I watched an outstanding documentary called “A Case For a Creator”, and I walked away in awe of God’s spectacular design- everything from spiral galaxies to the forces at work in an atom.

The video was produced by Illustra Media with the assistance of the Discovery Institute, and presents the case for a creator by following the life and research of journalist Lee Strobel, who became an atheist at age 14 when introduced to the famous Miller-Urey Experiment. This origin of life experiment produced amino acids (the building blocks of life) by simulating conditions on a primitive Earth. And according to Strobel the experiment was proof that life could form spontaneously, and it meant that “God was out of a job”. He found atheism to be easy because he trusted science and knew life could form naturally without God.

His life changed, however, when his wife Leslie, an agnostic, became a Christian. Strobel considered divorcing her, but he noticed some positive changes in her- her character and values, and the way she related to their children. So instead of divorcing her, he decided to find out if there was any credibility in the Christian faith, and if God could really produce this kind of transformation.

With a sincere desire to seek the truth- regardless of how uncomfortable it may have made him- he decided to find out if there was any scientific evidence pointing towards God. He went to work by interviewing a number of scientists and scholars. Strobel claims he was stunned and shocked when he examined the evidence. He found that the Miller-Urey experiment that was so vital to him becoming an atheist was discredited because it came nowhere close to producing life. He also found that all the materialistic explanations for the origin of life are deeply flawed. For example, Darwin’s Tree of Life- the concept that all life evolved from the same common ancestor- is not supported by the fossil record (a history of life as documented by fossils). The missing links are still missing, and there are no branches connecting all the different organisms. Dr. Jonathan Wells, author and Ph.D., said, “The branching tree pattern of Darwin’s theory is actually not seen anywhere in the fossil record, unless we impose it with our own minds.”

I found this to be a powerful statement. What evolutionists expect to find in the fossil record doesn’t exist, and any supposed connection is either absent, or can be easily disputed. But that doesn’t deter them.

Strobel now says that, “I can no longer believe that pure naturalistic processes can account for the origin and diversity of life… there must be something else here.” He also says that “Darwinism would require a blind leap of faith that I just had no good reason to make.”

Another thing I found interesting was a document titled, “A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism” signed by over 600 scientists. It reads, “We are skeptical of the claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life.” I’m glad that there are a growing number of scientists willing to put their reputations on the line for truth.

The documentary also provides direct evidence for Intelligent Design, such as evidence from cosmology and physics. Cosmological evidence, such as the expansion of the universe, tells us that the universe had a beginning and isn’t eternal. According to scientists like Einstein, Georges Lemaitre, and Edwin Hubbel, galaxies are moving away from us, and this means that at one point the universe was much denser.

Further evidence comes from the premises and conclusion drawn from the Kalam Cosmological Argument, which states that whatever begins to exist has a cause; the universe began to exist, therefore it has a cause. Author William Lane Craig states that this points to a reality that the universe was created out of nothing.

Some evidence presented from physics includes the fine-tuning argument which presents precisely balanced laws and constants. The universe is only habitable for life due to the precise effects of gravity, nuclear forces, and electromagnetic forces. These forces hold together stars, planets, atoms, molecules and chemicals, and without them there’s no life.

“I think if we follow the evidence wherever it points,” says Strobel, “it points clearly and powerfully and persuasively in the direction of a creator”.

The documentary explains how evolutionists attempt to get around this problem: they resort to the “multiverse” theory- an escape hatch postulating that there are an unlimited number of universes in which the laws of physics could be set to every imaginable possibility; and inevitably, by pure chance, one of these universes would allow for the possibility of life. But according to Jay Richards, a Philosopher at the Acton Institute, there’s no independent evidence that these multiple universes exist. The belief in multiverses is a hypothetical idea used to escape the spiritual implications pointing to the existence of God.

Strobel marvels at the incredible design of our galaxy and earth and claims that “By doing science, we find God.”

The complexity of the cell is examined and compared to an auto factory. There, everything has to fit together to function properly. And in a cell there are molecular machines that run all the systems. This is considered a masterpiece of engineering and nanotechnology.

In an interview, Dr. Stephen Meyer calls DNA the “language of life”. He says that one of the fundamental challenges to all materialistic theories on the origin of life is the information bearing properties of DNA and RNA. DNA is a carrier of genetic information and uses four characters to form a digital code and functions like a highly complex computer program. This design is called the signature of a creator, and it’s here where God has provided evidence for his existence.

Strobel claims that the media has confused Intelligent Design as a faith-based idea, only to dismiss it as no basis in science. But the theory isn’t based on theistic belief- it’s based on the discovery of the digital code. The media has confused evidence for the theory with the implications of the theory.

Strobel closes by saying that it was an open-minded investigation of the scientific evidence that led him to a creator: “You don’t need to commit intellectual suicide to come to the conclusion that there’s an intelligent designer.” He says that science is pointing us towards a creator more than ever, and that he took a step of faith in a logical and rational direction.

I had a few issues with the documentary. It didn’t always take the opportunity to identify the creator or designer as God. Intelligent Design also isn’t necessarily opposed to evolution, and that’s made clear in one of the bonus features on the DVD; Intelligent Design just rejects Darwinian evolution- the belief that naturalistic causes and unguided processes account for the origin of life and the diversity of life. So I found it interesting that Strobel did talk about his faith, how he rejected God early in his life, and how he thought it was strange how some Christians could believe in both Darwinian evolution and God.

I also thought the film could have presented more examples of how evolutionists respond to the arguments presented. They did this when discussing the fine-tuning argument and the multiverse theory, but they didn’t do it during an interview with Michael Behe where he presented his idea of irreducible complexity.

I found the case for a creator compelling and loved the use of visual effects to explain the complexity of cells and other microscopic organisms. It was very well produced and fascinating.