After God, Before Nothing
A compact meditation on consciousness, belief, skepticism, and the strange human need to keep seeking— even when certainty refuses to arrive.
A book of inquiry, not a verdict
This isn’t a defense of God or an attack on religion. It’s an honest walk through the questions that remain when inherited certainty cracks—without surrendering to nihilism.
For people who stay awake
If you can’t accept easy answers—and you also can’t accept “nothing matters”—you’re in the right place.
Scale
Time, insignificance, and the kind of humility that doesn’t collapse into apathy.
Mind
Insight, emergence, and why “meaning” grips us even when proof doesn’t.
Belief
Jesus, miracles, scripture, the afterlife—held with seriousness and skepticism together.
One promise
You won’t be told what to believe. You’ll be given language and structure for thinking clearly and living responsibly inside uncertainty.
A name for the posture
Zetelogist (from Greek zētein, “to seek,” and logos, “reason/meaning/pattern”) describes a person who keeps seeking meaning where certainty fails—without settling for inherited answers or collapsing into “nothing matters.”
TJ Collins
TJ Collins writes about meaning, doubt, faith, and the human search for orientation in an age shaped by technology, scale, and uncertainty. After God, Before Nothing grew out of years of questioning what remains when inherited certainties no longer hold—but nihilism feels insufficient. He lives in Michigan with his two daughters and continues exploring these questions through writing and conversation.
Speaking / discussion groups
Want a 60–90 minute discussion flow for a book club, church-adjacent forum, or open group? I can share a plug-and-play guide.
Reader notes
Send thoughtful critiques, questions, or themes you’d like covered in the next book.