Book Review: God's Crime Scene: A Cold-Case Detective Examines the Evidence for a Divinely Created Universe
by Rich Deem

Introduction

Jim Walace's first book, Cold-Case Christianity became my favorite Christian apologetics book because it examined the evidence for the truth of the Christian gospels from the perspective of a cold-case criminal investigator. Wallace, a cold case detective and former atheist, uses the rules of evidence and logic to examine whether the Bible's gospel books are true accounts of a historical Jesus Christ. His latest book, God's Crime Scene: A Cold-Case Detective Examines the Evidence for a Divinely Created Universe, examines the evidence for the origin of the universe to determine if the universe can be explained from a purely naturalistic perspective or whether it requires a supernatural explanation. Four lines of evidence are considered; cosmological evidence, biological evidence, mental evidence (consciousness) and moral evidence.

Evidence from "outside the room"

As in his first book, Walace gives examples of criminal investigations as ways of looking at evidence to determine whether or not a crime had been committed. Can the scene be explained solely by looking at the evidence "within the room," or does it require the presence of an outside purpetrator to explain what happened? In God's Crime Scene, Wallace examines the universe as if it were a crime scene, to determine if the evidence can be explained solely by looking "within the room" (naturalism) or whether it requires the actions of an outside purpetrator (God).

Examination of evidence

Wallace does a great job examining all possible explanations of the evidence for wether the universe is the result of naturalistic processes or whether there is evidence of divine intervention. For each topic examined, he compares multiple naturalistic theories to the evidence for divine design. Using logic and the rules of evidence, Wallace determines which explanations fit the evidence the best.

Secondary investigations

God's Crime Scene, moves through the evidence quickly, with minimal detailed explanations in order to maintain the flow of the arguments. However, for those interested in a more complete explanation of each argument, Wallace has written an extensive "secondary investigation" appendix that goes into each argument in more detail. The technique works well, since those who aren't interested in the details can get an overview of the arguments without getting bogged down with technical details. God's Crime Scene also includes "investigative notes" (references) for those interested in the original sources or more thorough study.

Expert witnesses

In many criminal cases, expert witnesses are employed as trained specialists who testify about specific, detailed attributes of evidence. Wallace calls upon "expert witnesses" who are qualified to examine the evidence of specific arguments made throughout God's Crime Scene. These witnesses include those who are both supportive and hostile to the premise that God created the universe, giving a balanced approach to arguments.

Conclusions

God's Crime Scene is a compelling examination of the evidence for the creation of the universe by God. God's Crime Scene, like Jim Wallace's previous book, Cold-Case Christianity, uses examples of criminal cases to determine if divine creation is a viable alternative to naturalism. Wallace clearly shows that Someone "outside the room" was responsible for the "crime scene" of cosmic creation, the origin of life, human consciousness, and transcendant moral truths. The book is highly recommended and quite readable, since technical details are relegated to the "secondary investigations" chapter so as to not bog down the flow of the arguments.

Book details:
God's Crime Scene: A Cold-Case Detective Examines the Evidence for a Divinely Created Universe (Paperback)
by J. Warner Wallace
Pages: 320
Publisher: David C. Cook
Date published: August 1, 2015
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1434707849