God Is: Meditations on the Existence, Nature, and Character of God

In ages past, humankind looked out upon a world filled with danger and delight. It was as mysterious as it was beautiful. With other creatures they shared the terra firma, the fertile ground upon which they were ultimately dependent. The skies and seas brought forth their own kind, flooding the wind and the wave. In time, all returned to the dust from which they came. Like the clouds, they billowed and then dissipated. But the mountains seemed solid, and the stars spoke of a primal order and permanence. Behind this wondrous abode, above and beneath, there was someone else—the one by whom all that is . . . is. It was he whom we call God. He was there before the earth was formed, and he will remain after it has turned to ashes. Today, many insist that God is simply the mythical creation of prescientific man, the product of darkness and ignorance, of humanity’s struggle with the unknown. An increasing number of our academic and cultural elite consider the very idea of a Supreme Being to be outdated, superstitious, and even dangerous. The danger, of course, is not to the world, but to the world as they would have it. The idea is not so much the threat as the reality, for God does exist, and he is infinitely more than we can possibly imagine. He is existence itself, not just a topic for discussion but the source of our next breath. There is an inescapable immediacy to his presence. Herein is the primary thesis of this book: God is! And through the manifestation of his divine glory, he infuses meaning and purpose into every aspect of reality. He is the heart of all truth, the wellspring of every goodness, and life’s supreme beauty and joy.