God's Crime Scene :: J. Warner Wallace Christian Apologetics
A Cold-Case Detective Examines the Evidence for a Divinely Created Universe
There are four ways to die, and only one of them requires an intruder. Suicides, accidental, and natural deaths can occur without any evidence from outside the room. But murders typically involve suspects external to the crime scene. If there’s evidence of an outside intruder, homicide detectives have to prepare for a chase. Intruders turn death scenes into crime scenes.
Join J. Warner Wallace, former atheist, seasoned cold-case detective, and popular national speaker as he tackles his most important case … with you on the jury!
With the expertise of a cold-case detective, J. Warner examines eight critical pieces of evidence in the “crime scene” of the universe to determine if they point to a Divine Intruder. If you have ever wondered if something (or someone) outside the natural realm created the universe and everything in it, this is the case for you.
What Others are Saying
“What if a brilliant prosecutor tried to prove the existence of God using real evidence and crystal clear arguments? Well, that’s precisely what J. Warner does in this magnificent book — and you get to be the jury. Don’t blink. Thrilling and amazing.”
Eric Metaxas
New York Times Best-selling author of Miracles and Bonhoeffer
“Around Dateline, we had a phrase to describe J Warner Wallace: ‘The Evidence Whisperer.’ He would come up with some unlikely bit of long neglected flotsam, realize it was key evidence, and work it until he’d wrung out every possible lead. Jim helped bring cases to court, and our stories to life. And when I discovered he enjoys debating religious questions with an inquisitive guy like me? Well that was true joy. Mind you, we agree about almost nothing. But in this book he makes his case as always with verve and charm …just like my friend Jim.”
Keith Morrison
News Correspondent, Dateline (NBC)
“With the tenacity of a homicide detective and the careful reasoning of a scholar, Jim Wallace uses the forensic method of scientific investigation to establish – beyond reasonable doubt – that God exists!”
Dr. Stephen C. Meyer
Author of the New York Times bestseller Darwin’s Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design
“If I am ever in court, I want Jim Wallace on my side. As he did in Cold Case Christianity, Jim demonstrates that years of experience as a detective is excellent training for clear thinking on any subject matter. He patiently unfolds the evidence just as he must have done in countless courtrooms, educating the jury on the facts of the case and on proper reasoning from the facts. He organizes mounds of data into patterns that are understandable to non-specialists. Drawing analogies from actual crime scenes in his files, he lends human drama to logical arguments. A delightful book.”
Nancy Pearcey
Author of Total Truth and Finding Truth
“NBC’s Dateline keeps calling J. Warner Wallace because he brilliantly solves murder cases that are decades old. Now Jim uses his proven detective skills to solve the greatest case of all: who or what best explains all of reality? Detective Wallace whisks you along from investigating real-world homicides with one penetrating question into eight of the most marvelous aspects of reality that every thinking person must explain. The result is a relentless pursuit of evidence that ends at the feet of a Divine intruder. It’s hard to find a more compelling and concise treatment of these issues anywhere!”
Dr. Frank Turek
President of CrossExamined.org and author of Stealing from God: Why Atheists Need God to make their Case
“Sherlock Holmes has nothing on J. Warner Wallace. In God’s Crime Scene, Wallace uses the tools of a world-class homicide detective to discern whether or not clues point in the direction of a Divine Intruder. The reader can almost hear the words, ‘Elementary…my dear Watson,’ as Wallace evaluates the evidence for cosmic design. A highly readable resource by which seekers and skeptics can follow truth toward its origins.”
Hank Hanegraaff
Bestselling Author and President of the Christian Research Institute
“I have had the distinct pleasure of working a number of difficult and multifaceted homicide cases with Jim Wallace. In a complex homicide, using analytical logic serves to make the story of the crime and crime scene understandable to the jury. Jim utilizes the same methodology to apply his carefully constructed and well thought out arguments explaining the existence of God through the creation of the universe. His simple yet superb analysis and analogies to crime scene investigations is a must-read for those of faith and more importantly for those with questions and doubts.”
