstP, FIMMM, CEng, CPhys) is Emeritus Professor of Materials at the University of London and an international expert on the science of large molecules. In 1967, he set up the Department of Materials at Queen Mary College, University of London, and served both as its Head and later as Dean of Engineering. He has published well over one hundred scientific research papers and books, together with two Bible commentaries and various works on science and religion and on theology. His book From Nothing to Nature has been translated into ten languages. At the Oxford Union ‘Huxley Memorial Debate’ in 1986, he debated Richard Dawkins on the motion ‘that the doctrine of creation is more valid than the theory of evolution.’ (More on professor Andrews and this book can be found at http://whomadegod.org.)

For rather obvious reasons, one would expect an author with the above qualifications to write a book that only an expert in science would be able to understand. This is far from the case. With chapter headings like ‘Sooty and the universe,’ ‘Yogurt, cereal, and toast,’ ‘Ferrets and fallacies,’ and ‘Information, stupid!,’ Professor Andrews combines gentle humour, pointed wit, and simple language with expert knowledge to accomplish his aim. However, in a book like this, it is inevitable that the author will need to use terms and concepts possibly unfamiliar to the average reader. In order to help in this area, each chapter begins with a brief summary of the main concept and a list of new terms with their definitions. As a result, the reader is equipped to follow the argument within each chapter and the overall thesis of the book.

This is a book I would happily give to Christians and non-Christians alike. Professor Andrews has managed to write what, I believe, will be one of the most important books published in 2009 and 2010. As the wave of literature produced by the new atheists continues to grow, the church has been further equipped with a tool to reach those who are confused. Professor Andrews more than adequately deals with the scientific arguments while simultaneously pointing the reader to the sufficiency of God, his Word, and (most important of all) the person and work of Christ.

In the final chapter, Professor Andrews concludes the book in a thoroughly theological manner. He capably addresses the moral argument for God while at the same time addressing the accusations of ‘new atheists’ against God himself as being immoral. In this, he demonstrates that although the moral argument for God is helpful, it is not adequate to convince a person of the truths of Christianity. He concludes the chapter and the book with the following:

The hypothesis of God predicts that man’s sinful heart can never be changed by mere instruction, no matter how good and noble that teaching may be. It can only be changed by a ‘new birth’ in which the Spirit of God himself takes up residence in the person’s heart and mind—‘writing’ there the moral law and empowering the recipient to love and obey God. This work of the new birth is accompanied by the forgiveness of man’s ‘sins and lawless deeds’ on the grounds of Jesus Christ’s atoning death and justifying resurrection.… I therefore end this book at the beginning of another story. Read more about it in ‘the Gospel according to St John.’ (p. 278)