Aug
25

Hugh Ross

Hey, all!

It occurred to me that, given how many books I read by the scholars at Reasons to Believe — in particular, Dr. Hugh Ross — and how often I quote them in this blog, some people might think RTB is basically my only source on matters of science apologetics. Do I ever recommend books on this topic by anyone else? The answer is, of course, “No, RTB/Ross isn’t the only one and, yes, I do recommend other authors’ books.”

As indicated by this post’s title, I’m gonna give you seven such titles right now (in order by publication date):

1) The Christian View of Science and Scripture (Bernard Ramm; 1954)

Don’t write off this book simply because it is older and, in some ways, “out of date”. In emphasizing the need for a harmony of science with Scripture, Ramm — a noted Christian theologian and apologist of his day — addressed several issues of theology, disciplines of science, and differing views on the interpretation of the Creation Days. It is an iconic text for this topic, especially for making the case for OEC, having been foundational for many of today’s OEC leaders. Definitely worth the read.

2) Evolution: A Theory in Crisis (Michael Denton; 1986)

British biochemist/MD Denton, who is a religious agnostic, wrote a systematic critique of neo-Darwinism that examines the issue from various disciplines ranging from paleontology to genetics. The book was influential with several leaders of the Intelligent Design Movement. In 2016, Denton revisited his earlier thesis (and added a new argument) in Evolution: Still a Theory in Crisis. (I haven’t read this newer one, yet.) He is a proponent of intelligent design but proposes a “law-like evolutionary unfolding of life.”

3) The Creationists: The Evolution of Scientific Creationism (Ronald L. Numbers; 1992/2006)

Numbers, an award-winning historian of science, grew up in Seventh Day Adventism but became an agnostic as an adult. I read the original edition of this book (~440 pages, including end notes), which was a fascinating and comprehensive account of the various people and organizations involved in anti-evolutionism and the creationist movement. The expanded edition (which I have not read) contains another ~180 pages and delves into the recent Intelligent Design Movement, as well.

4) Peril in Paradise: Theology, Science, and the Age of the Earth (Mark S. Whorton; 2005)

Whorton, an actual rocket scientist by trade, focuses on a topic that is often give short shrift in discussion with Young Earth Creationists. Namely, he delves into the YEC claim that God would not create animals for millions of years only for them to suffer and die long prior to humanity ushering in the Fall through sin. This, they say, would not be a “very good” Creation. Whorton presents counterarguments, and his “Perfect Purpose Paradigm (OEC) vs the Perfect Paradise Paradigm (YEC)” is a great way to frame it.

Full disclosure: Whorton has been affiliated with RTB for years, having lead local RTB chapters, but he is not on their faculty.

5) Seven Days That Divide the World: The Beginning According to Genesis and Science (John C. Lennox; 2011)

Oxford mathematician/philosopher Lennox examines a few of the basic “creation” questions from history, science, and scripture. Seven Days is small but informative, thought-provoking, and well-written. In some ways, it might be seen as a successor to Ramm’s book. Everyone I know of who has read Lennox’s books (or heard him speak) love them and him.

6) Mapping the Origins Debate: Six Models of the Beginning of Everything (Gerald Rau; 2012)

Rau did a great job identifying and describing the more significant differences between the various views on origins and categorizing them into six still-fairly-broad models. They are Naturalistic Evolution (NE), Nonteleological Evolution (NTE), Planned Evolution (PE), Directed Evolution (DE), Old Earth Creation (OEC), and Young Earth Creation (YEC). (See further explanations and comments re Rau’s work here.)

7) The Creator Revealed: A Physicist Examines the Big Bang and the Bible (Michael G. Strauss; 2019)

This is a relatively short book (~160pp) and is often described as “Hugh Ross lite”. Strauss holds virtually the same viewpoint as Ross, so the book serves as a great general introduction to Old Earth Creationism, specifically from a Day-Age perspective.

Full disclosure: I think Strauss may have been involved in an RTB chapter, but (like Whorton) has never been part of the RTB faculty.

Honorable Mention) Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design (ed. James Stump & Stan Gundry; 2017)

This book is part of Zondervan’s Counterpoints series and, in effect, replaces an earlier (and less helpful) volume, Three Views on Creation and Evolution. Ross is actually one of the four contributors to this newer book, taking the “Old Earth Creationism” position. The other contributors are Ken Ham, Deborah B. Haarsma, and Stephen C. Meyer. The value of the book is in the “Four Views” give-n-take format. (I did a quasi-review of the book here.)

Several of the above titles were included among my recommendations in the following post, which I published several years ago: “So, You Want to Learn about Old-Earth Creationism…”.

Of course, this “Top 7” list is based on my personal convictions, what I learned, and my enjoyment of those which I have read. Future readings may result in a modified list sometime in the future. Meanwhile, if you haven’t read one or more of these books, I hope you will give them a try!