Francis S Collins, MD, PhD, headed
up the Human Genome Project from 1993 until its completion in 2003. This international project officially began in 1990 to
determine the sequence of chemical instructions in human DNA and to identify
all human genes. Collins continues as director of the
National Human Genome Research Institute at the US National Institutes of
Health (NIH).

In The Language of God,
Collins explains how a scientist of his renown is also firmly committed to
belief in the God of Christianity. He takes his
listeners (this review is based on the audio-book) on a fascinating journey
that is technically, philosophically and personally interesting. His subjects are broad and his arguments articulate. His voice makes clear his passion for science and for
faith, and his concern for patients. His concern for
scientific evidence is clear, but the audio-book includes songs he has written
that reveal his compassion for people and their suffering.

The book begins with Collins
standing in the White House with President Bill Clinton on June 26, 2000. They, with two other scientists and Prime Minister Tony
Blair linked by satellite, announced that the biochemical instruction book of
human life, the human genome, had been cracked. The
press conference signaled that the Human Genome Project was almost completed. (The book gives some insight into the political
machinations behind the press conference, part of a truce between those wanting
to keep the Project’s data private and those, including Collins, arguing it should
be publicly available to anyone. Collins’s view
prevailed.)

President Clinton gave Collins the
idea for his book title when he said that, "Today we are learning the
language in which God created life." Collins
wondered if many might have assumed that he, as a scientist, would have
bristled at these words. He whole-heartedly affirmed
them. He then describes his personal journey to faith. Raised in a free-thinking home with little religious
ideology, he loved mathematical elegance. Completion
of a PhD in physical chemistry left him yearning to impact people’s lives
practically. He enrolled in medical school and found
himself challenged by patients’ spirituality, especially when they faced
suffering and death. In spite of his emphasis on
evidence, Collins soon realized, "I had never really seriously considered
the evidence for and against belief" in God.

The writings of C S Lewis contained
the intellectual rigor and scholarship Collins sought in answering his
questions. The existence of a moral code within humans
convinced Collins there was more to life than physical matter.
Although people disagree about what is right on any issue, everyone
agrees there is right and wrong. He found post-modern
relativism as unsatisfying in its explanations of morality as evolutionary
naturalism and sociobiology. He admitted God might
exist and sought further evidence to support his faith in God.

Collins spends the next few
chapters giving a general audience succinct snapshots of how theologically
orthodox Christianity has addressed issues like the existence of suffering,
whether belief in God is wish fulfillment and miracles. Given
that volumes have been written on all these topics, those seeking in-depth
analysis will be disappointed. However, Collins is
articulate in presenting reasons for belief in God.

Moving into the heart of the book,
Collins makes his case for reconciling Christian teaching on creation with
scientific findings regarding the origins of the universe, the origin of life
and Darwinian evolution. He is especially interested
in the contribution made by recent genetic findings, some of which arose from
his personal involvement in research on the human genome. (Collins
is excellent in bringing out the excitement of engaging in such research. While fascinating and highly significant, the relevance of
these findings for evolutionary theory is unclear.)

Collins starts his discussion with
an overview of the Anthropic Principle. This argument is based on observations that if any of
several physical constants varied even slightly, the universe could not exist. A few controversial explanations for these values exist. Collins takes the improbability of these constants being
randomly generated as evidence of God’s involvement in the creation of the
universe. The Big Bang is taken as further
confirmation that a force beyond the universe stepped in at its creation. Quotes from other eminent scientists are given which
acknowledge the limitations of science and hint at the possibility of divine
involvement in the origin of the universe.

The origin of life is examined with
uncertainty acknowledged by Collins. He notes that
many scientists hold that the Earth is billions of years old, with life somehow
arising spontaneously (and naturally). Collins then
gives an overview of Darwinian evolution, concluding with as firm a defense of
evolution as any: "No serious biologist today doubts the theory of
evolution to explain the marvelous complexity and diversity of life. In fact, the relatedness of all species through the
mechanism of evolution is such a profound foundation for the understanding of
all biology that it is difficult to imagine how one would study life without
it."

William Paley’s classic argument
from design has been important in defending theism. Collins
describes the argument in syllogistic form and dismisses it by comparing it
with another syllogism. The comparison is
inappropriate. Paley’s argument is based on the
assumption that the sort of complexity visible in a watch is normally taken to
imply an intelligent designer. Collins’ parallel
argument would require accepting that lightening has the sort of flow of
electrons that normally originates in power companies. The
latter is highly doubtful. Collins then briefly
surveys the classic categories of evidence used to support Darwinian evolution:
the Miller-Urey experiments, the fossil record, and the prediction of some
hereditary factor. Unfortunately, Collins gives little
detail and makes sweeping claims. For example, he
claims that gaps in the fossil record "are now being filled by the
discovery of extinct species." But a few
sentences later he adds that the majority of species have left no trace of
their existence and that the fossil record is "woefully incomplete." He gives neither examples of important transitional
species, nor references to new findings. In his
enthusiasm to support evolution, he fails to provide the evidence that might
convince those who disagree with him. Later on he
questions the legitimacy of distinguishing between macroevolution and
microevolution. Yet he gives the example of saltwater
sticklebacks evolving into freshwater sticklebacks with fewer armor plates. This is hardly a convincing example for someone looking
for evidence of fish evolving into reptiles or mammals. Collins
is much stronger in explaining how genetic developments, his own specialty,
provide evidence to support evolution. The remarkable
similarities between the human genome and that of other species is challenging
for believers in creation.

