The Language of God by Francis S. Collins

Continuing with some book recommendations, this one is for The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief by Francis S. Collins. Collins, like the authors in my previous two posts, is a former atheist and now serves as head of The Human Genome Project. This book is his attempt to bring together his belief in science and his belief in God.

Although Richard Dawkins only receives a few passing references, the presence of Dawkins is still heavy in this book. Collins spends a good deal of time speaking to those scientists, Dawkins being the most well-known, who claim that science necessarily leads to atheism.

At times Collins' book gets heavy on science (or maybe it's just me; I did pass biology by just one point) but careful reading will make sense of most of it. Interestingly, Collins has not become a hero to most conservative evangelicals, in spite of his travel to belief from atheism and his championing of faith in the face of science. It doesn't take long to find out why - Collins flatly rejects both Young Earth Creationism and Intelligent Design, claiming they are not only bad science but also bad theology.

Whether or not you agree with Collins on Young Earth Creationism and Intelligent Design - and I do - this book is highly recommended.