Over the past few years, I have learned that when it comes to the modern creation/evolution debate, arguments both for and against young earth creationism and evolution tend to be shaped, or at the very least, influenced by, other cultural and political factors. I have been involved in plenty of creation/evolution discussions and debates over the past few years and can say that almost without fail, at some point in the discussion, someone is going to somehow find a way to tie in the creation/evolution debate to something to do with the GOP or the Democrats…or abortion, or LGBTQ issues…or something like that.
That is a shame, because whenever one does that, it detracts from the two fundamental issues that lie at the heart of the creation/evolution debate: (A) What is the proper interpretation of Genesis 1-11?, and (B) What can science—the disciplined study of the natural world—tell us about the natural world? And the thing is that the academic disciplines of both Biblical Studies and the natural sciences can be quite challenging and much of the material is rather complex and very hard to explain in an easy to understand way. Ever since I finished my first masters degree at Regent College back in 1997, I have always felt that there was a tremendous need to take what is learned at the graduate level and make it accessible and understandable to people who will probably never take formal courses in Biblical Studies. The same holds true for the academic disciplines of the natural sciences. In short, in order to have any kind of thoughtful, critical debate over the issues involved in the creation/evolution debate, one needs to be able to see the biblical and scientific landscapes clearly first. In order to build any kind of argument, one needs to have a solid foundational knowledge upon which to build.
Having said all that, I have recently read Gregg Davidson’s Friend of Science, Friend of Faith, and I can say that if one is looking for a kind of book that lays out the questions and issues that often come up in the creation/evolution debate, one will not be able to do much better than Davidson’s book. It is clear, well-organized, thoughtful, and well-articulated all the way through.
An Overview of the Book
The book is laid out into five sections: Part 1—“Conflicts New and Old,” in which Davidson first relates a story about a person’s crisis of faith when faced with the findings of science (chapter 1), and then discusses the debate that raged back in the time of Galileo over the issue of heliocentrism (chapter 2). Like the current creation/evolution debate, the conflict concerning heliocentrism boiled down to some fundamental misunderstandings regarding Scripture and science can/cannot relate to Scripture. When it gets right down to it, Davidson argues, there are three fundamental questions that need to be addressed: (1) Does the infallibility of Scripture rest on a literal interpretation of the verses in question? (2) Does science conflict with the intended meaning of Scripture? and (3) Is the science credible?
With that, he moves on to Part 2—“The Meaning of Scripture,” in which he discusses nature and biblical inerrancy (chapter 3), the issue of Matthew and Luke’s genealogies in relation to Genesis (chapter 4), and then the particulars of Genesis 1-2 itself (chapter 5). In chapter 3, Davidson spends some time discussing the concept of accommodationism by putting forth five objections to accommodationism and then answering those objections. Perhaps the following quote sums up Davidson’s argument in chapter 3: “Yet it appears evident that God was content to use the common understanding of nature at the time of writing to communicate truth about the kingdom of God” (38). In chapter 4, a rather short chapter, Davidson argues that the genealogies of both Matthew and Luke simply aren’t following the modern assumptions we have about writing genealogies. Rather, they are primarily making theological points about Jesus and were not trying to be exhaustive. In chapter 5, Davidson goes through many of the key issues and concepts that are necessary to understand the early chapters of Genesis. Among other things, he details the problems that occur if one tries to impose a literal interpretation on Genesis 1-2, he discusses the meaning of the Hebrew word raqia (i.e. firmament), and the literary structure of Genesis 1 itself. In addition, he answers three common objections to the claim that Genesis 1-2 shouldn’t be interpreted literally: (A) That Genesis 1 isn’t Hebrew poetry, (B) That the parallel structure of Genesis 1 fails, and (C) That since Jesus quoted from Genesis 1, it must, therefore be a historical account.
Part 3—“Conflict?” is comprised of chapter 6: “Does Modern Science Conflict with Scripture?” In a word, Davidson’s answer is, “No.” In making his argument, he proceeds to touch upon issues like (A) The origin of the universe ex nihilo, (B) The origin of life on the earth, (C) The origin of man, (D) Death and the Fall, and (E) Noah’s Flood.
Part 4—“The Credibility of Modern Science” is comprised of four chapters. Chapter 7, “Confusing Science and Philosophy,” stresses something that I have long noted, namely that there is a crucial difference between evolution as a scientific theory, which isn’t necessarily antithetical to Scripture, and the worldview of philosophical naturalism, which decidedly is antithetical to Scripture. Science can only describe the processes within the natural world; it cannot speak to whether or not there is a God who created the natural world. Chapter 8, “Questions of Age—Universe and Earth,” deals with just what the title suggests. In the chapter, Davidson very clearly explains the reasons why scientists determine the universe is about 14 billion years old and the earth is about 4.6 billion years old. He discusses starlight, the sedimentary layers in the earth, and both the relative absolute dating methods that are used. Chapter 9, “Evolution and the Origin of Life” delves into the issue of fossil order in the earth’s layers, as well as the issues regarding past extinctions and transitional fossils. In explaining the accepted scientific explanations for all these things, Davidson also addresses the typical YEC explanation that all the sedimentary layers and fossils were laid down during a world-wide flood a little over 4,000 years ago and shows how such an explanation fails to hold up under scrutiny. Finally, chapter 10, “The Origin of Man” deals with the issue of common ancestry and earlier hominids, including Neanderthals.
Part 5—“War of Words,” takes an in-depth look at YECism, creation science, and Intelligent Design. In chapter 11, “Creation Science-Behind the Curtain,” Davidson details the numerous ways in which YECists simply mislead people with a series of false dichotomies, half-truths, and other ways in which they distort scientific evidence. In chapter 12, “Dawn of the YEC Evolutionist,” Davidson highlights the ironic ways in which YECism has “evolved” over the past few decades, to the point where YECism today practically argues for a kind of hyper-evolution over the span of a mere 4,000 years that simply defies belief. In chapter 13, “What About Intelligent Design?” Davidson details the various shortcomings of the ID movement. The final chapter, “Opening Doors,” is really a short epilogue in which Davidson concludes with his view that the bad science of YECism and ID end up presenting a diminished view of God’s artistry and God’s righteousness, as well as a diminished witness.
A Very Enthusiastic Endorsement
Obviously, I cannot go into detail with everything that Davidson presents in his book. That is what reading the entire book is for. All I can say is that if you are looking for an extremely well-written book that you don’t have to have a PhD in science to understand and that clearly lays out the most important issues in the creation/evolution debate from an informed perspective of a Christian who is an expert in the scientific field, you simply cannot go wrong with Gregg Davidson’s Friend of Science, Friend of Faith. Having spent 16 years teaching in Evangelical Christian high schools (even though I taught Biblical Studies and English), I can say that this is the kind of book that every science teacher in Christian schools should read, for it shows a love for Scripture and a love for science. Most importantly, it shows how, as Davidson’s book title says, a Christian can be a “friend of science” as well as a “friend of faith.” If you know anyone who teaches science at a Christian school, this book would be a great source of encouragement.
Adding this one to my list!