Book Review: Scaling the Secular City

With no warning whatsoever, Scaling the Secular City by J. P. Moreland dives into the deep end of the most powerful arguments for the existence of God. While other books seem to cover these arguments fairly well, Scaling the Secular City is different. It gives no introductory overview – it just attacks it head on, wielding the most esoteric of terms without reserve. In short, it can be intimidating.

The main arguments for the existence of God are cosmology, design, mind, and meaning. Each is explained fully and provides the reader with a full understanding. In addition, possible objections and opposing worldview are addressed and refuted. Moreland then moves on to New Testament historicity and the Resurrection of Jesus.

Near the end of the book Moreland deals with some issues with science and Christianity. He provides a good standard definition of creation-science and then goes on to compare the various forms of creationism and the cases for each (i.e., old-earth vs. young-earth). Moreland then shows the shortcomings in the key premises of Darwinian evolution.

Like William Lane Craig’s Reasonable Faith, Scaling the Secular City is thorough and deep. However, it seems that Moreland offers a more of a philosophical angle to the presentation. Where Craig provided the history, Moreland offers more philosophy. In presenting so much philosophy, it can become difficult to tell when Moreland is expressing his views or describing someone else’s. However, Moreland has indeed written a rich resource for the reader.