Craigg's Corner: July

“Review of The Source” by John Clayton

Craigg McRae serves as our representative to a monthly apologetics forum where strategies and information is discussed in order to engage our culture with the Gospel. Each month he's sharing a summary with us about what was discussed.

John Clayton was an atheist that eventually was convinced of the truth of the Bible and its presentation of a supreme being which we call God. His book is a wonderful resource with clear and concise arguments to refute many of the doubts our society faces and continuously recycles. He addresses the validity of the Bible using the same methods and techniques used in science. “It is the premise of this dissertation that there is no rational, practical question that can be answered from the atheistic standpoint more reasonably than from the believer’s position; and that when the same methods and procedures used in science and technology are applied intelligently to the question of God’s existence, only one academically honest answer can be reached—that God is real and He is the God of the Bible.”

The author demonstrates through rational presentations that the beliefs in other religions and other self-centered philosophies cannot hold up under the pressure of systematic testing and analysis. From the position of our planet within our galaxy and inside of the entire universe to the elevation of other forms of deity, one comes to the same conclusion that the Bible gives an accurate accounting of what has happened throughout time while leaving out a lot of details that the original audience would never have been able to grasp. When he applies scientific reasoning to the questions of life, he always comes back to the conclusion that God created everything and that He is still present as a guide to us during this life and in the afterlife. This finding by John Clayton has structured his daily life for decades and it has been an encouragement for him to share his findings and teach this truth throughout the United States and beyond. He is quoted as saying to those who claim to be a Christian but have no fruit to prove this claim. “The position that I cannot understand and that is totally inconsistent and illogical is that of a person who says, “Yes, I believe in God and I believe that the Bible is his literal inspired Word,” and then does not live a life that even approximates a reflection of that belief. To say one believes in God and then live a life in total defiance and indifference to what that God teaches is to assume a totally atheistic position. It is a position that is illogical, inconsistent, and totally without defense.

As with John Clayton’s leap of faith, there are questions about God that cannot be totally comprehended by us. God does not demand nor wants a blind leap, but rather asks us to leap based upon rational, understandable evidence that He has provided in abundance. To deny God means that a person must ignore a lot of very good evidence and violate his or her own nature. This book is a great starting point for those who are seeking the meaning of life and truly want to know how we came to be. It is a work in progress and has gone through several updates as additional scientific proof comes about to further prove the existence and nature of God. John Clayton has a website that contains all of his findings over the years at www.doesgodexist.org.