Book Review: The Fingerprint of God (2nd ed.)

Author: Dr. Hugh Ross
Spiritual Bias: Christian
Origins Bias: Old Earth/Progressive Creationist
Rating: Middle of the Road
Level: Intermediate/Advanced

Comments: I read this book immediately after reading "Creator and the Cosmos", also by Hugh Ross. The similarities between the two books are clear. I'd say however that this book isn't as well composed and isn't as comprehensive as "Creator and the Cosmos." Thus if the choice is between these two books, choose "Creator and the Cosmos." From a standalone perspective however this is a good book. Hugh Ross starts the book by discussing historical perspectives on cosmological origins. In particular he spends a good amount of time on the idea of an eternal universe and its particular implications. The notion of an eternal universe is very important for those who believe in the random appearance and development of life. Ross then proceeds to explain the scientific discoveries over the last one hundred years, starting with Albert Einstein's relativity theorem, which invalidate the notion of an eternal universe. He demonstrates that the universe had a finite beginning in time and that this fact harmonizes well with the idea of the biblical Creator as the first cause of the universe. He closes the book by addressing the biblical creation date controversy and makes a case that a literal interpretation of Genesis 1 yields an old earth/universe interpretation. Note that this book is slightly technical and contains a few formulas and mathematical graphs so if those kinds of things frighten you then perhaps you should skip this one. Aside from that reservation, I highly recommend "The Fingerprint of God."

Summary Quote: "That instant when the universe originated from a point of no size at all is called the singularity. No scientifical model, no application of the laws of physics, can describe what happens before it. Somehow, from beyond itself the universe came to be. It began. It began a limited time ago. It is finite, not infinite. The implications can only be described as monumental. Atheism, Darwinism, and virtually all the "isms" emanating from the eighteenth to twentieth century philosophies are built upon the assumption, the incorrect assumption, that the universe is infinite."