Christian author Eric Metaxas is best known for his work using the advances of science to further prove the existence of God as the intelligent designer of the universe. In his latest book, entitled "Miracles: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How They Can Change Your Life," Metaxas takes a closer look at real-life events to help disprove much of the criticism he has received since entering the spotlight with his December piece in the Wall Street Journal.
That article, entitled "Science Increasingly Makes the Case for God," was originally written to take readers through the history of evolutionary theories and how much they've changed since Carl Sagan's claim that there are only two criteria needed for a planet to support life.
But in Metaxas' latest video created to support the new book, the author breaks down his message in a visually pleasing method that is meant to help more people understand the basis behind science further proving an intelligent designer.
"As our knowledge of the universe increased, it became clear that there were, in fact, far more factors necessary for life, let alone intelligent life, than Sagan supposed," Metaxas says in the video.
While most of the "Does Science Argue for or Against God" video hosted by Prager University touches on the same exact issues as Metaxas' Wall Street Journal article, the video works to help drive the point home more clearly.
"As factors continued to be discovered, the number of possible planets hit zero, and kept going. In other words, the odds turned against any planet in the universe supporting life, including this one. Probability said that even we shouldn't be here," Metaxas wrote in his original article from December of last year."Today there are more than 200 known parameters necessary for a planet to support life-every single one of which must be perfectly met, or the whole thing falls apart. Without a massive planet like Jupiter nearby, whose gravity will draw away asteroids, a thousand times as many would hit Earth's surface. The odds against life in the universe are simply astonishing."
Metaxas' biggest detractors include atheist scientist Lawrence Krauss, who said that Metaxas' arguments do "a disservice to both science and religion" in the way that the explanation is presented. But even biblical scholar Dr. Peter Enns argued that God isn't something that we should stand behind under scientific scrutiny.
"God is not a 'being' whose 'existence' can be pointed out here or there," Enns says. "God is being, the ground of being, that by which all being, all existence, is made possible. That is the claim of the Christian faith and to fall short of that claim is to sell this God short."
Rabbi Geoffrey A. Mitelman also made the point that if we put too much of our theological beliefs in connection with ever-changing scientific theories, it could mean bad news for our faith which is meant to stand strong and unchanging.
Science is a search for truth, while religion is a search for meaning," the rabbi said. "I know that no matter what new scientific findings arise, I will never be able to prove it. Science won't help make that case for me. But that's OK. Because the most important thing is that I try to live it."
But Metaxas' latest book is highly focused on the existence of miracles, even from the standpoint outside of Christianity or religion. "I want this idea to break into the mainstream," Metaxas says during an audio interview with The Freefall. "This is not a Christian idea, it's not a religious idea, we're talking about the nature of reality."
The New York Bestselling book "Miracles" was released on October 28th of last year and you can currently find it at major bookstores or online at Amazon.com.
