Not a Chance - by R C Sproul & Keith Mathison (Paperback)

About the Book

Bestselling author and popular theologian challenges the scientific assumption that the universe is governed by chance.

Book Synopsis

Despite claiming unbelief in God or any higher power that may have designed or created the world and all that is in it, modern scientists often write and speak of chance as some kind of being or force that can cause things to happen. In one breath they push the evolution agenda and in the next they say that creatures were "designed" with specific traits. In this classic book, R. C. Sproul and Keith Mathison call the scientific world to employ logic and clarity in their discourse, to leave the word chance as an abstract concept to describe mathematical possibilities rather than an ontological being that can actually cause change. This expanded edition includes a new chapter dealing with the most recent attempts to defend irrational scientific statements. Two new appendices answer critics and review other literature on scientific discoveries that support belief in a Creator God.

From the Back Cover

Can chance truly be responsible for all that is?

Despite claiming unbelief in God or any higher power that may have designed or created the world, modern scientists often write and speak of chance as some kind of being or force that can actually cause things to happen. They have excluded any designer but filled in the resultant void with faulty reasoning.

In this classic book, R. C. Sproul and Keith Mathison call the scientific world to employ logic and clarity in their discourse, to leave the word chance as an abstract concept to describe mathematical possibilities rather than an ontological entity that can cause change. Dallas Willard praised Not a Chance as "Sproul at his best, which is very good. He shows secularism to be what it now is: a desperate faith." This expanded edition includes a new chapter dealing with the most recent attempts to defend irrational scientific statements. A new appendix reviews other literature on scientific discoveries that support belief in a Creator God.


"Powerfully argued. Here science, philosophy, and theology meet."--Ravi Zacharias, author of The Real Face of Atheism

"Readable, well researched, and compelling. The authors commend Christianity as the best explanation for our world of cause and effect and meaning."--Douglas Groothuis, professor of philosophy, Denver Seminary

"Sproul shows the reader that a self-creating universe is a self-contradiction. Every Christian who wants to make an effective defense for his or her faith should read this book."--Steven B. Cowan, coauthor of The Love of Wisdom and coeditor of In Defense of the Bible

"A needed correction for errors that have crept into modern-day science. It is a refreshing and enlightening book that tackles difficult topics and brings them down to the layman."--Dr. Robert Waltzer, professor and chair of biology, Belhaven University


R. C. Sproul (1939-2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, an international Christian discipleship organization located near Orlando, Florida. He was also founding pastor of Saint Andrew's Chapel in Sanford, Florida, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine. His radio program, Renewing Your Mind, is still broadcast daily on hundreds of radio stations around the world and can also be heard online. Dr. Sproul contributed dozens of articles to national evangelical publications, spoke at conferences, churches, colleges, and seminaries around the world, and wrote more than one hundred books, including The Holiness of God, Chosen by God, and Everyone's a Theologian. He also served as general editor of the Reformation Study Bible.

Keith Mathison is professor of systematic theology at Reformation Bible College in Florida. He has been an associate editor of Tabletalk magazine at Ligonier Ministries and is the author of several books.

About the Author

R. C. Sproul (1939-2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, an international Christian discipleship organization located near Orlando, Florida. He was also first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel in Sanford, Florida, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine. His radio program, Renewing Your Mind, is still broadcast daily on hundreds of radio stations around the world and can also be heard online. Dr. Sproul contributed dozens of articles to national evangelical publications, spoke at conferences, churches, colleges, and seminaries around the world, and wrote more than 100 books, including The Holiness of God, Chosen by God, and Everyone's a Theologian. He also served as general editor of the Reformation Study Bible.

Keith Mathison is professor of systematic theology at Reformation Bible College in Florida. He is also an associate editor of Tabletalk magazine at Ligonier Ministries. He is author of several books including From Age to Age: The Unfolding of Biblical Eschatology; The Shape of Sola Scriptura; and Given For You: Reclaiming Calvin's Doctrine of the Lord's Supper.