Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 240
•
Trim: 5¾ x 9
978-0-7425-6312-4 • Hardback • October 2008 • $26.95 • (£20.99)
978-0-7425-6313-1 • Paperback • September 2010 • $16.95 • (£12.99)
978-0-7425-6553-1 • eBook • October 2008 • $16.00 • (£11.99)
Dean L. Overman is former senior partner of the international law firm Winston & Strawn. A former Templeton scholar at Oxford University in the fields of information theory, physics, and religion, he has also studied theology at Princeton Theological Seminary and was a visiting scholar at Harvard University. He is the author of A Case Against Accident and Self-Organization.
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: The question of God's existence: the radical contingency of the universe points toward a necessary being
Chapter 3: Many generations of philosophers have made the mistake of assuming Hume and Kant's objections disposed of the cosmological argument
Chapter 4: A universe with an infinite past would still require a necessary being to sustain its existence
Chapter 5: Because the universe (or multiverse) had a beginning, it is contingent and has a cause for its coming into existence
Chapter 6: The philosophy of nature set forth in this book emphasizes the intelligibility of the universe noted in Einstein's statement: "The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible." A significant issue in examining the "something" that exists is Why is it intelligible?
Chapter 7: Evolution is not dispositive of the question of why there is something rather than nothing and why the universe is rational and intelligible
Chapter 8: The mystery of information challenges a strict materialism
Chapter 9: The existence of God gives an absolute that is consistent with the real existence of right and wrong
Chapter 10: Evidential force of religious experience: If God is a person, God can be known to only a very limited extent by abstract reasoning and is more fully known by personal acquaintance in an I-Thou relationship with the Wholly Other
Chapter 11: Recorded experiences of encounters with the divine bear witness to a way of knowing that includes Kierkegaard's Kendskab, Buber's I-Thou, Otto's Wholly Other, and Marcel's Mystery
Chapter 12: These nine witnesses testify to another way of knowing that is compatible with the empirical and the metaphysical rational ways of knowing, but is beyond the describable and requires personal participation, commitment, and personal transformation
Chapter 13: Concluding reflections and summary: Theism requires a leap of faith, but it is a leap into the light, not into the dark; theism explains more than Atheism, which also requires a leap of faith
Afterword
Appendix A: The new mathematics of algorithmic information theory is relevant to theories concerning the formation of the first living matter
Appendix B: The limits of mathematics and the limits of reason: Why everyone will always live by faith rather than certainty
Appendix C: The evidence from contemporary physics supports the concepts of personal responsibility and free will
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
About the Author
Drawing on modern cosmology and information theory, Overman exposes fallacies that infested skeptics' thinking since Hume and Kant. . . . A book for readers who are willing to wrestle with the largest questions.
— Booklist, Starred Review
Overman's attention . . . offers a fresh approach to the case for God's existence.
— Publishers Weekly
In a time when religion and science are often portrayed as diametrically opposed, Overman presents a refreshing view of the interplay between science and religion and makes a compelling case for the existence of God and His role in our world.
— The Morrow County Sentinel
[Overman] is at his best when he engages science....In all of his analyses, Overman demonstrates an impressive erudition regarding both scientific and philosophical literature. He interweaves the two disciplines in an engaging and interesting way, all the while recognizing the limitations of each sort of analysis....I believe this book makes a genuine contribution to contemporary apologetics, particular with his emphasis on science.
— Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith
Why is there something rather than nothing? Why is the universe deeply and beautifully transparent to scientific enquiry? Dean L. Overman argues with clarity and care that theism offers the most illuminating response to such profound questions. His book will be found helpful by many thoughtful seekers after truthful understanding.
— Rev. John Polkinghorne, Cambridge University, author of Belief in God in an Age of Science, Templeton Prize recipient
Modern science has been immensely successful describing nature, but as Albert Einstein put it, 'the most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible.' Dean L. Overman offers an explanation that is at once simple and profound. As befits an experienced lawyer and deep thinker, his book presents a lucid and convincing case for a God who has revealed His existence through His creation.
— Dr. Robert Kaita, Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University
As it is the nature of God that he should be humanly apprehensible, while also incomprehensible—outside of the universe we live within—it is appropriate the knowledge of God requires multiple levels of 'knowing.' Indeed, religious or mystical experiences of God may be more telling witnesses than the rationalist or metaphysical approaches. Brilliantly Dean L. Overman, as a wise and skilled lawyer, puts the reader in the dock to test the validity of his or her atheism, deism, or unreflective secular mind-set. This is a challenging book that will not only stretch the mind but deepen the heart, to experience both the mind and heart of God.
— James M. Houston, former fellow, Hertford College, Oxford; founder of Regent College
A lucid and wide-ranging positive argument for the existence of God, based on a wide range of data from modern science and also on the cumulative testimony of many reported spiritual experiences. It is an excellent antidote for those who may think that science cannot make a rational case for God.
— Keith Ward, Fellow of the British Academy
From the Afterword:In A Case for the Existence of God, Dean L. Overman clearly explains the importance of understanding our worldview and the presuppositions that form the basis of that worldview….Readers will find the book to be a window into their lives and thus, difficult to put down.
— Armand Nicholi, Harvard Medical School, author of The Question of God
Like a rare wine, Dean Overman is to be savored, not gulped. Crystal clear in his thinking and wide-ranging in his reading and discussion, he is a shining example of those who believe in thinking and think in believing.
— Os Guinness, Oxford University, author of Long Journey Home