Random Designer: Created from Chaos to Connect with the Creator [Hardcover]

Richard G. Colling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 21, 2004

Random Designer proclaims a new vision of God’s creation. Written using simplified language and illustrations for working professionals, pastors, teachers, students and general audiences, Random Designer establishes a whole new creation paradigm. It describes how the forces of randomness and chaos, which play central roles in our physical existence, are actually creative. The Creator simply taps these apparently random physical processes to accomplish his higher goal – the creation of human beings capable of consciously perceiving and acknowledging him.

With this new awareness, we, as his ultimate creation, are free to explore the limits of our physical and spiritual potential. For the first time, we can freely consider what it means to be made in the Creator’s image, to sense and acknowledge His presence and to experience a close meaningful relationship with Him.

If you have ever been told that to be a Christian you must choose between science OR faith; evolution OR creation; Biology OR the Bible, the message of Random Designer is that this is simply untrue: God is in them all. Thus Random Designer invites believers and non-believers to reconsider the question of God.

Random Designer takes a more positive and constructive approach. Introducing a concept called random design, Random Designer explains many basic principles of life, then uses these insights to reveal how science and biology - including evolution – are fully compatible with belief in God.

The essence of Random Design is elegantly simple: No Limits! From the formation of the heavens to the development and nurture of life itself, all possibilities are automatically assembled and tested. Thus, in the most unexpected and extraordinary ways, random design endows all creation with boundless life-giving potential. The ultimate result is nothing less than spectacular - Us!

For ages, Christians have huddled in fear behind scientifically indefensible concepts of creation, like 6-day creationism and now intelligent design, quaking in the thought that science might somehow have the power to disprove God’s existence. Random Designer helps show that this is not true. Science has no such power! On the other hand, God is not limited to literal interpretations of scripture, nor will He remain confined to rigid, man-made religious doctrines. His creation and revelation are ongoing. People must never be required to deny the realities of God’s living world in order to be accepted into the community of Christian faith.

The truth is that the science-religion conflict is but a man-made myth: There is no conflict in the mind of God. Faith and intellect really can go hand in hand: They need never be at war.

If the ultimate goals of Christian apologetics are to seek out truth and to credibly keep God in the equation of life, Random Designer accomplishes this goal. By building credible bridges between science and faith, it establishes a safe harbor – a place where one can freely explore and embrace the wonders of God’s creation revealed by science while at the same time holding fast to faith and belief in God. Reflecting the highest intelligence, Random Designer creates a scientifically accurate conceptual framework where science is free, but just as importantly, God’s place is permanently secure!

Random design seems like a paradox – a contradiction of terms. But random does not mean unimportant or without design. A message of hope, purpose, and peace resonates from the apparent randomness! In fact, it has always been this way. In the midst of the most profound mysteries and apparent paradoxes, there one encounters the miraculous.

Random Designer is a relationship quest - the story of an eternal Creator who harnesses the apparent random forces of nature for an exquisite and divine purpose – to draw mankind to Himself.

Join the journey to discover the true Random Designer - God. The adventure begins with a single step of faith!

Editorial Reviews

Review

Max Reams, Ph.D. Professor of Geology, Olivet Nazarene University.
"In each decade, a few writers turn a key that opens a new door to understanding how God acts as Creator. I encourage those who might have rejected worn-out views of God as Creator to read Random Designer before checking out on Him altogether. You might just find yourself drawn to a real, loving, and compassionate God who is concerned enough to inspire someone to write this book for you."

Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D. Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.
"I strongly recommend Random Designer for those who desire to understand how to more effectively integrate science and faith."

Dan Boone, President, Trevecca Nazarene University, Nashville, Tennessee.
"Dr. Colling has strong scientific credentials. I have strong theological credentials. I wish I were as good a scientist as he is a theologian. I strongly recommend Random Designer to all who are willing to face the mystery of life as an explorer."

John C. Sutherland, MD. "for all Christians, especially those who feel threatened by evolution, Random Designer is a must-read."

Richard Thompson, Chair, Dept of Religion and Philosophy, NNU, Nampa Idaho.
"Here is a book that brings faith and science together in fresh ways!"

About the Author

Richard Colling has served twenty-seven years as Professor and Chair of the Biological Sciences Department at Olivet Nazarene University. He has bachelor's degrees in Zoology and Chemistry, and a Ph.D. degree in Microbiology from the University of Kansas. He also completed a post-doctoral research appointment in molecular oncology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. His academic teaching experience is broad; having taught courses in biochemistry, genetics, molecular/cell biology, microbiology, immunology, and general science and biology courses for non-science majors. He is a passionate classroom instructor, and has also served as a biotechnology consultant.

In the past decade, an ever-widening gulf has developed within the evangelical Christian community regarding the understanding of evolution and its relationship to the Christian faith. Random Designer attempts to bridge this tragic and unnecessary divide.

Recognized for his outstanding Christian example, teaching, leadership, and service to the community, Colling believes that open honest inquiry nurtures a strong resilient faith. Derived from many years of experience at the cusp of science and Christian education, Colling's unique scientific perspective as well as his personal faith offer a fresh new voice in the science-religion discussions.

