Rise of the Time Lords: A Geek's Guide to Christianity

by Michael Belote

Rise of the Time Lords is the debut book by popular Christian blogger Michael Belote of RebootChristianity. It is the Gospel for the Geeks--Christianity as explained through the lens of science fiction and geekdom. It is an engrossing book for people who are fans of Doctor Who, Star Wars, Firefly, and engineering but find theology boring and Christian books dull or generic.

In each chapter of Rise of the Time Lords, Belote shares a sci-fi story or scientific principle, using these as analogies and illustrations to demonstrate the way Christians view the spiritual world and the teachings of Scripture. In these pages the reader learns about the Trinity from a Pringles can, about sin from star formation, about the afterlife from R2-D2, about the duality of man from Schrodinger’s Cat, about grace from air conditioners, about judgmentalism from Einstein’s Relativity, and much more.

238 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 14, 2012

Reviews

[Dave Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very intrigued by this book's description. Mr. Belote's taste in popular geeky sci-fi culture is very close to my own. I'm familiar pretty much 100% to his references to books & movies. One major point of difference is in the Star Trek vs. Star Wars discussion, I fall squarely on the Star Trek side. I also don't interpret "nerds" as negatively as he does.

The premise of this book is to use the geeky, sci-fi, techy mindset as the paradigm by which biblical doctrine is described. He mostly does this very well in a manner that is both fun and instructive. There are a couple of doctrinal areas in which I was a bit underwhelmed. His use of the Pringle's can -- while unique -- to explain the Trinity needed some more work. (I did not get the sense of three distinct persons in the Godhead). I definitely think he was out-of-bounds with his explanation of 1 Peter 3:19. These are the exceptions, however. His explanations clarify both doctrine and even technical subjects.

I was a little lost in his freewill vs. predestination thesis. I think some illustrations could really help clarify matters. Discussions about temporal dynamics and other pure abstractions tend to make my head explode. I am very intrigued with his premise that since we know more about time than we did in Calvin's day, we need to bring this temporal body of knowledge to the discussion. Maybe in the re-write.

Belote was good at surveying the different doctrinal interpretations. A couple of times he revealed his preference but he didn't "insist" on these alternatives. (A critical exception being when he summarized core orthodox doctrinal tenets of the Christian faith.)

Overall a good book that really spoke to my geeky self. I hope Belote continues writing books. He has credibility in both doctrine and geekiness (even if he does fall on the Star Wars side of the discussion). His Blog.

Borrowed this book by virtue of my Amazon Prime membership.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and helpful read. Provided interesting thought experiments and refreshing analogies to help understand biblical concepts. As the author suggested, I agree that this book should be read critically and not be taken as a serious theological manifesto. If something makes sense and is helpful, then that's great. If not, don't dwell on it. Just have fun thinking through all the ways God has shown himself to be greater than we can imagine.

[Bettie Corbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this day and age when the opinions of scientists and Christians are often completely opposite, along comes the book, Rise of the Time Lords—A Geek’s Guide to Christianity, written by Michael Belote, a physics and mathematics geek in his thirties. Michael, with a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering and a M.Sc. in Operations Management, became a born-again Christian who threw himself into Bible study and theological books to try to make some sense of his newfound faith.

In reading his book, one will soon come to realize that it’s like reading two separate books simultaneously. The first part of each of the seventeen chapters refers to science that deals with the origin, structure and space time relationship of the universe, and the origin, nature and destiny of man. The sources of this information are taken mainly through the studies of Astronomy, Anthropology, Cosmology, and Thermodynamics, all of which are based somewhat on two controversial beliefs such as the Big Bang theory and the theory of Evolution.

The second part of each chapter relates to the teachings of the Christian Bible dealing with the creation of the universe, the fall of Adam and Eve, the Old and New Testaments, the infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible, the Law, the Ten Commandments, the three Person Trinity of God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus, the means of salvation, Hades, Heaven, Hell, the coming destruction of our universe, and the creation of a new Heaven and a new earth. The following are two examples of the many important bits of information found in this book:

Example #1: Due to the current knowledge about this fine-tuned universe that we live in, there are twenty or more fundamental constants that had to be exactly correct at the time of the Big Bang, or no life could have ever existed. For that reason, many scientists are finding it difficult to come to any other conclusion except that there must have been a God.

Example #2: Whereas we are three dimensional creatures capable of full perception of up/down, left/right and in/out, we are only vaguely aware of the fourth dimension of time because we cannot feel or experience time in the past or the future. God created this entire universe, including time, making Him more than a four dimensional being, which puts mankind at a disadvantage of fully understanding God and His universe.

In each chapter, the author expertly compares the teachings of science with the teachings of Christianity supplemented with zany glimpses of his personal life. Even if one is limited in scientific knowledge, the information found in all of these chapters will be interesting and informative. For believers and nonbelievers, this well-written book is absolutely a must read.

[Carl A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book...I jokingly say that as a result of his chapter on Flatland, the C.S. Lewis estate should call for royalties, but Belote does an awesome job of relating ideas in science and science fiction to the Christian faith.

[Paul Birch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this and read the Kindle version. Who thought that you could attempt to prove the existence of God with a Pringle tin. Some great analogies with composite materials.