Book Review: ORIGINS: A Reformed Look at Creation, Design, & Evolution

 

Haarsma, Deborah B., and Haarsma, Loren D.

Faith Alive Christian Resources,

Grand Rapids, Michigan 2007

255 pages

        At last, a book on the creation/evolution discussion that should bring light and no heat! Deborah and Loren Haarsma were commissioned by Faith Alive Christian Resources, “to aid Christians who want to learn about creation, design, and evolution.” Wife and husband are both professors at Calvin College in Grand Rapids. They were both raised in young earth creationist circles, obtained graduate degrees in the sciences, and later began to investigate all sides of the controversy. This work is an attempt to lay all the cards on the table, so to speak, and logically show which are the strengths and weaknesses.

        The Haarsmas’ Introduction lays the groundwork to show what Christians believe in common and where they differ. For instance, they say about their students, “They share a common belief about who created the universe. But they believe very different things about how God created the universe.” Some would have us believe that there are only two options, atheist on one side, using science, and Christian believers on the other side, discounting science. The authors’ stated purpose is “to lay out a wider variety of options and to examine what both the Bible and the natural world can teach us about these options.”

        Two subordinate components of their purpose are to summarize (i) what they believe God’s Word teaches about origins when it is studied using sound principles of interpretation, and (ii) what they believe God’s world can reliably reveal about origins when it is studied using sound scientific principles.

Creation       

        The many views of Genesis are summarized in the attached chart, which they, of course, greatly enlarge upon, showing both pros and cons. To take just two of their interpretations—for Appearance of Age, they comment: “God could have created the earth last week, complete with history books on library shelves…but this seems dishonest… ‘The heavens declare the glory of God’ (Ps.19:1). This verse and many other Scripture passages teach that God reveals himself to us truthfully through the natural world.” Looking at Ancient Near East Cosmology, they say, “if Christians wish to interpret Genesis 1 completely literally, they must believe that the earth is flat rather than spherical; the earth rests on pillars rather than orbiting the sun; the sky is a solid dome rather than a transparent atmosphere; an ocean of water is above the sky.” The Haarsmas then conclude this section of the book with strong scientific evidence that the universe is vast, dynamic, old, and had a beginning.

Evolution

        Now the book tackles that bug-bear, evolution. The authors define five meanings of the word but dispense with evolutionism, which is atheistic philosophy and not scientific at all. The next step is to define where Christians agree and disagree about evolution: young earth creationists, progressive creationists, and evolutionary creationists. The Haarsmas then remind us of the most basic Christian principle of love: “By maintaining a charitable attitude toward each other, Christians who advocate different responses to evolution need not break their unity as believers who work side-by-side to advance God’s kingdom.” Sadly, they have to warn us of a danger: “When students are forced to choose between [only two options: young earth creationism and atheistic evolution], they may either turn away from a career in science or pursue science but turn away from God.” They finish this section with strong scientific evidence for evolution: fossils, comparative anatomy, biogeography, and genetics.

Design

        “Intelligent design theory claims that there is evidence of design in nature and that the theory of evolution is inadequate to explain what is seen in the natural world.” But all Christians “believe that God designed the universe and that God designed life. The universe and everything in it are not the result of some cosmic accident or some impersonal process. God created them intentionally. This shared belief does not make any particular claim about when or how God brought these things into existence.” With these premises in mind, the authors finish this section with discussions of “fine tuning” and “biological complexity”. 

Human Origins

        The final section of this book turns to “Scientific and Theological Issues of Human Origins”—five possible scenarios of Adam and Eve; the human soul; original sin. The Haarsmas finish up with two honest statements that I think we all have to agree with. Their first conclusion is, “Not satisfied with any of these scenarios? Neither are we!” Their second is, “Questions about how and when God created the earth are important but they are not essential to our salvation.” How true! Let’s all remember that.

Reviewed by Glenn Wilson

October 24, 2011