Recreationally, Colling enjoys baseball, golf, racquetball, and spending time with family and friends. He and his wife Sally have four grown sons.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 206 pages
• Publisher: Science and Religion; First Edition edition (September 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0975390406
• ISBN-13: 978-0975390405
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #867,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #86 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > Scientology

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Are you a biology novice? This is the book for you., April 23, 2007

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Jedidiah Palosaari "Not My Real Name" (Fes, Morocco) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Random Designer: Created from Chaos to Connect with the Creator (Hardcover)

Colling writes in a clear and understandable manner to show how biology, and in particular evolution, is in accord with basic Christian theology. Frankly if you have studied biology a good deal, you'll find this work rather repetitive and simplistic. You want to read something like Perspectives on an Evolving Creation or God After Darwin: A Theology of Evolution. But this book is ideal for the biology layman, who had little training or forgot what they learned previously, and never understood the basics of evolution.

In a sense, Colling is the anti-Behe. Behe wants to show how there are some aspects of life that are inherently complex, and therefore couldn't have evolved. He therefore goes into great detail on the steps of different processes, to show how this is a complex process, and obviously, couldn't have happened "merely by chance". In doing so, he doesn't go into any greater detail than would be found in a myriad of other disciplines, in a higher-level text consulted by experts in the discipline. Behe thus gives an impression of false complexity. Colling instead shows how the basics of evolution are easily understandable, while recognizing that the theory is rather complex. Colling goes through evolution step by step, relating it to our understanding of God in the Bible, thus showing that the issue is more a matter of superior pedagogy and good heuristics, rather than objects which are "irreducibly complex".

The first half of the book shows what evolution is, and why it's believable. Colling explains in concise terms ideas like entropy, neatly side-stepping misconceptions commonly held by Literal Creationists like entropy forbidding the development of complex lifeforms. The second half delves into what the meaning of all this evolution can have for our understanding of Christ as Christians. Particularly of note is the title idea- that randomness exists, and God uses this randomness in his design. Indeed, it is within this idea that Colling actually introduces some novel thoughts, on how failure is necessary for God's success.

This is not a book to convince the unbeliever, nor is it groundbreaking for those who closely follow the Intelligent Design controversy, or the theology of evolution. It is however an excellent work for those new to the discussion, wishing to get their feet wet and understand the basics. In fact, for that purpose, I have never run across a finer book.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly informative to Christians and non-Christians alike, December 3, 2004

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Jerry H. Tempelman "[e-mail]" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Random Designer: Created from Chaos to Connect with the Creator (Hardcover)

"Random Designer" is a laudable attempt at reconciling the apparent discrepancy between religion and science. Much of the current debate as it plays out in contemporary politics is based on rigid either-or thinking that is far too dogmatic. Science offers a description of the universe but not an explanation. However, when Christians deny science it recalls the era when Galileo was tried for proclaiming that the earth revolves around the sun. God is the who of creation and evolution is the how. Any perceived contradiction is an illusion.

Colling may be overstretching his case, e.g. in his criticism of intelligent-design theory. Even intelligent-design theory is not incompatible with science. Intelligent-design theory (a/k/a the teleological strand of Christian apologetics) holds that just as from observing a watch you conclude there must have been a watchmaker, the order of the universe suggests there was a Creator. True enough, but that still does not tell you much about the process by which the watchmaker actually produced the watch. In the case of the universe, think of science as the description of that process.

The title-word "random" may be confusing insofar as it connotes a lack of divine purpose. Just because we cannot always (or often) discern a purpose does not mean there is none. But it is clear that Colling does not deny this, making this only a minor point.

Overall I wholeheartedly recommend this slim, well-written volume. In the very least it will encourage you to think about critical issues that are normally treated with far too little nuance and understanding.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Challenging but Worth it, January 12, 2005

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Audrey B. Richardson - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Random Designer: Created from Chaos to Connect with the Creator (Hardcover)

This book addresses science and faith. Colling starts out discussing thst the purpose of the book is to attempt to reconcile, explain, and exlore the views of science and faith. The fist part of the book involves bringing non-science people up to speed on basic biological principles and research. The second part addresses the much more elusive aspect of why we were created as we were created.
This book is like beef jerky. It is really tough to chew and the processing is slow at times, but when you get done, you have to have another piece. It is hard to reform ideas about creation from the Christian upbringing to accepting the scientific evidence. It would seem that God could have chosen evolution to create His most prized possession. The informationon the Second Law of Thermodynamics, radio isotope dating, the Big Bang theory, and the possible ways that the first life could have formed was extremely helpful and tactfully presented.
The foundation set in the first part stands firm for the much more subjective second part. Some main points were that we were created to know the Creator, humans are the first creation with the ability to discern the presence of God, life is mainly about intimate relationships , and we are made in the image of God, therefore having the mind of God.
No matter what veiws you hold on this issue, this would be a beneficial book for you to chew on.