The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief

The idea that the universe seems precisely tuned to give rise to intelligent life (human beings). Discussed in Chapter 4: “The Origins of the Universe.”

The argument that the “irreducible complexity” of the universe and living organisms proves that they must have had a designer, i.e., God. Also known as an “argument from personal incredulity” (186), because its original formulation by the 19th-century naturalist William Paley expressed disbelief that such a world could have come about by chance. Collins cautions that incredulity in the face of a complex universe does not prove God’s existence; science is constantly discovering naturalistic explanations for things formerly considered too complex to understand.

One who believes that God does not exist. Collins divides atheism into strong and weak categories: Weak atheism is the absence of belief in God, while strong atheism is a firm conviction that God does not exist.

In what is referred to as the Big Bang, the universe began as an explosion of a dense mass of matter about 14 billion years ago, and it is still expanding from the force of that explosion.

Most broadly, “the general perspective of one who argues for the existence of a God who was directly involved in the creation of the universe” (171). However, as commonly used, the term (often capitalized) refers specifically to those who insist on a literal reading of Genesis 1 and 2 and exclude the possibility of evolution.

DNA, or Deoxyribonucleic acid, is an organic chemical with a complex molecular structure that underlies all life on Earth and determines the transmission of inherited traits.

Branch of biology that studies the principles and mechanisms of heredity and the way genes affect similarities or differences among organisms.

A segment of DNA that codes for a cell’s synthesis of a specific protein. The gene is the basic physical unit of heredity.

The total genetic constitution of a cell or organism.

Theory that posits that the complexity we observe in nature means that it was created by an intelligent designer, i.e., God. As a theory of the universe’s origins, ID is more accepting of the findings of science than creationism is. However, Collins argues that ID fails as a scientific theory or as theology.

A key term in the theory of evolution, this is the process whereby life forms that have traits better adapted to their environment tend to survive and reproduce in greater numbers, thus perpetuating those traits in succeeding generations.

The theory espoused by Collins and, he argues, by the majority of scientists who are believers. It postulates that God created the universe out of nothing and set up the mechanisms of evolution. Collins proposes BioLogos as an alternate name for this theory, formed from the Greek words for “life” and “word” and attempting to convey the idea that the universe expresses God’s will.