The Case for a Creator - Lee Strobel [64]
I mused about this aloud to Craig. He thought for a moment and then launched into a fascinating story about a doctoral dissertation, a handmade booklet, and a changed life.
PHYSICAL LAWS, SPIRITUAL LAWS
While in Germany to pursue his second doctorate, Bill and his wife, Jan, were attending a convention of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, a prestigious German organization devoted to promoting international research cooperation between scholars. While chatting with various scientists, they met a prominent Eastern European physicist, who described for them how physics had destroyed her belief in God.
“She said that now when she looks at the world, all she sees is darkness without and darkness within,” Craig recalled. “I remember how that struck me so forcefully. What a description of the modern world’s predicament—utter meaninglessness and despair.
“Suddenly, Jan spoke up. ‘You should read Bill’s doctoral dissertation,” she said. ‘He uses physics to prove the existence of God.’ ”
Craig’s eyes got wide as he relived the scene. “My first thought was, ‘Oh, no! What is this famous physicist going to say?’ But she replied that, yes, she would be very interested in reading it.
“So we gave her a copy of my dissertation on the kalam cosmological argument—the very kind of material we’ve been discussing today, Lee. As she read it over the coming days, she started to get more and more excited. She told me, ‘I know these people you’re quoting! These are my colleagues!’ Finally, she returned the dissertation to us and announced, ‘I now believe in the existence of God. Thank you so much for restoring my faith in him.’
“We were thrilled! We said, ‘Would you like to know him in a personal way?’ She was a bit hesitant, but she said, ‘Uh, of course.’ So we asked her to meet us that night in the local restaurant.
“That afternoon Jan and I prepared a little handwritten version of the Four Spiritual Laws, which spell out how a person can become a follower of Jesus. 49 When we sat down with her at the meal that night, we opened the booklet and read the first sentence: ‘Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical universe, so there are spiritual laws that govern your relationship with God.’ And she said, ‘Oh, physical laws! Spiritual laws! This is something I can understand! This is just for me!’
“Finally, we got to the point in the booklet that asks whether God is outside of your life or on the throne of your life. She clamped her hand over the booklet and said, ‘Ah, this is so personal! I just can’t answer at this time.’ We said, ‘That’s all right. Let us just explain how you can receive Christ as your personal savior.’ We described how she could pray to ask God to forgive her wrongdoing and to receive Jesus as her forgiver and leader. After that, we let her take the booklet home with her.
“Well, the next day when we saw her, her face was just radiant with joy! She told us she had gone home that night and there in her room had prayed to give her life to Christ. Then she took all her tranquilizers and booze and flushed them down the toilet!
“We gave her a copy of the New Testament and parted ways for several months. When we saw her later at another convention, we wondered what the status of her faith would be. But she had the same joy, the same radiance, and she greeted us with love and told us that her most precious possessions were her New Testament and her handmade Four Spiritual Laws.”
Bill smiled. “You asked whether God can use cosmology to change the life of a scientist,” he said. “Yes, I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it happen with all kinds of skeptics. Once I gave a talk at a college in Canada on the kalam argument. Afterward a student said, ‘I’ve been an agnostic all my life. I’ve never heard anything like this. I now believe that God exists! I can hardly wait to go share this with my brother, who’s an atheist.’ ”
Craig glanced out the window as