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Phillip Adams, what a naughty boy you have been. Fancy using all those sexual innuendos to pour scorn on God. So risqué…. but oh so clichéd. This might once have been considered brave, bold and pioneering, but no more. Such atheistic writings are now de rigueur. It’s on trend and chic amongst the cafe latte and Chardonnay set. Atheistic rants have been passé for so long that they are no longer seen as being avant guarde. They have become as boringly predictable as they are prevalent, because the atheist slant is almost the only world-view that the Western media will permit these days. 

There are two reasons for this. The first is because of the appalling behaviour shown by sexual addicts who have hidden in our Christian religious institutions. It’s hard to imagine behaviour that is less Christ-like. Thinking about this prompts me to share a personal conviction: Nothing good seems to happen to Christianity when it becomes institutionalised. That’s why it is important to seek a relationship with Jesus rather than religion.

The second reason why atheism is now so prevalent, is that the media and the humanities departments of our universities have led a relentless attack on Christianity for decades. They have done this in the name of rationalism and to facilitate the deification of self. Paradoxically, this has resulted in a collective “closing of the mind” that forbids people asking the “why?” questions about life. It is now hard to find anyone talking about God in the media unless they are atheists. This is strangely odd when you think about it.  If the public’s view of God only comes from those who have had no experience of God, we have indeed embraced a scary “brave new world.”

Adams has given voice to an immature understanding of faith. This has enabled him to build a “straw image” of God, presumably because he finds a straw image easier to burn. He doesn’t talk of a God who loves us and seeks a personal relationship with us; he talks of a god who scowls at us for our moral imperfections, one who would be quite unable to keep all the spinning plates swirling in the cosmos, and who would find it impossible to remain abreast of all that is happening. I’m compelled to ask: Who on earth told him that God was so pathetic, a mere projection of himself. The Bible certainly doesn’t teach this. Psalm 19:1-4 gives us a clue about the motive behind the seemingly super-abundance of the cosmos: It is to show off God’s glory – pure and simple.

Adams will not acknowledge any reason for why faith in God is intellectually reasonable. His mind is closed, and that’s a pity because there are some remarkable things to consider. Here’s one of them: There are four elementary forces that have built the universe. Two of them are the electromagnetic force and the gravitational force. If the relative strengths of those forces had varied by as much as one 10,000 trillion, trillion, trillionth, we would not have life on any planet. (This is but one of a number of similar statistics.)  So, how many trillionths would it take to persuade anyone that life was intended?  How long can we shrug our shoulders and say that everything came from nothing as a result of nothing – and pretend that such a position is academically defensible?

Atheism has yet to show that it is able to be a major force for good in bringing civility to a nation. We didn’t see it in Stalin’s purges, (he killed 21 million of his own countrymen), or with China’s Chairman Mau (who starved to death 47 million of his own people). Neither did we see it in the brutal, murderous actions of Pol Pot in Cambodia, or with Hitler in the Second World War. Nations that have generally fared well (in which people are freer and more prosperous) are those that have embraced authentic Christianity. I think we are beginning to see the consequence of Australia letting its Christian heritage slip between its fingers in the lack of civility that is now appearing in society.

So, if you are seeking hope and truth, may I commend the real deal to you – Jesus.

The Old Testament book of Daniel speaks of a time in history, a time when truth is ‘thrown to the ground’ (Daniel 8:11-12). I can’t help but wonder if we are starting to see this happen today. We now live in a time when feelings trump facts; rudeness supplants grace; anger replaces wisdom; opinion is lauded instead of truth; horoscopes replace biblical principles; truth becomes fiction… and society is becoming untethered to any sense of truth or meaning.

The Western world is ceasing to base its culture on authentic Christianity. It doesn’t want God anymore and has deified the individual instead. As a result, people have nothing bigger than themselves to believe in. They are basing their actions on what makes them happy rather that what is moral. This should be of some concern, for whenever the Christian God is acknowledged and obeyed, goodness and servant-hearted lives are lived. Many would say that the life of Queen Elizabeth II demonstrated this. With her passing, many are wondering what sort of leadership the world will now experience.