Collins’ main argument is that the
appearance of design in living creatures does not require acceptance of a
designer who was actively involved in the development of different species. It will be of little surprise that Collins disagrees with
the Young Earth version of creation (that God created the universe in one
literal week about 10,000 years ago). Collins also
argues against a more recent interpretation of creation called Intelligent
Design (ID). This view holds that some scientific
developments point to molecular mechanisms that are ‘irreducibly complex.’ These have so many essential components
interwoven, that it is more reasonable to accept that they have been designed
by an intelligence than to accept that they evolved by random variations and
natural selection. Collins argues that ID is only a
more sophisticated version of Paley’s argument from design and as such is
another ‘God of the gaps’ theory. His concern is that
all such theories eventually weaken people’s faith. Once
science fills in the gap, people see less need to give God any role or place in
life. Collins claims that scientific evidence to
counter claims of irreducible complexity is already at hand. The
examples he cites are not convincing, such as the existence of light-sensitive
cells in flatworms and cavities in the nautilus as evidence that the human eye
could have evolved to its current complexity. Collins
does not point out that proponents of ID are at pains to point out that theirs
is not a ‘God of the gaps’ theory. In contrast, they
claim their view is based on mounting evidence that is best explained by a
designer, not by gaps in the evidence.

Collins then examines various ways
people reconcile science and faith. He critiques those
who always trump faith with science (atheism and agnosticism) and those who
always trump science with faith (Young Earth creationism). He
proposes instead "BioLogos," his term for
theistic evolution. This view holds that the universe
came into being about 14 billion years ago, tuned for life. Once
life arose, it evolved by natural selection without divine intervention. Humans evolved naturally as part of this process, sharing
common ancestry with the great apes. However,
humanity’s spiritual and moral nature cannot be explained by evolution, nor can
the human search for God. Both require divine involvement. Collins finds this approach "by far the most
scientifically consistent and spiritually satisfying of the alternatives." He believes it will not be overturned by future
discoveries and "allows science and faith to fortify each other like two
unshakeable pillars, holding up a building called Truth."

What Collins appears to be unaware
of is how his own argument against a designer for living matter could be used
against his own view that the universe was designed. Earlier
he had argued that the amazing complexity and remarkable precision and
interconnectivity of the universe pointed him towards belief in a creator God. Similarly, the moral law within humanity led him to
conclude that a personal God placed a personal spirit within the human species. The evidence he accepts for an intelligent designer could
be dismissed as just a gap in scientific knowledge. Some
argue that human morality arose during human evolution and can be explained
naturally, possibly as a function of various neurotransmitters and electrical
emissions. Collins gave some criteria to show why fine
tuning and morality are better explained by the existence of a designer, but
then failed to apply those criteria to the biological evidence.

Collins is to be commended for
writing elegantly and personally on a topic that frequently leads to divisive
debate. He appeals for humility in biblical
interpretation when passages are impacted by scientific findings, and cites
important guidance from Augustine. He shows how
Genesis could be interpreted in ways that are compatible with theistic
evolution. Collins shows clearly the problems that
arise when a prior commitment to one interpretation prevents some people (Young
Earth creationists) from accepting clear scientific evidence.
He also shows the problems when a prior commitment to materialistic
atheism prevents some people (like Richard Dawkins) from admitting the
possibility of anything existing other than the physical.

Collins calls on people to honestly
go where the evidence takes them. The evidence
regarding the universe’s fine tuning and humanity’s Moral Law convinces him
that there is a designer who is the God of the Bible. He
takes a different approach with biological evidence and reveals his prior
commitment that he is unwilling to give up: "Evolution, as a mechanism,
can be and must be true." He is willing to accept
that a divine designer exists, yet he fails to explain why that designer might
not have been involved within biology. Collins thus
demonstrates how influential our prior commitments can be and how they shape
the way we weigh the evidence.

Collins has boldly stepped out to
make clear his commitment to belief in God. Since his
view does not fit neatly into one of the approaches commonly raised in public
debate on creation/evolution, it may help to foster more meaningful dialogue on
issues of science and faith. As such, Collins is to be
commended for exposing the personal side of a compassionate scientist who is
also a committed believer.

 

© 2006 Dónal
P O’Mathúna

 

Dónal P O’Mathúna, PhD is Lecturer in Health Care Ethics in the School of Nursing
at Dublin City University, Ireland. He
also teaches bioethics and sports ethics, and conducts evidence-based
evaluations of complementary therapies. He co-authored
the revised & updated Alternative Medicine: The Christian Handbook (Zondervan, 2006). donal.omathuna@dcu.ie

Categories: Religion, Philosophical