Episode 158, Understanding Faith and Science in “The Logic That God Exists” with Bob Trussell
Meet Bob Trussell
Bob Trussell, a businessman from Lexington, Kentucky, and his wife Martha are blessed with three children and one grandchild. For nearly 20 years, Bob was involved in the thoroughbred horse industry. However, when the recession struck in the late 1980s, the industry experienced a severe downturn, leaving Bob at a crossroads and financially devastated. It was during this time that he turned to God for guidance and strength. Through connections with a French horse trainer and a Swedish chiropractor, Bob was introduced to an entrepreneur who claimed to have the world's greatest mattress. This led to Bob obtaining the North American distribution rights for what eventually became known as Tempur-Pedic. A decade later, he rang the New York Stock Exchange bell when the company went public.
A New Book on God’s Existence
In this episode, we discuss Bob’s book, The Logic That God Exists, available through Sophia Institute Press and Amazon. When Bob references God in the book, he speaks of the personal, Judeo-Christian God, as revealed in Scripture. He is not referring to a vague "Higher Power" or a New Age concept of "energy."
In Chapter 1, titled "Everything Just Happened by Itself," Bob recounts a conversation he had with an atheist. He shared the story of a mathematician who calculated that the odds of life forming randomly are equivalent to blowing up a graveyard and having the explosion reassemble into a fully functioning space shuttle. The atheist responded that this could happen if you blew up enough graveyards.
Chapter 3, "Evolution: The God Replacement," explores how many in today’s world place their faith in science believing it holds all the answers, and dismiss philosophy and theology as irrelevant. But does science truly have an answer for how life came to be? Does it provide an answer for why life exists? Science cannot explain the concept of the soul, nor can it propose a way for the soul to evolve. While science has uncovered the laws of nature, someone had to write those laws. Did they fall into place by random chance?
God’s Probability
It is often said, "You cannot prove the existence of God." But Bob challenges this statement, asking, "Isn't it also true that you cannot prove that God doesn't exist?"
In Chapter 5, Bob discusses the laws of probability, casting doubt on the possibility that life, with its complex amino acids, evolved by mere chance. When reflecting on the intricacies of the human body, particularly DNA, Bob highlights how ordered and precise it is. He asks us to consider: How does one embryonic cell know to form a liver while another becomes a heart? We possess an incredibly complex genetic code, but didn’t someone have to write that code?
The Risk of Faith
Bob references the work of Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and physicist, who famously proposed "Pascal's Wager." Pascal argued that any wise gambler would bet on Christianity being true. If he is wrong, he ends up in the same place as the atheist. But if he is right, he gains eternal life in heaven.
In the book, Bob speaks of Jesus Christ as a real historical figure, whose life and miracles are well-documented. He reflects on the countless martyrs who have given their lives for belief in Him and the three common barriers to faith: pain, God's hiddenness, and the distractions of a busy life.
The book also touches on the Marian apparitions and the miracles associated with them, drawing parallels to the "miracle" of Tempur-Pedic in Bob’s life.
Check out the podcast episode to hear more about Bob’s book and spiritual journey.