God? Very Probably

"In God? Very Probably, Nelson makes the most compelling, challenging, comprehensive, and consequential analysis of how and why the advocates of the 'new atheism' have built their cases on unscientific grounds."

--Max L. Stackhouse, Rimmer and Ruth de Vries Professor of Reformed Theology and Public Life Emeritus, Princeton Theological Seminary



"In this engaging, illuminating book, Nelson offers an accessible, well-argued case for the rationality of belief in God. It is elegantly written and refreshingly free of academic jargon."

--Charles Taliaferro, Chair of the Department of Philosophy, St. Olaf College



"Although the thrust of this book is not to debate thinkers [like Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens], the self-contradictions of their positions are frequently exposed as by-products of broader discussions, and Nelson helpfully makes the connections. I believe readers will enjoy and benefit from the clear, informed, and honest reasoning in this book."

--Herman Daly, Emeritus Professor, University of Maryland



"Nelson has written a superb book, one that should be read by a wide spectrum of people: atheists, agnostics, deists, and committed Christians. His explanations for the existence of a god are thoughtful and draw upon the work of a wide range of scholars."

--P. J. Hill, Professor of Economics Emeritus, Wheaton College



"Nelson masterfully draws evidence from recent scientific discoveries and important arguments that bear on the question of the existence of a god. This is a thought-provoking, ambitious, and much-needed book with elements from the author's personal journey."

--Kaius Sinnemaki, Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of Helsinki



Why is God? Very Probably so engaging and well written? As with virtually all books, it might be improved in places (I would have liked to see more summaries of the different stages in Nelson's overall strategy), but I believe it is so successful because Nelson's primary, earlier work is in economics. He has come to achieve an admirable grasp of the current, relevant literature in philosophy without having been formally schooled in some of the (overly?) specialized domains and subdomains of this field. This is why, I suspect, there is so little use of jargon that is opaque to "outsiders." I highly recommend God? Very Probably to any reader interested in engaging one of the most important questions any of us can raise: the existence or nonexistence of God.

-- Charles Taliaferro, Chairman of the Philosophy Department at St. Olaf College, as reviewed in The Independent Review: A Journal of Political Economy , Spring 2017