The Language of God

A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief

By: Francis S. Collins

Narrated by: Francis S. Collins

Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Dr. Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome Project, is one of the world's leading scientists, yet he is also a man of unshakable faith in God and scripture. Dr. Collins has resolved the dilemma that haunts everyone who believes in God and respects science. Faith in God and faith in science can be harmonious, not separately but together, combined into one worldview. For Collins, science does not conflict with the Bible, science enhances it.

The Language of God makes the case for God and for science. Dr. Collins considers and dismisses several positions along the spectrum from atheism to young-earth creationism, including agnosticism and Intelligent Design. Instead, he proposes a new synthesis, a new way to think about an active, caring God who created humankind through evolutionary processes.

He explains his own journey from atheism to faith, and then takes listeners on a stunning tour of modern science to show that physics, chemistry, and biology can all fit together with belief in God and the Bible. The Language of God is essential for anyone who wonders about the deepest questions of all: Why are we here? How did we get here? And what does life mean?

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2006 Francis S. Collins. All rights reserved. (P)2006 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Collins' credibility as a scientist and his sincerity as a believer make for an engaging combination, especially for those who, like him, resist being forced to choose between science and God." (Publishers Weekly)

Four books in one

I really enjoyed this book, and found the information he presented to be very interesting.

My main complaint is that it is actually more like four books wrapped up into one, rather than just the one book that it should be, which is the evidence of God. Instead he also launches into cloning and stem-cell research, and also lots of detail on his genome work, and other topics that seem just slightly off the path of providing the evidence for God that the book is really about.

But it has lots of information to make a person think, and he explains his thoughts and conclusions clearly. I recommend this book.

Awesome insights

As a Bible believer & seeker of truth this book was very insightful in the challenges of science and faith. A very good read

Know your bases, Expand your horizons

Utterly fascinating. This is one of the few books so compelling that I've had to recommend to family. It does require a rudimentary base of knowledge in the sciences and in faith, but across that spectrum, it appeals to a wide variety (from myself, with a basic knowledge to my father, a Ph.D with a degree in molecular biology). Thought-provoking and extremely well-presented, the theology is a bit 'off' from traditional presentations of faith and the sciences, but compelling for all that. Highly recommended.

Enlightening, monumental

As a believer in God and a physician and scientist this is one of the best books that I have ever read. I have had several friends convert from belief in God to atheism over anthropology and the fossil record, and this book elucidates the fact that that is completely unnecessary.

Charles A.

This book could change your life ! I think it might have done it for me !! highly recommend it! I am on the religious side and have always been anti- evolution....but this book has opened my eyes !

Captivating and Compelling.

The author does an incredible job of presenting a multifaceted empirically based case for the existence of a Creator without prosthelytizing. Exceptional thought provoking read!

A unique Christian perspective.

Francis Collins walked a very fine line throughout this book, it was rational, logical, but was it Biblical? Upon completion of this book I feel that many people will have to look back to scripture decide.

Very Thought Provoking

I, never had being exposed to the idea of “Biologos” as presented in this book, found this book very intriguing. Would highly recommend. Collins breaks dow scientific topics in a way that are very easy to follow and understand for the layman, who is interested in science.

Good book by a very good man

The kindness, humility, and compassion of Francis Collins comes through on every page. This is a good book by a very good man.

Missed Opportunity

It seems like Francis Collins is in a unique position to educate us on the mapping of the human genome. He did some of this, but most of the story around this mapping project was about the politics and the timeline of the project. He did start with some of the technical details of what they found as they mapped the genome. However, when it came time to connect this project and its findings with the proof of evolution, Collins fell short. I heard mimics of Hugh Ross (an old earth creationist), and rhetoric by other evolutionary Christian believers, but nothing that connected the findings of this project with proof of evolution. At least Collins did acknowledge that the origination of life was unknown, and the Urey/Miller experiment was statistically impossible. However, he continued with the idea that evolution could be consistent with the Bible. Like other old-earth creationists, Collins claims that Genesis 1 and 2 are poetic and allegorical, but not scientific. That's fine... then what other passages in the Bible follow this same pattern What exactly does Collins believe in the Bible as fact, and what does he believe is allegory? I didn't expect Collins to be a Biblical scholar, but I did expect that he could better rationalize his belief that evolution could be the only way that humankind could have come about. The best Collins could do to say that the gene was evidence of evolution was that junk DNA matched in similar species. Therefore, we all must be related. I think I could have gotten that message from a grade school science teacher. I think an honest intellectual has to be in the agnostic camp. Instead of poking fun at young earth creationists and presenting strawman arguments, it may have been helpful to highlight some of the genuine mysteries about the dating of the earth. For instance, why do brand-new volcanic rocks date to be millions of years old? Or why do carbon dates of live animals date to be 10,000 years old? There are scientific theories on all sides; and scientists who claim they have all the answers seem egotistical, not intelligent.