Leadership without Christian grace becomes a win-lose battle of egos. At its worst, it turns into abusive autocracy. This autocracy is particularly odious when it tries to recruit Christianity to its cause, as is currently happening in Russia as I write. President Putin has recruited bishop Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, to help him inflame hatred for the West in order to justify his war on Ukraine. In reality, Kirill has so distanced himself from the life and teachings of Christ as to beggar belief. He has defiled the Russian Orthodox Church and turned it into something grotesque. It is a truism that whenever the world has ignored authentic Christianity or defiled it, the results have invariably been ugly.

What is particularly strange is that truth is often being ‘thrown to the ground’ in the name of rationalism. Anti-Christian “scientific rationalism” is being promoted relentlessly by the media. However, secular rationalists who claim to be children of The Enlightenment might be surprised to learn that they have been left stranded by recent science. The reality is, they are now standing in the company of those who belong to the flat earth society. Here’s why: 

Quantum physics now suggests that there is a consciousness that lies behind the physical existence of matter.[1] And there is an interconnectedness between sub-atomic particles that old-fashioned rationalism can’t comprehend. Intriguingly, scientists are now saying that the “space-time” that defines our universe is not the ultimate reality.[2] On top of this, the staggering statistics behind the elementary forces of the universe suggest that life on at least one planet was intended.[3]

But truth is being ‘thrown to the ground.’ There appears to be a wilful blindness to any scientific finding that points to the possibility of God. They are seen as inconvenient truths. This even extends to the scientific world. In the world of quantum physics, there is evidence of metaphysical things been dismissed by a phrase that has become notorious amongst quantum physicists: ‘shut up and calculate.’ 

Unfortunately, the fruit of this anti-rational, anti-academic, anti-truth reaction to scientific truth is a legacy of hopelessness and meaninglessness – a meaninglessness that no amount of holiday tee-shirts from Bali can assuage.

As I’ve said in an earlier article: God hangs his business card in the cosmos, and comes to us personally as Jesus. Jesus came in history to die on a cross to pay the penalty for the things we’ve done that would otherwise disqualify us from eternal life with him. This is a beautiful truth, and it is one that your children need to hear. 

The Old Testament book of Amos warns us of a time when the prudent “keep quiet because the times are evil” (Amos 5:13). Today, good and godly people are being marginalised. But things are not yet so dire that that you are unable to speak of, or seek, the God of the cosmos. 

For more information, go to nickhawkes.net, then click on “Evidence of God”.

Take courage.


[1]       Eugene Wigner “Remarks on the Mind-Body Question,” pp. 171-174 in Symmetries and Reflections, Bloomington: IN, Indiana University Press, 1967), 171.
John von Neumann, in Keith Ward, Is Religion Irrational?(Oxford: Lion Hudson, 2011), 21.

[2]       Brian Cox, The Universe with Brian Cox(film), Series 1, Episode 4, “Heart of Darkness: Black Holes,” 2021 (see: 41 – 50 minutes). https://view.abc.net.au/video/ZW3171A004500

[3]       Anthony Flew with Roy Abraham Varghese, There Is A God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind(New York: Harper Collins, 2007), 155.

As a pastor, I see too many ruined lives. So, as someone very aware of my own imperfections, may I say this: It doesn’t have to be this way. There is always a way back. But in order to move forward, you may first need to break a promise.

Please don’t be alarmed. I’m not talking about doing anything unethical. I’m talking about breaking those bad promises you made to yourself years ago – promises that have shaped you and sabotaged your life. These promises may have been made so long ago that you’ve forgotten you made them. However, your subconscious has not forgotten. You have trained it over the years, and it now controls your life, causing you to self-sabotage.

Here are some examples of self-sabotaging promises I’ve heard people make:

“I can never make the grade. I will fail, so I won’t try and do anything significant in life.”

Or

“I’m going to distance myself from those who challenge my folly – and then invent a narrative to justify my actions.”

Or

“I’m not going to acknowledge God because God didn’t make something happen that I wanted.”

Or

“I’m not going to measure up to people’s expectations so I’m going to define myself by living against their values in defiance of them.”

Or

“I’m going to associate with people of poor character so I can feel good about myself – relative to them…”

These are examples of the sort of “self-talk” that can become rooted in your subconscious and control your behaviour.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. There is always a way back.

