Literature Reviews

A review of the book, Creation Compromises. Published in Origins v. 23, n. 1.

This descriptive analysis provides a comprehensive and wholistic view of Creation in the Book of Psalms.

Long ago, the Psalmist recorded a gem of inspiration: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Nature calls us to recognize its Creator and nature invites us to probe its mysteries. Within the context of that call and that invitation, there need be no conflict between biblical Christianity and science, between faith and reason. A scientist can indeed be a Christian.

Claims that Christianity upheld the idea of a flat earth through the so-called "Dark Ages" until finally the light of science revealed the true sphericity of the world are fabrications of anti-Christian writers. The overwhelming majority of Medieval thinkers believed in a spherical earth. Such false stories have caused many to "retro-progress," with an increase in ignorance rather than in knowledge. Published in Origins v. 22, n. 1.

A structural study of Genesis chapters 2 and 3 reveals the presence of a chiasm in the narrative and strongly suggests the unity of the story as argued by scholars.

Both secularists and religionists have misused the fame of Darwin's name to bolster their claims. Darwin's true views on religion, although not completely known, were somewhat mixed, and it would be better not to invoke his name to support either side. Published in Origins v. 21, n. 2.

A review of the book, The Creationists: The Evolution of Scientific Creationism. An extremely useful work which goes a long way toward dispelling many of the commonly accepted myths about creationists. Published in Origins v. 21, n. 2.

The effort by secular humanists to eliminate religion, particularly Christianity, from education, the media and the culture in general threaten to impoverish our future and jeopardize human freedom. Published in Origins v. 20, n. 2.

Early in the history of paleontology, a university professor with an interest in fossils was tricked into collecting fabricated objects as fossils and published a book illustrating these false productions. As a result, Johann Beringer was ridiculed unmercifully. This is not a good example to follow. We all make mistakes, and we should show compassion when we find errors in the work of others. Published in Origins v. 19 n.2.

This study addresses the problem that is presented by the common literary critical appraoch to the two creation narratives in Genesis 1 and 2. Published in Origins v. 16, n. 2.

One day a minister said to me, "There seems to be a contradiction between chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis. Chapter 1 tells us that God created the animals first and then created man, but chapter 2 says that God created man before the animals. How do you ex plain this difficult problem?"

The first two chapters of the Bible deal directly with the question of human sexuality. Not only is human sexuality presented as a basic fact of creation, but an elucidation of the nature of sexuality constitutes a central part of the Creation accounts.

The translation of 1781 as the preposition "with" removes the anomaly of the stars being created on the fourth day of the creation week. It follows that the issue of the creation of the stars is not necessarily a specific topic within the horizon of the creation pericope of Gen 1:1-2:4a.

A review of the book, The Genesis Debate. Several questions regrding interprations of Genesis 1-11 are addressed, with both Yes and No responses representing different points of view. Published in Origins v. 14, n. 1.

Throughout the Old Testament the phrase, "the heavens and the earth," is used as the nearest Hebrew equivalent to our term, "universe."

I hope to illustrate how an approach that attends to the culture, history, philosophy and religion of the Bible's time and place can enhance our understanding of its message.

the basic framework of the geologic column was founded by men with respect for Scripture, who, although not holding to conservative interpretations, opposed organic evolution. Published in Origins v. 9, n. 1.

Climates have changed signficantly over time, resulting in movements of humans and other species. Published in Origins v. 9, n. 1.

The crucial questions on the relationship of Genesis and geology, of religion and geological science nearly all hinge in some way on one's understanding of the meaning and significance of the geologic column. It is important, therefore, to understand something of its origin as a system. Published in Origins v. 8, n. 2.

The way we perceive God, the way we look at the world around us, and the way we understand our own selves all have their roots in the opening verse of Scripture: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."