"If you wish to rationally consider the possible relation of cosmology to philosophical and theological issues, Holder's very careful analysis will provide a sound and historically well informed basis for that discussion." -- George F. R. Ellis FRS, Professor Emeritus of Applied Mathematics, University of Cape Town "At last a highly accessible book for the general reader on origins." -- Dr Denis Alexander, Emeritus Director of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, St Edmund's College, Cambridge "With lucid rationality, this fine book guides the reader deftly through some of the most profound questions in contemporary science." -- Roger Trigg, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Warwick University "Rodney Holder combines expertise in both science and theology to explore the exciting question of the origin of the universe; and he does so in a way that reflects the importance, complexity, and fun of these big questions." -- Revd Professor David Wilkinson, Principal, St John's College, Durham University "A fascinating blend of modern cosmology and serious theology, well rooted in the historical observations and theoriesthat led to the concept of the expanding universe" -- Owen Gingerich, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy and of the History of Science, Harvard University, and Senior Astronomer Emeritus, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory "A fascinating journey through modern cosmology, showing how our beautifully `fine-tuned' universe is wholly compatible with Christian ideas of creation and theism. It is a masterly, lucid, and very readable survey covering all the `big issues' in the field, and placing them in historical context, by an author who is both a trained academic cosmologist and an Anglican priest." -- Dr Allan Chapman, Faculty of Modern History, University of Oxford "An engaging introductory account of the history of Big Bang Cosmology, including a detailed discussion of the underlying physics and a Christian perspective on its theological and philosophical implications. I warmly commend this carefully argued monograph." -- John Pilbrow, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Monash University, and former President of ISCAST (Institute for the Study of Christianity in an Age of Science and Technology) A combination of deep theoretical understanding and exquisitely precise astronomical observations. Rodney Holder tells a remarkable scientific story, which is of the highest interest in its own right, but its character is such that it almost inevitably raises metascientific questions of whether there is also meaning and purpose to be discerned in this subtle and fertile process. -- Sir John Polkinghorne