Though his own beliefs are firm, Collins understands doubt, skepticism and even atheism. He was once an atheist himself, believing only in what science could prove. As a medical student, however, he stumbled on questions for which science had no answers. In treating dying patients, he also began to wonder how he would approach his own death. Not with as much peace as his patients of faith did, he supposed…

To Collins, Darwin is a threat only if one thinks that God is an underachiever. Collins doesn’t happen to believe that. His study of genes has led him to conclude that God is both outside of nature and outside of time. He’s big, in other words. The idea that God would create the mechanism of evolution makes sense.

Now, if only he can convince his fellow Christians.