The ancient kalam cosmological argument maintains that the series of past events is finite and that therefore the universe began to exist. Two recent scientific discoveries have yielded plausible prima facie physical evidence for the beginning of the universe. The expansion of the universe points to its beginning-to a Big Bang-as one retraces the universe's expansion in time. And the second law of thermodynamics, which implies that the universe's energy is progressively degrading, suggests that the universe began with an initial low entropy condition.The kalam cosmological argument-perhaps the most discussed philosophical argument for God's existence in recent decades-maintains that whatever begins to exist must have a cause. And since the universe began to exist, there must be a transcendent cause of its beginning, a conclusion which is confirmatory of theism. So this medieval argument for the finitude of the past has received fresh wind in its sails from recent scientific discoveries. This collection reviews and assesses the merits of the latest scientific evidences for the universe's beginning. It ends with the kalam argument's conclusion that the universe has a cause-a personal cause with properties of theological significance.

AcknowledgmentsForewordIntroduction Paul Copan (Palm Beach Atlantic University, USA)Inductive Arguments2.3 The Inductive Argument based on Expansion of the Universe1. The Kalam Cosmological ArgumentWilliam Lane Craig (Talbot School of Theology, USA) and James Sinclair (Warfare Analyst, USA)2. Why the Big Bang Singularity Does Not Help the Kalam Cosmological Argument for TheismJ. Brian Pitts (University of Notre Dame, USA)3. On Non-Singular Spacetimes and the Beginning of the UniverseWilliam Lane Craig (Talbot School of Theology, USA) and James Sinclair (Warfare Analyst, USA)4. The Beginning of the UniverseAlexander Vilenkin (Tufts Institute of Cosmology, USA)2.4 The Inductive Argument based on Thermodynamic Properties of the Universe5. A Dying Universe: The Long-Term Fate and Evolution of Astrophysical ObjectsFred C. Adams (University of Delaware, USA) and Gregory Laughlin (University of California, Santa Cruz, USA)6. Heat Death in Ancient and Modern ThermodynamicsGábor Kutrovátz (Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary)7. Entropy and Eschatology: A Comment on Kutrovátz's Paper "Heat Death in Ancient and Modern Thermodynamics"Milan M. Cirkovic (University of Novi Sad, Serbia)8. The Generalized Second Law Implies a Quantum Singularity TheoremAron C. Wall (Institute for Advanced Study, USA)Part 3. Therefore, the Universe has a Cause 9. Libertarian Agency and the Craig/Grünbaum Debate about Theistic Explanation of the Initial SingularityJ. P. Moreland (Talbot School of Theology, USA)10. Causation and the Logical Impossibility of a Divine CauseQuentin Smith (Western Michigan University, USA)11. Beyond the Big BangWilliam Lane Craig (Talbot School of Theology, USA)PermissionsIndex