Does Hawking confuse law with agency?

John Lennox: "According to Hawking, the laws of physics, not the will of God, provide the real explanation as to how life on Earth came into being."

"He asks us to choose between God and the laws of physics, as if they were necessarily in mutual conflict."

"But contrary to what Hawking claims, physical laws can never provide a complete explanation of the universe. Laws themselves do not create anything, they are merely a description of what happens under certain conditions. What Hawking appears to have done is to confuse law with agency. His call on us to choose between God and physics is a bit like someone demanding that we choose between aeronautical engineer Sir Frank Whittle and the laws of physics to explain the jet engine."

What is the opportunity for affirming faith in this current climate?

This would seem to be an opportune time to speak to the skeptic, to reaffirm that in contrast to highly theoretical speculation there are real-world situations that point to a purposeful creation.

• Questions that got the attention of arch-skeptic Antony Flew, related in "There is a God"
  • Why is it that nature obeys laws?
  • How did the dimension of life, of intelligently organized and purpose-driven beings, arise from matter?
  • Why does nature exist, why is there something rather than nothing?
• The fact that the universe had a beginning, and that it has unfolded in a way that is finely-tuned for life to exist, and that physical laws are consistent at all times and places in the universe is strong evidence for a Creator.