Frank Tipler (above), Tulane University physics professor and author, this spring published a provocative work, The Physics of Christianity. (Photos by Paula Burch-Celentano)

Twelve years ago, Tulane physicist Frank Tipler committed professional heresy by publishing The Physics of Immortality, a book in which he used the scientific method and the principles of modern physics to lay out what he called a proof for not only the existence of God, but for the resurrection of the dead as described in the New Testament.

Despite having this and, consequently, other work disregarded by colleagues, Tipler this spring published what is perhaps an even more provocative work, The Physics of Christianity, in which he sets out not only to demonstrate that God exists outside of time and space and is the "uncaused first cause," but also suggests that Christian miracles are not in violation of physical law.

"My faith in Christianity arises from my research," says Tipler, a professor of physics who has focused his career on studying singularities in general relativity. Singularities are entities outside of space-time where physical quantities become infinite and the rules of physics break down.

Tipler says the material contained in The Physics of Immortality and The Physics of Christianity are summaries of his technical research on singularities written for popular audiences.

The laws of physics assert there was nothing before the initial singularity of the Big Bang, says Tipler, and that singularity is the uncaused first cause. "St. Thomas Aquinas defined 'God' to be the Uncaused First Cause, and so I conclude that God exists, and is the Initial Singularity."

In his earlier book, Tipler developed his Omega Point theory of physics, which predicts the singularity at the end of time-space, or the "uncaused final cause." Tipler says at the time he overlooked the relationship of the initial singularity to the final singularity and that these two singularities are connected by a third singularity, which embraces the notion of multiple universes coexisting at the same time. "All three singularities are really three aspects of one single cosmological singularity," says Tipler. "In other words, the one God is comprised of three Hypostases. This, of course, is the central claim of Christianity, and there it is in physics."

As for physical validity of miracles, Tipler points to a supernova in the Andromeda Galaxy to explain the Star of Bethlehem and DNA coding for gender to explain the plausibility of the virgin birth of Jesus.

Tipler says he is surprised that colleagues have distanced themselves from his work. "All I've ever done is develop the implications of the fundamental laws of physics that are in all the textbooks," he says. "I claim we must accept the implications of these laws until -- and if -- experiments show that these laws have limitations."