In this day and age when the opinions of scientists and Christians are often completely opposite, along comes the book, Rise of the Time Lords-A Geek’s Guide to Christianity, written by Michael Belote, a physics and mathematics geek to geek in his thirties. Michael, with a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering and a M.Sc. in Operations Management, became a born-again Christian who threw himself into Bible study and theological books to try to make some sense of his newfound faith.
In reading his book, one will soon come to realize that it’s like reading two separate books simultaneously. The first part of each of the seventeen chapters refers to science that deals with the origin, structure and space time relationship of the universe, and the origin, nature and destiny of man. The sources of this information are taken mainly through the studies of Astronomy, Anthropology, Cosmology, and Thermodynamics, all of which are based somewhat on two controversial beliefs such as the Big Bang theory and the theory of Evolution.
The second part of each chapter relates to the teachings of the Christian Bible dealing with the creation of the universe, the fall of Adam and Eve, the Old and New Testaments, the infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible, the Law, the Ten Commandments, the three Person Trinity of God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus, the means of salvation, Hades, Heaven, Hell, the coming destruction of our universe, and the creation of a new Heaven and a new earth. The following are two examples of the many important bits of information found in this book:
Example #1: Due to the current knowledge about this fine-tuned universe that we live in, there are twenty or more fundamental constants that had to be exactly correct at the time of the Big Bang, or no life could have ever existed. For that reason, many scientists are finding it difficult to come to any other conclusion except that there must have been a God.
Example #2: Whereas we are three dimensional creatures capable of full perception of up/down, left/right and in/out, we are only vaguely aware of the fourth dimension of time because we cannot feel or experience time in the past or the future. God created this entire universe, including time, making Him more than a four dimensional being, which puts mankind at a disadvantage of fully understanding God and His universe.
In each chapter, the author expertly compares the teachings of science with the teachings of Christianity supplemented with zany glimpses of his personal life. Even if one is limited in scientific knowledge, the information found in all of these chapters will be interesting and informative. For believers and nonbelievers, this well-written book is absolutely a must read.
