Return of the God Hypothesis

Return of the God Hypothesis
By Stephen C.Meyer

1. Would you Recommend this Book?

Absolutely! This is one of the best books I’ve ever read.


2. What is the Main Point?

Meyer’s main point is that scientific discoveries in various fields over the past hundred years
have made a theistic worldview the most reasonable explanation of the universe that we now
know. Meyer quotes Richard Dawkins throughout, saying that Dawkins framed the issue
perfectly when he said, “The universe we observe has precisely the properties that we should
expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind,
pitiless indifference.” Meyer’s main point is that we now know that the exact opposite conclusion is the proper one, that what we see in this universe is what we should expect if there is, at bottom, the Christian God.


3. Which Parts should I read if I’m short on Time?

The vast majority of books could only be 1-3 chapters long and say all they need to say . . . this
is not one of those books. Meyer is honestly one of the smartest men alive and not one chapter feels superfluous. However, if you are fairly well versed in apologetic materials and thought, chapters 1-3 and 9-10 will still be fairly novel to you and deeper than most of what you’ve read before, while much of the book is arguments with which you will be familiar. If the book feels overwhelming to you, read chapters 1-2 and chapter 20; then go read The Case for Christ to get a simpler version of most of the other chapters.


4. Why does this book Matter?

Much of modern thought lags behind the evidence. Many still think in the way of the famous “Is God Dead” article of 1966, thinking intellectual people should not be theists, and certainly not Christians. Meyer shows how virtually all of the scientific discoveries and evidence of the past century have actually been taking us in the opposite direction. We know astronomically more about the universe than we did a century ago; it is now scientifically accepted that the universe had a beginning and is not eternal and that it is so finely tuned for life that the preciseness is too much for the human mind to comprehend. We also know much more about what life is, about DNA and cells, and about what the fossil record appears to show about life’s evolution. Meyer argues as convincingly as anyone ever has that these things are best explained by a Mind, and particularly by the Christian God.


5. Is this Book an “Easy-Read?” (Include Length)

No, it is not. What I mean is simply that this book is long and is written by a truly brilliant mind;
Meyer is a great author and is fun to read, but I had to move more slowly than normal. 576 Pages.


6. Who is this Author and what did you think of their writing?

I have told many people that if only one Christian alive today is remembered and still impacting the world in 300 years, I believe it will be Stephen C. Meyer. He is not only a leading thinker in the world, he clearly loves the Lord and displays a humility and patience with others that is hard to comprehend for someone of his capacity. You can see him on Joe Rogan’s podcast, or Piers Morgan, or Ben Shapiro, or many other similar well known podcasts to see if that is true.


7. What is One Key Take-Away or Application for my life?

This book is a great faith-strengthener. It can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that faith is “blind,” but God has not just asked us to take a leap, he has always given us reasons to believe that what He has said is true. God has blessed us modern people with great evidence that should bolster our faith, along with enhancing the conversations we can have with those who are skeptical about Christianity.


8. What was One point of Disagreement?

If you hold to a “Young Earth” view that believes the earth to be about 6,000 years old, this book will be uncomfortable at times; however, Meyer acknowledges that position as a legitimate option even though it is not his own.


9. What are any other things that stood out to You?

The chapter that stood out most to me was the first chapter on the Christian foundations of
Science itself. Meyer convincingly argues that the philosophy that undergirds the scientific
method and that was necessary for this method to come into existence is inherently Christian.
He points out that the earliest and most well known proponents of scientific discovery were
Christians and that this is no mere coincidence, but a necessary factor. He illuminates the irony of science being placed over against faith in the modern world when it was Christian faith that spawned it, encouraging the modern Christian to be pro-science instead of fearful of it, distinguishing between true science and the naturalistic philosophies that are often treated as synonymous.


10. Have you read any books similar to this one that you would recommend one
to read first to help with this one?

I would not recommend this book as the first apologetic book for one to read, unless that person has a fairly significant academic and particularly scientific background. I would recommend one first read books like The Case for Christ, as mentioned earlier, or perhaps best as a precursor to this book would be Is Atheism Dead by Eric Metaxes.