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Why There Almost Certainly Is a God

Author:	Keith Ward
Published By:	Lion (Oxford)
Pages:	159
Price:	£7.99
ISBN:	978 0 7459 5330 4

Reviewed by Alun Brookfield.

After all the fuss last earlier this year about Richard Dawkins much vaunted demolition of what he calls “The God Delusion”, who better to respond than Keith Ward, formerly Regius Professor of Theology at Oxford University. However, his real qualification for writing this book is that his primary academic discipline is not theology, but philosophy, a territory into which Dawkins innocently strays, never realising the dangers and pitfalls!

Ward writes well, with regular flashes of self-deprecatory humour and mostly avoiding academic language - he is writing for non-philosophers, non-scientists and non-theologians, and manages this exceptionally clever trick very well indeed.

Having said that, the book needs a fair bit of mental stamina to follow the lines of his arguments, as he either undermines or completely demolishes Dawkins, questioning the validity of his suppositions and arguments. Ward argues strongly, cogently and clearly for a recognition that God is not subject to scientific proof, but is necessary as a “personal explanation” of the universe. Lest anyone reading this review suspect that Ward is falling back on a ‘god of the gaps’ approach, let me hasten to assure that he most certainly is not, but this short review is not the place to attempt to summarise his arguments.

The book also contains a short bibliography and a basic index, for anyone wanting to explore further.

This is one of the best pieces of apologetics I have read in many years and commend it warmly. If you, or people in your congregation, have been troubled by Dawkins, this is the book for them, provided you or they have the mental stamina to stay with Ward.