The way back begins with facing reality. Once you feel enough life opportunities have been wasted; once you feel that enough relationships have been ruined, once you have allowed yourself to see the brutal reality of what you have become, then, and only then, will you have the motivation to change. 

Change means making different choices, and the first of these choices is to no longer live out the promises you made to yourself earlier in life – promises that have blighted your life.

Two other things are vital. There can be no change without honesty; and there can be no change without humility. Humility is the prerequisite for turning your life around and living life differently. Humility will also allow you to fix the broken relationships you have with others. Crucially, it will enable you to seek, and give, forgiveness.

These principles will be familiar with those acquainted with the Bible, and this is significant. If you have rebelled against those things that are good and godly, you will have lost your moral compass and your relationship with God. This will not only ruin your current life, it will also mean that you have spurned God’s invitation to live with him forever. 

Frankly, that is a scenario that horrifies me.

The reality is: you are more sacred than you can possibly conceive… and more loved than you can possibly realise. 

There is always a way back.(For more, go to nickhawkes.net and click on “What is Christianity?” (under the “Free Discipleship Resources” banner).

One of the most profound questions humanity can ask is: “are we alone?”  Is there intelligent life on any other planet somewhere in the immense 93 billion light year span of our observable universe?

Atheists have long scorned the medieval Catholic Church for believing the Aristotelian idea that the earth was the centre of the universe. Copernicus and Galileo had given good reasons to believe it wasn’t, although, interestingly enough, they didn’t have the knockout proof.[i] How could humankind believe that the planet they lived on was special in any way? How dare they believe they, as a species, were special – a unique creation of God, as the opening chapters of the Bible suggest.

And then… science progressed, and these atheistic assertions started to unwind.

The celebrity cosmologist, Brian Cox, was interviewed by the Weekend Australian Magazine, and asked whether he thought there was sentient life anywhere else in the universe. Cox answered with a quote from his friend, the American physicist, Sean Carroll who said, “I think there are none.”[ii] Cox went on to say that the belief that we are alone in the universe is a “good working assumption”.

Wow! This suggests that planet Earth is a very special planet – and quite probably unique.

There were only ever two options you could believe regarding whether or not Earth was unique. Either there was life on many other planets or moons – in which case you would need to ask why the universe was so fruitful and conducive to life. Or that planet Earth was unique within the immensity of the universe, which is a reality so extraordinary that it suggests divine intention. Well, it now appears reasonable to believe that our planet is the result of divine purpose, a deliberate act set within the vastness of a universe designed to show off God’s grandeur.

But there are none so blind as those who will not see.

Brian Cox’s friend, Sean Carroll, is an atheist despite him believing that the Earth is probably the only place in the universe with intelligent life. He once turned down an invitation to speak at a conference sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation (a foundation that exists to explore the interface of science and faith) because he wanted to maintain that science and faith were irreconcilable. He wrote: “I don’t think that science and religion are reconciling or can be reconciled in any meaningful sense, and I believe that it does a great disservice to the world to suggest otherwise.”[iii]

This is an extraordinary comment, and one I find quite troubling. Carroll has come to a massively significant conclusion about the uniqueness of planet Earth, but is so locked within his atheistic prison that he will not let himself explore the philosophic consequences of his scientific convictions. His actions bring to mind Einstein’s wry comment: “the man of science makes a very bad philosopher.”[iv] It is impossible not to equate Carroll’s actions with the behaviour of the Aristotelian philosophers who refused to look through Galileo’s telescope for fear of finding evidence that the earth was not at the centre of the universe.[v]

So, what do you think? Is the growing scientific conviction that there is sentient life on only one planet in the galaxy more in sympathy with atheism or theism (belief in God)?

As I’ve said: Christianity used to be scorned by atheists who insisted that planet Earth was un-special because it was not at the centre of the universe. However, it now appears that Earth is more special than we can possibly conceive. Science suggests that humankind exists on a unique planet in a universe of unimaginable size and wonder – and the reality of this needs a better response than a lazy shrug of the shoulders.


[i]       Proof could only come from measuring the parallax of a distant star (measuring its different angle from the Earth six months apart). The instrument needed to measure this didn’t exist until 1832 when the German scientist, FriedrichBessel, succeeded in inventing one.

