Best Books
Does God exist? In his latest book, Reflections on the Existence of God, Richard E. Simmons III answers this question in a series of easy to read, short essays full of fascinating illustrations. The book is the culmination of 25 plus years of research and provides a powerful answer key of sorts for both skeptic and Christian. For believers, it offers the bonus of a clear confirmation of why we believe what we believe and encouragingly calls us to stand up for those beliefs. “My thought was to equip Christians to engage with the skeptical culture we live in, where atheism clearly is on the rise and faith seems to be declining.”
The just released book is already receiving praise from national figures like pastor, theologian, and Christian apologist Tim Keller who says, “…He [Simmons] brings the biblical doctrine of God into conversation with the most basic questions about meaning and morality, science and human reason. Chapter after chapter offer helpful insights.” New York Times bestselling author and radio host Eric Metaxas adds, “In this accessible read, Richard Simmons offers valuable insights for those grappling with life’s big questions.”
Simmons says one of his favorite essays in the book is on the topic of the “fine tuning” of the universe. “It’s so powerful because Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, probably two of the most famous atheists in the last 25-30 years, both very outspoken, both acknowledge, as atheists, they struggle dealing with this. They say it is so unfathomable to explain – the fact that there are 122 variables that need to be lined up with perfect precision for our universe to exist and if any of those go astray, just a little bit, it will all implode. And yet over all these years, it has been in perfect harmony and with such great precision. They really can’t explain it.”
A driving force behind Simmons’ completing the book were his three children, ages 23, 21 and 20. He sees the concepts of the book as being a way to “prepare them to go out into the world and truly engage with the skeptical world we live in…I really desire to see it strengthen the faith of young people so that they don’t lose their faith in college.” Simmons is already at work on ways to put the material in the book into an even more engaging form for high school and college students. You can read several of the book’s essays on line at www.thecenterbham.org/blog. Prepare to be hooked on wanting to read more and make this book a companion in your morning or evening quiet time in 2020! Grab your copy of Richard’s book on Amazon or at www.existenceofgodbook.com.
-Laurie Stroud