Mark Safarik
FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit Criminal Profiler (Ret.), Forensic Behavioral Services International, Director
“J. Warner Wallace has done something rare in God’s Crime Scene. He has managed to wrestle complex issues in science and philosophy into a coherent, accessible, and wickedly fun defense of the theistic view of the world that readers will thoroughly enjoy. Others have tried and, in my view, have fallen far short. Wallace succeeds and with tremendous flair. I encourage every church and small group on the planet to gather together and study this book. Christendom will be much better off for doing so.”
Craig J. Hazen, Ph.D.
Founder and Director of the Graduate Program in Christian Apologetics at Biola University and author of Five Sacred Crossings.
“Serving as a pastor in a local church with youth and college-aged Christians for over 20 years, one of the main questions I get is about our origins and creation. I’ve always had a dilemma in sending someone to a resource to answer these questions. Not that there aren’t great books out there, but I find they are either (1) far too technical or philosophical, (2) too simplistic in their answers, or (3) unintentionally demeaning to non-believers who are still searching. In God’s Crime Scene, J. Warner Wallace addresses the frequently asked questions about origins and does so in a way that communicates to thinking college-students, Christians, and non-Christians alike. I am very thankful for this book as it is unlike most others. I am thrilled to think of the impact it will have on all those reading it.”
Dan Kimball
Pastor of Vintage Faith Church, and author of Adventures in Churchland: Finding Jesus in the Mess of Organized Religion
“In God’s Crime Scene, retired homicide investigator and Christian speaker, apologist and author Jim Wallace examines the question: Did God create the universe (and intelligent life) or did everything evolve without divine intervention. Employing the same logic that enabled him to solve difficult cold-cases during his career, Wallace methodically refutes the arguments of evolution oriented philosophers and scientists. Citing compelling and cumulative cosmological, biological, mental and moral evidence, as well as interesting details from some of his homicide cases, Wallace builds a solid case that our universe was purposefully created and fine-tuned by a benevolent loving Creator God who is interested and intimately involved in our daily lives. This indispensable volume will enlighten skeptics and believers. I highly recommend it.”
Sharon S. Smith, Ph.D.
FBI Agent (Retired), Forensic Psychologist and President of Forensic Psycholinguistics, LLC.
“J. Warner Wallace presents the intelligent design argument for the machinery of the cell in crystal-clear, straightforward prose. Why do sophisticated, information-rich systems in life point insistently to the conscious intentions of a designer? Let a former homicide detective who spent a career sifting clues for signs of intention explain it to you.”
Michael Behe, Ph.D.
Biochemist, Professor at Lehigh University, and Author of Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution
“Can we stay within the universe to explain our existence or does the evidence point to something “outside the room”? J. Werner Wallace applies his well-known detective skills to survey fields ranging from cosmology to biology to consciousness to ethics and faithfully follows where the evidence leads. While one could object to parts of his analysis, the breadth of material Wallace brings to the table argues convincingly that a supernatural being (God), provides the best explanation of all the data.”
Dr. Jeffrey Zweerink
Astrophysicist with Reasons to Believe and Author of Who’s Afraid of the Multiverse?
“With all the expertise and finesse of a life devoted to methodical investigation, Wallace leads the cautious examiner through the evidence in our world, concluding that the universe is not a closed system: Someone has been in the room. God’s Crime Scene is an excellent overview of the arguments and evidence for God’s existence from a fresh perspective. I highly recommend it for all who seek a better grasp or are grappling with the truth about God.”
Nabeel Qureshi, M.D.
Speaker at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and Author of Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus
“There’s a lot of reasons J. Warner Wallace has become one of the most popular apologists in America. One of those reasons is that he’s one of the most fascinating and fun to read – for believers and skeptics alike. And, God’s Crime Scene is Jim at his best. Solid, thoughtful, unique!”
John Stonestreet
Co-Host of BreakPoint and Co-Author of Restoring All Things
“The apologetics movement needs more translators. We need to communicate the defense of the faith in ways that are accessible and compelling–but not dumbed down–to everyday people. Right now there is no one better at this than J. Warner Wallace. In this latest offering, Wallace lays out eight powerful yet understandable arguments that God is real and that it is rational to affirm His existence. Indeed, after reading this book you can’t help but agree ‘the heavens declare the glory of God.’”