[ii]       “Q&A,”Weekend Australian Magazine, September 17 – 18, 2022), 11. Sean Carroll is an American theoretical physicist and philosopher who specializes in quantum mechanics, gravity, and cosmology.

[iii]       Sean Carroll, “Science and Religion Can’t be Reconciled: Why I wont’ take money from the Templeton Foundation,” May 09, 2013, Slate: See: https://slate.com/technology/2013/05/i-wont-take-money-from-templeton-science-and-religion-cant-be-reconciled.html.  Posted 1.07PM, May 09, 2013.

[iv]       Albert Einstein, “Physics and Reality” in the Journal of the Franklin Institute, vol. 221, Issue 3, 1936. See also: Albert Einstein, Out of My Later Years(New York: Philosophical Library, 1950), 58.

[v]       Cremonini actually did look through the telescope, but he complained it gave him a headache and said he wouldn’t do it again! In reality, it would have cost him his job if he had given credence to Galileo’s theory.

I’ve got some good news about dying.

Rather obviously, how “well” you die will depend a good deal on your circumstances, but here’s the thing: the “wellness” of your dying also depends on the choices you make. Before I tell you why, let me share with you my credentials for writing about this. 

I have been fighting stage 4 cancer for six years. I have come close to death on many occasions. The disease is throughout my torso and I am under palliative care. Yet despite the grim reality of all the medical procedures, the last six years have been the most joyful and fruitful of my life – due entirely to God’s love and the love of others. By God’s grace, I’ve continued to write.  This writing has not been done because of a need to be significant or to be remembered. Rather, it has flowed naturally. In a very real way, cancer has rescued me from myself… and from all things dull and meaningless, focussing me on the things that are important.

Back to “choices.”

Your first choice is whether or not you learn to live for the moment. This means choosing to hear and see beauty wherever you go. Look for it. Remark on it. Savour it. Dwell within it. Don’t settle for mere entertainment and wait to die. See life and be part of it. Over the years, I have schooled myself to say “wow!” often, as I walk in the garden or stroll in the park.

The second vital choice to make is whether or not you choose to forgive and let go of resentment. Put bluntly: your soul will not fly free if it is caged in bitterness. Bitterness is the most toxic emotion to personal wellbeing. So forgive. Fix the broken places before you die. To die in peace is very special.

Your third choice is a really big one: it is whether or not to embrace God. Fundamentally, it all comes down to a gamble, doesn’t it? Atheists believe that the universe came from nothing as a result of nothing, (or they believe the universe has existed eternally without reason or cause). It is a position that presents a challenge rationally. Alternatively, you can see the extraordinary order that exists in the cosmos and conclude that there is a mind behind it all. Is there a God or not? Which way will you bet? 

Its relevance for dying is this: The obscenity and finality of death will be replaced by hope and meaning if God exists. This will be particularly the case if you have a personal relationship with God which you develop through prayer. But a word of caution: I am not advocating the adoption of absurd spiritual beliefs as an analgesic to calm the angst over the finality of death. To do that is simply self-delusion. The issue isn’t whether or not God makes you feel better, the issues with whether or not God is true.

The fact is: if God is true, God is worthy of your full commitment. If God is not, he is worthy of nothing. So… Did God really die on a cross 2,000 years ago to win you back to himself? Check it out. But when you do, do so with humility, for it is only the humble that find truth. Personally, I believe the invitation to seek God hangs there in history and beckons to you from the cosmos.

Your next choice follows on from the last, and it is this: As much as it depends on you, finish your mission on planet Earth. Your mission can be as humble as being a good influence on others. Whatever it is, it will feature compassion and truth. Therefore, find your purpose, and live it fully. But a word of caution is warranted here. The world will always be broken and imperfect, so no one can ever really say that their mission is complete. The real question, therefore, is this: Have you finished as much as you can?

Finally: Choose to be beautiful in character. Simply decide – and stick with your decision. It is as simple (and hard) as that. Choose to be the good person you want to be, for doing so will bring both peace and joy.

And that’s it.

I’ll see you on the other side. Don’t let me down!

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