Brendan Roberts is fortunate that there is an emerging science that supports many of the things that he and Christian theism have long espoused. For example, there is a wealth of scientific evidence to show that the universe was created out of nothing and further, that the universe was designed to support life and the arrival of human beings.

Similar to the Book of Genesis, Brendan Roberts opens his first chapter with the birth of the universe, in what scientists call ‘The Big Bang’. Roberts is clearly enamored with the Big Bang Theory. This theory suggests three things:

(i) The universe had a beginning
(ii) The universe came from nothing
(iii) The universe is finite.

Most scientists support this theory. One such scientist is Robert Jastrow, an astrophysicist, who when citing the implications of this theory declared that, ‘for the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries’ (57). And while this is a well-used quote, it is nevertheless a good quote and Roberts was right to include it.

In fact, Brendan Roberts loves to quote, and he quotes copiously, but they are not just any quotes taken at random just to fill a page. He quotes with purpose from people who are specialized in their respective fields of science and religion. Furthermore, Roberts provides at the end of each chapter a bibliography of the sources he quotes.
He also covers the subject of evolution, both micro and macro. In regards to macro-evolution, Roberts has a problem. He doesn’t believe in it. Yet, despite this rejection to a theory that is supported by a vast majority of scientists, Roberts is wise to remain open to being corrected on this issue.

Roberts has written this book for the thinking non-Christian. His book is comparable to the apologetic works of Dr Steve Kumar, in that it provides an excellent resource for the defense of theism. Where science has often been used to demystify the world of any transcendent meaning, Roberts book is an attempt to restore a measure of wonder and delight to our origins and to the source of those origins. Furthermore, this book replaces the shallowness of scientific reductionism and it refutes the nihilistic philosophy of atheistic materialism. In short it affirms the Judeo-Christian values of life, purpose and meaning.

It was the brilliant Albert Einstein who said ‘religion without science is blind, and science without religion is lame’. In using both Sacred Scripture in tandem with the Book of Nature, Roberts has skillfully brought together key insights to show how science and religion interrelate and contribute to each other in helping people to make informed decisions about matters spiritual and to move them to a higher level of consciousness.