Brett Kunkle
Student Impact Director, Stand to Reason
“J Warner Wallace’s willingness to investigate possible theories regarding God’s existence in multiple fields of study is refreshing. We live in a time when so many new atheists herald ‘evidence and reason,’ yet quickly dismiss evidence and theories contrary to the validity of their own worldview. As a veteran homicide detective, Wallace surveys the ‘crime scene’–in this case, our known universe–and subjects the evidence he finds to rigorous questioning, mirroring his work on murder cases. The result is a cumulative case for God’s existence weaved through detective stories that keep the reader engaged from beginning to end.”
Mary Jo Sharp
Assistant Professor of Apologetics at Houston Baptist University, Director of Confident Christianity Apologetics Ministry and Author of Why Do You Believe That? A Faith Conversation.
“As a police detective and ministry leader, I understand that evidence is key both in solving crimes and understanding the truth of God’s inerrant word (the Bible). With that foundation in mind, Detective J. Warner Wallace’s latest work, God’s Crime Scene, brilliantly reveals the overwhelming and irrefutable evidence for a God-created universe from a cold-case detective’s perspective. This thorough and imminently understandable work should be mandatory reading for anyone seeking evidentiary proof of God’s orchestration of creation or for those seeking a powerful and tool with which to defend their faith based on actual evidence versus emotional rhetoric. An enjoyable read to boot — outstanding!
Lt. M.C. Williams
Investigator, Chaplain, and Director of the Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry
“Jim Wallace is one of the most unique defenders of the Christian faith you will ever hear. His approach to searching for evidence for God as you would for clues at the scene of a crime is as brilliant as it is understandable. You will be challenged to answer the question: Is life an accident or is an outside ‘Agent’ to blame?”
Rice Broocks
Co-Founder of Every Nation Ministries, Senior Pastor of Bethel World Outreach Church and Author of God’s Not Dead
“Detective Wallace has done it again. God’s Crime Scene is one of the most insightful, interesting, and enjoyable apologetics books I have read in a long time. Whether you are a skeptic or a believer, you will walk away challenged by this book.”
Sean McDowell, Ph.D.
Biola University Professor, speaker, and co-author of Is God Just a Human Invention?
“J. Warner Wallace knows evidence—how to gather it, how to evaluate it, and how to come to reasonable conclusions. These are the invaluable tools he passes on to us in God’s Crime Scene as he weaves together a clear, systematic, cumulative case for the existence of God with stories from his career as a detective. The result is a fascinating read that will train you in the art of uncovering truth.”
Amy K. Hall
Apologist at Stand to Reason
“With my background as a trial lawyer, I deeply appreciate Jim Wallace’s ability to gather all of the complex evidence and present it in an easy to understand, yet fair case. Jim has done that in God’s Crime Scene. His integrity and determination in investigating human crime scenes bleeds through the pages of this book. As you read it, you’ll not only feel what it’s like to be a detective doggedly hunting for the truth, but you’ll also know how credible the case for Christianity really is. Wallace has done all of us a tremendous service with God’s Crime Scene.”
Abdu Murray
Lawyer, Speaker and Author of Grand Central Question: Answering the Critical Concerns of the Major Worldviews.
“J. Warner Wallace has done it again. Turning his keen analytical skills and extensive detective experience to the question of God, Jim Wallace’s God’s Crime Scene shows the utter bankruptcy of the contemporary materialist view of reality to which many atheists appeal in their attempts to challenge Christian theism. God’s Crime Scene has the best of an exciting crime novel and a thoroughly researched and informative apologetic work. Appealing to facts about our world that no sane person could deny, Wallace shows how the atheistic scientific worldview repeatedly fails to account for these facts and that a robust Christian theism can provide a better accounting for why the universe is the way it is.”
Richard Howe, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Apologetics at Southern Evangelical Seminary