Contents Page….. God Exists So What?
Introduction 9
(to help you get your bearings before you dive in)
Chapter 1 The fall
(a chance meeting, a searching question)
Chapter 2 The deal
(in which Peter and John agree to help each other)
Chapter 3 The culture
(in which John sets out his stall, criticises wokeness as low-resolution thinking, and makes a plea that ideas be heard)
Chapter 4 The buy-in
(in which Peter readily criticises his own cultural milieu and undertakes to take part in a full exchange of viewpoints)
Chapter 5 The God question
(in which is considered how death can shape life, how the human mind works, how knowledge requires a response, and how change happens)
Chapter 6 Ready for God?
(in which the importance and enormity of the God question is agreed)
Chapter 7 Starting with science
(in which the importance of reason is considered, the Christian origins of modern science are explored, the problems presented by evolution are examined, and the surprising convergence of modern science
with religious thought is discussed. The unconvincing arguments pertaining to a godless universe are also reviewed)
Chapter 8 Science is just one way of knowing
(in which the power of science is acknowledged, the challenge for atheists restated and Peter laments his ignorance)
Chapter 9 Science and reason need God
(in which some of the limitations of science, of reason, and of modern atheistic thought are discussed)
Chapter 10 We need a moral code
(in which Peter reflects on the limitations of reason and science and on the need for a moral code, which leads him to advance the claim for God’s existence)
Chapter 11 Decrying God, yet we need him
(in which God’s place at the foundation of western culture is commended, and the destruction that results from his absence is reviewed)
Chapter 12 What’s in a word?
(in which Peter reflects on whether believers and non-believers need to align their dictionaries of essential words)
Chapter 13 Pushing God away – our use of freedom
(in which is discussed the need for morality, the gift of freedom and its limits, and how it is the whole person who acts, guided by conscience. In passing: what is evil and why atheists cannot believe in free will)
Chapter 14 Knowing more about evil
(in which the problem of subjectivity of conscience is discussed, the devil gets a mention and the banality of evil is examined)
Chapter 15 No compulsion in belief
(in which is discussed why a decision for God should lead to a follow-through)
Chapter 16 Demonstrations of God’s existence
(an exchange on what all-in might mean in relation to God and on the philosophical demonstrations of God’s existence. The issue of love is broached)
Chapter 17 What’s love got to do with it?
(in which the idea that we are made to love is discussed, as are different ways that love can be expressed. Love should be about the whole person.)
Chapter 18 An omission?
(in which Peter summarises love as selflessness. The lack of discussion on sexual identity and same-sex relationships is acknowledged)
Chapter 19 The love of friendship
(in which the value of friendship is addressed)
Chapter 20 Other religious world views
(in which personal and impersonal beings are discussed, three great monotheistic religions are compared, and the appropriateness of Christianity to call on human reason as a pointer to the truth)
Chapter 21 Evidence from within
(in which Christianity is considered as a remedy for original sin, and the need for Christians to share that medicine with the world)
INTERLUDE
before considering the personal consequences of God’s existence
Chapter 22 Escaping the orphanage
(in which the full implications of an ever-present and interested creator are explored, the reality of being a child of God is discussed and the continuity between this life and the next is highlighted)
Chapter 23 A definite change in tone
(an exchange highlighting how a constant awareness of God can change one’s life and the importance of grace in achieving that change)
Chapter 24 Can anyone actually live like that?
(in which the examples of some Christian lives are considered, and guidelines are presented on how to follow in their footsteps)
Chapter 25 Changing the world
(in which the need to underpin social justice with a Christian view of mankind is discussed)
Chapter 26 Contributing to justice in this world
(in which the parable of the rich man is discussed as well as what it has to say about justice in this life and in the next)
Chapter 27 Am I really my brother’s keeper?
(in which the path for resolution of the biggest social justice challenge of our time is explored)
Chapter 28 God is not hiding – we have known that all along
(in which perennial questions facing mankind are revisited and perennial truths put forward)
Chapter 29 Good afternoon, good evening, and good night
(in which Peter expresses himself satisfied with his discussion and promises a summary)
Chapter 30 Peter’s checklist for the modern mind
(in which a list of observations is provided which is confirming of God’s existence and undermines the arguments of disbelievers)
APPENDICES
Appendix 1 Tying things together on the question of certainty
(in which the terms certainty, absolute certainty, and faith are clarified for the reader and a summary of the grounds for natural belief in God is provided)
Appendix 2 More about Darwinian evolution
(in which an additional explanation is provided on Darwinian evolution and the challenge it poses for religious thought)
Endnotes for Chapters 1 to 30 160
(in which cultural references are formulated chapter by chapter)