Book Review: The God Conundrum

The God Conundrum: An Easy Guide to Life, The Universe and Everything! David Harper, 2025, 1st ed. 213 pages, Price: £11.99

Independently Published, ISBN 979-8261982128

If you watch The Antiques Road Trip or Bargain Hunt, the name ‘David Harper’ may be familiar to you. As a regular face on both shows, as well as many others, he is a recognised figure to many. What is less known is the faith journey Harper has been on – from sceptical agnostic to born-again Christian.

In The God Conundrum, Harper shares the moving story of his daughter’s battle with depression and the weight of helplessness he felt as he watched her. He writes towards the end of his book:

She was a lost and desperate soul. No laboratory produced anti-depressants worked. No therapy sessions and support programs could cure her. No textbooks, no treatments, no doctor and no psychiatrist could help her. They all gave up. She was on her own.¹

But then he describes a remarkable, even miraculous turnaround when she heard the good news of Jesus and put her trust in Him. Harper is blunt and straight to the point: “Jesus saved my daughter’s life”.² 

Unable to explain away the change he saw in his daughter, Harper began his own eleven-month investigation into the truth of Christianity. He asked the big questions, looked at a broad range of evidence from the beginning of the universe to the historical evidence for Jesus of Nazareth. By the time his investigation ended in 2025, Harper not only believed that Christianity was true – he claimed his own life had been changed by Jesus too. The God Conundrum presents his findings for us to consider. It is a unique book. Unlike most publications on apologetics, it is both a presentation of arguments and a personal testimony of conversion. Harper brings the reader back into contact with his own journey to faith, reminding us that this is no mere academic subject but a life-changing reality.

Harper began his investigation by asking three key questions. The first concerns existence itself: why is there something rather than nothing? The second asks, why is there life on earth? The third question narrows the focus to Christianity, asking, Was Jesus a real person? The overall structure of the book is built around these three questions. Split into two broad sections, the first six chapters explore the first two questions. The reader is transported from questions of universal proportion – such as why there is something rather than nothing or whether the universe is fine-tuned for life – to more ‘down to earth’ questions such as whether evolution is true. He then zooms in further to look at evidence for the soul before investigating the question of science vs religion. These chapters consider evidence for a general deity rather than the God of the Bible.

In the second section of the book – chapters seven to nine – Harper turns to consider Jesus, presenting an evidentialist case for His life, death and resurrection. He admits that, prior to his spiritual exploration, he had “basic schoolboy level”³ knowledge of both the Bible and Christianity. The breadth of argument in this section demonstrates a well read and thorough engagement with the subject. He looks at evidence for biblical inspiration, considers alleged contradictions in the Bible, considers the teachings of Jesus Christ, evaluates some common objections levelled against his resurrection, presents testimony from non-Christian sources such as Josephus, along with a myriad of other relevant topics.

Towards the end of the book, in chapter ten, Harper shares his own personal testimony and what he calls the “18 inch drop” as he describes head knowledge moving down to his heart. The combination of well thought-through investigation with personal, and at times moving, experience makes for a powerful read. Harper writes with tangible excitement as he seeks not only to present a case for Jesus, but to share with the reader the treasure he has found. He writes as a layperson, which is also an unusual feature.

At times, one feels, Harper oversimplifies the case. For example, he suggests there is no evidence whatsoever for evolution and that evolutionists are quite happy to admit this. He writes, “Evolutionists say, ‘We don’t need evidence to believe in evolution…we know it to be true’”.⁴ Leaving aside the over-generalisation (one cannot put all evolutionists in the same box), it is no concession to evolution to accept that its adherents do, in fact, present evidence for their case. The danger with suggesting they do not is that one may be taken by surprise when encountering a book presenting the evidence, such as Richard Dawkins’ The Greatest Show on Earth. Such evidence can be met with counter arguments by Christian apologists, but it is important to represent the opposing side accurately when critiquing them

A second potential weakness of the book is that Harper covers a broad range of topics and, therefore, depth of analysis is sometimes limited. Unless one is looking for a ‘deep dive’, this is not really a flaw. On the contrary, it generates a genuine sense of excitement as Harper tries to share everything he has learned. It also means the book remains, not only readable (even conversational) but fast paced, making it a highly accessible introduction to big topics. Those already familiar with the various subject areas and seeking greater depth may find it helpful to look elsewhere.

In the final analysis, the fact that Harper writes as a layman who has been transformed by Christ is perhaps the book’s most important feature. It is an unashamed testimony to the power of God and the importance of apologetics. It reminds us that evidence and arguments are not about intellectual stimulation but presenting the living Christ so people encounter Him. Given this, The God Conundrum is a helpful book on a number of levels. For people engaged in apologetics and familiar with the kinds of arguments Harper provides, there is much encouragement here. It brings the reader back to the ultimate goal of defending the faith and will help to raise expectations that God can use evidence and arguments to bring others to Christ. For those who are seeking, and perhaps encountering these arguments for the first time, this is an excellent introduction to some of the key issues. If you are in either of these groups, The God Conundrum is well worth reading.