Discipleship, Bible, Christian, Studies – C.S. Lewis Institute

Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
Director of the Human Genome Project

For decades, children and adults have been captivated by the Narnia stories. Yet many do not realize that the author, Clive Staples "Jack" Lewis, was a prodigious intellect, a renowned Oxford scholar and an expert in Renaissance literature. He was also the 20th century's most articulate proponent of the rationality of Christian faith.

As a medical student at the age of 27, I had a PhD, a young family, and a promising career in research. I was also an atheist. Realizing that I had never really considered the evidence for or against the existence of God, and that a scientist really ought to do so, I set about to shore up my non-belief by learning more about the tenets of various faiths. I approached this task assuming that religion was all superstitious nonsense, and that advances in science no longer made belief in God tenable. But a copy of C.S. Lewis little book "Mere Christianity" found its way into my life -- and my schoolboy arguments against the plausibility of God were quickly reduced to rubble. You see, Lewis had travelled the same path, setting out to disprove God and converting himself by accident -- so he seemed to be able to read my mind. I also learned that the historical evidence for Christ's existence was surprisingly strong, and after studying the New Testament I had to agree with Lewis that a man who made such unequivocal claims to be the Son of God could not just be dismissed as a wise teacher -- He was either who He said he was, or He was insane or evil. After a year of struggling with the evidence, I ultimately concluded that life without belief in Christ was no longer possible, and I took the leap into a life of faith.

Since that day, faith in Christ has been the rock upon which I stand. I find no conflict between my belief in God and my trust in science to teach us about how the natural world works. In fact, I find my experience as a scientist only strengthens my faith, by giving me glimpses of God's wondrous creation.