Which is more "reasonable": belief in God or belief in accidental evolutionary progress? Phillip Johnson, author of Darwin on Trial and instigator of the Intelligent Design movement, brilliantly makes the case for an intelligent designer and controller at work. Johnson takes the issue of evolution versus creationism to a deeper level in this book where he contrasts the truth claims of naturalism and theistic realism (Johnson's term for his own worldview which says that "God is objectively real").
Johnson shows how the philosophy of naturalism that underlies Darwinian theories has shaped science, law, and even education. He demonstrates that Naturalism relies on unprovable beliefs that are less credible than the Christian's belief in God.
He draws on current events, legal decisions, science, and common sense to make his case. He builds a strong case proving that naturalism is the established religion in America. He then also shows how Christianity, and even theism in general, is now viewed with contempt. He delves into the concept of natural law based upon a belief in God as the law maker and the rejection of natural law based upon naturalistic assumptions that there are no eternal truths or absolutes.
This may sound like boring philosophy, but Johnson's lively writing style and use of anecdotes makes very appealing and relatively easy to understand.
Reason in the Balance is a must read for parents, but I also highly recommend it for teens. However, this is a challenging book, so save it for the final years of high school. Read it in sections, followed by discussion. Johnson includes research notes on each chapter at the end of the book. Most of them are enlightening, so check them out as you read each chapter.
It is helpful to have read Darwin on Trial prior to reading this book so that you understand his occasional references to debates between Johnson and eminent evolutionists, but it is not essential. Johnson's Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds (InterVarsity Press) is an easier-to-read book covering some of the key issues of both of these books.
