The Case for a Creator Bible Study Guide Revised Edition: Investigating the Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God

by Lee Strobel, Garry D. Poole

Overview

"My road to atheism was paved by science...ironically, so was my later journey to God."

Journalist and award-winning author of The Case for Christ Lee Strobel examines the idea that science isn't the enemy of faith, but that it provides a solid foundation for belief in God. New scientific discoveries point to the incredible complexity of our universe, a complexity best explained by the existence of a Creator.

This six-session video study (DVD/digital video sold separately) invites participants to encounter the evidence of a Creator. Join Strobel in reexamining the theories that once led him away from God. Pastors, small group leaders, and individuals seeking resources that answer tough questions about the existence of God and the claims of rationality will find compelling answers in The Case for a Creator study, investigating probing questions like:

• Where do science and faith overlap or agree?
• As a form of knowledge, what are the weaknesses of science and rationality?
• How much can I depend on science while still have a thriving faith?
• Is faith in God ever based on rationality?

Sessions include:

1. Science and God
2. Doubts about Darwinism
3. The Evidence of Cosmology
4. The Fine-tuning of the Universe
5. The Evidence of Biochemistry
6. The DNA and the Origin of Life

Designed for use with the Case for a Creator Revised Video Study 9780310699606 (sold separately).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310699620
Publisher:	HarperChristian Resources
Publication date:	12/23/2013
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	315,061
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Lee Strobel, former award-winning legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, is a New York Times bestselling author whose books have sold millions of copies worldwide. Lee earned a journalism degree at the University of Missouri and was awarded a Ford Foundation fellowship to study at Yale Law School, where he received a Master of Studies in Law degree. He was a journalist for fourteen years at the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers, winning Illinois’ top honors for investigative reporting (which he shared with a team he led) and public service journalism from United Press International. Lee also taught First Amendment Law at Roosevelt University. A former atheist, he served as a teaching pastor at three of America’s largest churches. Lee and his wife, Leslie, have been married for more than fifty years and live in Texas. Their daughter, Alison, and son, Kyle, are also authors. Website: www.leestrobel.com

As Willow Creek Community Church's key evangelism leader for over sixteen years, Garry Poole is the innovator of seeker small groups and a strategist of creative outreach initiatives. Passionate about reaching people for Christ, Garry and his team have trained thousands of leaders to launch seeker small groups in their own settings. His award-winning book, Seeker Small Groups, provides a detailed blueprint for facilitating small group discussions that assist spiritual seekers with investigating Christianity. He also wrote The Complete Book of Questions, a collection of 1001 conversation starters and numerous group study guides including The Three Habits of Highly Contagious Christians; The Tough Questions Series, and Experiencing the Passion of Jesus (with Lee Strobel) to accompany Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion of the Christ. In 2005, it became the first discussion guide ever to receive the prestigious Charles “Kip” Jordon Christian Book of the Year award. Garry lives in suburban Chicago.

Read an Excerpt

The Case for a Creator Study Guide Revised Edition

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By Lee Strobel, Garry Poole

ZONDERVAN

Copyright © 2013 Lee Strobel and Garry Poole
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-69959-0

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CHAPTER 1

Science and God

I was convinced that science and faith were at odds—and that science definitely had the edge in the credibility department ... And rather than facing an "unyielding despair" that's implicit in a world without God, I reveled in my newly achieved freedom from God's moral strictures. For me, living without God meant living 100 percent for myself. Freed from someday being held accountable for my actions, I felt unleashed to pursue personal happiness and pleasure at all costs ... As a journalist, I was unshackled to compete without always having to abide by those pesky rules of ethics and morality. I would let nothing, and certainly nobody, stand between me and my ambitions.

Lee Strobel, The Case for a Creator

Read This!

If possible, read the following book content in preparation for your group meeting: The Case for a Creator, chapter 4: Where Science Meets Faith, or The Case for a Creator Student Edition, chapter 1: Science vs. God? Otherwise, read it as follow-up.

