Behe, Michael J.

Prof. Michael J. Behe
and his bookDarwin’s
Black Box. 

The renowned biochemist Michael J. Behe of Lehigh University is one of the most important figures to advance the idea of irreducible complexity. In his 1996 book Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution, Behe investigated the living cell and certain biochemical structures and stated that it was impossible to account for their complexity in terms of evolution.

As a scientist free from the influence of the materialist perspective and who thinks clearly, Professor Behe has no qualms about accepting the existence of a Creator. He describes scientists who refuse to admit the presence of design—in other words, of creation—in living things:

Over the past four decades, modern biochemistry has uncovered the secrets of the cell. . . . It has required tens of thousands of people to dedicate the better parts of their lives to the tedious work of the laboratory. . . .The result of these cumulative efforts to investigate the cell—to investigate life at the molecular level—is a loud, clear, piercing cry of “design!” The result is so unambiguous and so significant that it must be ranked as one of the greatest achievements in the history of science. This triumph of science should evoke cries of “Eureka” from ten thousand throats. . . . Instead, a curious, embarrassed silence surrounds the stark complexity of the cell. Why does the scientific community not greedily embrace its startling discovery? 52

He goes on to define the dilemma: To acknowledge an intelligent design implies acknowledging God’s existence. In these words, Behe declares that the perfect design in living things reveals the existence of God.

52 Michael J. Behe, Darwin’s Black Box. New York: Free Press, 1996, pp. 232-233.