Review of Dr Jonathan Sarfati’s book By Design:
Evidence
for Nature’s Intelligent Designer—the God of the Bible
Guest review by “Nate”
Reprinted with permission from
Girdle of Truth
One of the oldest arguments in favor of the existence of God is the argument from
design, which is even found in the Bible itself. “For
every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God,”
says the author of Hebrews (Hebrews
3:4). For centuries, William Paley’s watchmaker analogy has been one
of the most well-known creationist presentations of the argument. In more recent
times, the Intelligent Design (ID) movement has adopted and upgraded the design
argument, introducing new concepts such as irreducible complexity. Their emphasis
on this argument has brought it to the forefront of the debate over evolution, but
their refusal to positively identify the designer has severely limited its impact
in certain areas. In his latest book, By Design: Evidence for Nature’s Intelligent Designer—the
God of the Bible, creationist scientist and author Dr
Jonathan Sarfati takes a fresh look at the design argument from a biblical
perspective, unashamedly identifying the Designer as the God of the Bible and giving
Him the glory He deserves for the incredible, beautiful, and unmistakable design
in nature.
If natural processes cannot explain the origin of life, then biological evolution
is a moot point, since evolution by definition requires existing life to work.
Dr Sarfati starts out in the introduction with a brief history of the design argument,
and a discussion of what design is and how we can detect it. The first ten chapters
examine in detail some of the many examples of the incredible ingenuity and wisdom
evident in the design of living things. From the intricate workings involved in
sight, hearing, and the other senses to the unbelievable coordination between biology
and physics in producing colors and patterns in nature; from the marvels of flight
and navigation to the less well-known wonders of catapult and “stickiness”
mechanisms in various animals; from the vastly superior materials produced by “lowly”
organisms to the incredibly efficient energy production of plants and the microscopic
wonders of biological motors—all these and more give eloquent testimony not
only to design but also to the superior intellect of the Designer.
There are two recurrent themes in this section, apart from the evidence for design
itself. One is the acknowledgement by man of the superiority of the design in nature.
It has been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and science is
more and more looking to nature to solve its engineering problems and provide new
technologies. Even the most committed evolutionist has to acknowledge and admire
the wisdom and ingenuity displayed in such incredible design; yet they often ascribe
that wisdom to nature itself, rather than to the true Designer. The second theme
is the complete inadequacy of evolutionary theory to explain the design present
in nature. Many of the design features are irreducibly complex, meaning they could
not have arisen through a series of “numerous, successive, slight modifications”
over time. Every part had to be in place and fully functional for the whole to work
at all. Other biological features exploit the laws of physics in remarkable ways
to achieve the desired result, requiring a close correlation between biology and
physics. While not specifically stated as such in the book, this implies an intimate
knowledge of the fundamental laws of physics that is more consistent with an intelligent
designer than blind chance as the only “designer.”
In chapter 11, Dr Sarfati changes gears a bit to talk about the origin of life.
This chapter alone is worth the price of the book, as in it Dr Sarfati presents
a devastating critique of chemical evolution. This is the longest chapter in the
book, and is divided into three sections. The first section starts by explaining
why evolutionists must have a viable mechanism for chemical evolution if they expect
their theories on biological evolution to be accepted. If natural processes cannot
explain the origin of life, then biological evolution is a moot point, since evolution
by definition requires existing life to work. The second section examines in some
detail the complexity of life, discussing proteins, enzymes, molecular machines,
and in particular the information content of the genetic code. Here again, we are
faced with numerous examples of exquisite design and irreducible complexity. There
is no such thing as a simple cell for chemical evolution to work toward. Aside from
the incredibly complex “hardware” necessary for life, there is no plausible
naturalistic explanation for the origin of the “software” that makes
life possible—the genetic code. The third section demolishes chemical evolution
theories with the facts of chemistry, explaining why chemical evolution experiments
are not accurate representations of reality, and detailing some of the numerous
insurmountable obstacles in the path of a naturalistic explanation for the origin
of life. The chapter ends with a number of quotes from evolutionists who admit to
the serious problems facing chemical evolution, yet insist that a naturalistic solution,
however implausible, is preferable to the only alternative—intelligent design.
There is no such thing as a simple cell for chemical evolution to work toward.
The next two chapters (in particular) are what makes Dr Sarfati’s treatment
of the design argument unique and distinct from that of the ID movement. In them,
he addresses the arguments concerning poor design and bad things in nature, objections
that cannot be properly answered by appeal to an anonymous designer. Dr Sarfati
demonstrates that many of the alleged examples of poor design are in reality examples
of excellent design when understood properly. Other examples of mistakes, deformities,
or bad things in nature are the result of the curse placed on all of creation at
the Fall of man. The universe was originally perfect, yes, but it has degenerated
considerably since then. Therefore, such things as parasites, cancer, and harmful
mutations should not be considered as part of the originally “very good”
creation, but as results of the curse. (Yet even such degenerative features can
sometimes display the wisdom and ingenuity of the Designer.) These questions are
difficult to address without this framework of biblical history, which makes the
ID movement vulnerable to this type of argument.
In the final chapters, Dr Sarfati goes on to address additional objections to the
design argument, and takes a brief look at evidence of design in the universe itself.
He concludes by identifying the God of the Bible as the Intelligent Designer, Jesus
Christ as His Son, and the Bible as His personal message to us, His creation.
I found this book to be a very interesting, informative, and important read. Not
only does Dr Sarfati powerfully present the argument from design, he also issues
a warning to Christians concerning the dangers of hesitating to identify the designer,
and challenges us to stand firm on the authority of the Bible, including its science
and history. But even aside from its importance as a modern creationist perspective
on design, this book presents numerous fascinating facts and information about the
natural world. Every time Dr Sarfati brings a seemingly ordinary and dull biological
feature up for examination, the beauty, complexity, and attention to detail that
is revealed is simply astounding. It truly causes one to stand in awe of the power,
wisdom, and ingenuity of our Designer/Creator.
“Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty;”
(Revelation 15:3)
“O LORD, how manifold are
thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.”
(Psalm 104:24)
Further reading
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