Watch This!

Video Teaching Segment

Space is provided to take notes on anything that stands out to you.

Discuss This!

1. How much confidence do you put in science as a source of truth? How did you develop the level of trust (or lack thereof) you currently have?

2. To what degree do you believe that only science is rational and everything else is mere opinion, superstition, or mindless faith?

3. Has scientific progress made God unnecessary? Why or why not?

4. To what extent do you think it is possible to prove—or disprove—the existence of God? In terms of your own investigation, what level of evidence (or proof) would be sufficient for you to believe or disbelieve the existence of God? How likely is it that there would ever be enough evidence to eliminate your doubts (one way or the other)? What are the implications of your answers?

5. If science is, in fact, the search for truth, should scientists be free to consider the possibility of the supernatural if the evidence of cosmology, physics, and biochemistry points in that direction? Why or why not?

6. Is it possible to believe in science and also believe in God? Can faith in God ever be rational? Why or why not?

7. Which of the following "isms" most accurately reflects your current position? What influences or factors prompted you to arrive at this perspective? How long have you held this position?

• Agnosticism: the belief that knowledge of the existence or nonexistence of God is impossible

• Atheism: the disbelief in the existence of God

• Deism: the belief in a supreme being who remains unknowable and untouchable and permits the universe to run itself according to natural laws

• Fideism: the belief that matters of religion are not supported by evidence or reason and all that is required is faith

• Pantheism: the belief that God and the universe are one

• Polytheism: the belief in many gods

• Theism: the belief in the existence of God

8. Are science and faith at odds? Can science and faith ever be compatible? Must a science-minded person reject religious beliefs? Explain your answers.

9. To what extent can we separate ourselves from our own biases? How much do our religious or atheistic preconceived notions and worldview taint the conclusions we draw? How might your current view of God—positive or negative—affect the way you assess the scientific evidence for his existence?

Between Sessions

Personal Reflection

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

(Jeremiah 29:11–13)

1. Do you gravitate toward or away from scientific inquiry? What about religious inquiry? How curious are you about God?

2. Carefully meditate on the above verses from Jeremiah and just imagine these are God's words to you personally. What is your response? Are you skeptical? Bemused? Cynical? Or do you feel a spark of hope that this concept might be real? Try this exercise: Suspend your disbelief, just for a moment, and consider the possibility that God is real, that he cares about you, and that he invites you to seek and find him. How does this possibility impact you?

3. Now reread the promise made to you in the last sentence of the Jeremiah passage. What if God is real and keeps all his promises? Notice, though, that the promise is conditional—you must do your part. How willing are you to seek truth sincerely with your whole heart and to follow the evidence wherever it leads? What might hold you back from such an open-minded search?

4. Jesus once had a conversation with one of his followers who admitted to him, "Lord, I believe, now help me with my unbelief!" Can you relate in any way to this man's honest and heartfelt plea? How surprising is it to you to discover that the Bible identifies many people who faced doubts about God, and yet he answered them? You can rest assured that God welcomes your objections, questions, and doubts—and that he even invites you to come to him with your unbelief!

Personal Reading

Please read the following book content in preparation for session two:

The Case for a Creator, chapter 2: The Images of Evolution

The Case for a Creator, chapter 3: Doubts about Darwinism

Or, The Case for a Creator Student Edition, chapter 3: Exploring Evolution
(Continues...)

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Excerpted from The Case for a Creator Study Guide Revised Edition by Lee Strobel, Garry Poole. Copyright © 2013 Lee Strobel and Garry Poole. Excerpted by permission of ZONDERVAN.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Session 1 Science and God 7

Session 2 Doubts about Darwinism 21

Session 3 The Evidence of Cosmology 37

Session 4 The Fine-tuning of the Universe 51

Session 5 The Evidence of Biochemistry 63

Session 6 DNA and the Origin of Life 75

Small Group Leader Helps 89