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Books on creation, progressive creationism, and theistic evolution


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Can anyone recommend books on creation (literal 7 day week), progressive creationism (old earth), and theistic evolution? I'm looking for books that talk about the different positions with their scientific reasons (or other reasons) for that position. I'm not interested in books that bash other positions, but ones where a position is clearly stated with supporting evidence. I hope that made sense. I'm looking for at least 2 books on each position, if possible.

 

Thanks!

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Since there were some others interested I wanted to share what I had come up with so far.

 

 

Beyond the Firmament by Glover

 

Coming to Peace with Science by Falk

 

More than a Theory by Hugh Ross

 

Did Adam and Eve Really Exist? by Collins

 

Cell’s Design by Rana

 

The Young Earth. The Real History of the Earth – Past, Present, and Future by Morris

 

Bones of Contention – A Creationist Assessment of Human Fossils by Lubenow

 

I'd appreciate any feedback on these books or any other recommendations!

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We read and view many of the materials written and presented by astrophysicist Dr. Jason Lisle. We especially like his respectful demeanor and logical explanations.

 

My sons are working through Classical Academic Press "The Art of Argument", and we have been supplementing it with Dr. Lisle's lectures called "Ultimate Apologetics" because Dr. LIsle teaches about logical fallacies in the context of the Creation/Evolution debate. My sons have enjoyed discussing logical fallacies in a context other than advertisements or politics, especially because Dr. LIsle has a subtle and enjoyable sense of humor.

 

These materials would be in the category of six day creation.

 

We have read internet comments about Dr. Lisle by people who disagree with him, and while many do not like his Christianity, they almost all regard him with professional respect and hold him in high regard.

 

Enjoy your reading.

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Can anyone recommend books on creation (literal 7 day week), progressive creationism (old earth), and theistic evolution? I'm looking for books that talk about the different positions with their scientific reasons (or other reasons) for that position. I'm not interested in books that bash other positions, but ones where a position is clearly stated with supporting evidence. I hope that made sense. I'm looking for at least 2 books on each position, if possible.

 

Thanks!

 

 

What are the reading ages? Are you looking for books for yourself or for your kids?

 

If it is for you, I recommend Why Evolution is True and Your Inner Fish. They are both highly readable, concise but still very comprehensive. While the "Why Evolution is True" book does try to explain why Creationism is incorrect, "Your Inner Fish" makes no references at all to Creationism. If you specifically want a theistic perspective, then I have often seen The Language of God being recommended, though I have not read it myself.

 

If it is for kids, then there are these:

Billions of Years, Amazing Changes: The Story of Evolution (I have not read this, but I like what I have read in the sneak peak very much. The TOC is comprehensive. This is high on my wish list.)

Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be

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I recommend this small book, Reasonable Faith: The Scientific Case for Christianity by Dr. Jay Wile. Here's the CBD description:

While pursuing his Ph.D. in nuclear chemistry, one-time atheist Jay Wile came to the conclusion that "everything we know in natural science points to the existence of a Creator." Here he argues the scientific case for Christianity, tackling subjects such as irreducible complexity, intelligent design, miracles, creation vs. evolution, and the historical validity of the Bible. 117 pages, softcover from Apologia.

 

Just and interesting, I found his own recommendations that everyone ought to investigate this on their own and come to their own conclusions.

 

 

Now, I have a question of my own ...

 

We read and view many of the materials written and presented by astrophysicist Dr. Jason Lisle. We especially like his respectful demeanor and logical explanations.

 

My sons are working through Classical Academic Press "The Art of Argument", and we have been supplementing it with Dr. Lisle's lectures called "Ultimate Apologetics" because Dr. LIsle teaches about logical fallacies in the context of the Creation/Evolution debate. My sons have enjoyed discussing logical fallacies in a context other than advertisements or politics, especially because Dr. LIsle has a subtle and enjoyable sense of humor.

 

 

 

Are these lectures available online or did you buy the DVDs (linked here from CBD)?

 

Monica

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Monica,

 

My sons gave the DVDs to us for Christmas. I will check with them to see where they purchased them. I bought the companion book for one of the lectures in kindle format at Amazon. It is called "The Ultimate Proof of Creation." Amazon also sells Dr, Lisle's book, "Discerning Truth" which discusses this topic as well.

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  • 1 year later...

Hi,

I just joined the WTM community, so I'm late to the conversation. 

 

I'm also a Christian who muddled along in the middle of the creation/evolution argument for 30 years, feeling that neither side was completely convincing.  Finally I found resources that gave more than shallow answers to both my theological and scientific questions (what about death and sin? what about entropy? etc.).  I feel like I've found the 4-D glasses that help me see the created universe in a whole new and glorious dimension, and help me teach my sons about biology, ecology, geology, and astronomy with confidence and joy in the harmony between God's world and God's word. 

 

Since the anti-evolution perspective is usually represented well (or exclusively) at homeschool conventions, what follows is a list of resources that argue from an evangelical Christian perspective for evolutionary creation in an ancient earth and universe.

 

The Origins book mentioned above gives a pretty thorough overview of the range of Christian perspectives.  The authors are wife-and-husband scientists trained at MIT and now professors at Calvin College (Deborah and Loren Haarsma).  The book also has videos that can be viewed free online:  http://origins.faithaliveresources.org

 

Deborah Haarsma is also president of BioLogos, an evangelical Christian, pro-science, pro-evolution organization started to answer the many questions put to geneticist Francis Collins after he wrote his bestselling memoir of converting from atheism to evangelical Christianity (The Language of God).  The website at www.biologos.org has answers organized by topic.

 

Collins and Karl Giberson later wrote The Language of Science and Faith, which answers in less detail than the BioLogos website the FAQs that many Christians have about science, evolution, and faith.  My favorite section, called "A Grand Narrative of Creation," interweaves Biblical statements about the Creation with a scientific account of the development of the universe and of life within it. 

 

Giberson's book Saving Darwin: How to Be a Christian and Believe in Evolution was written by a physics and biology professor at a Christian college (Eastern Nazarene University) who began his own college days intending to be the next defender of young earth creationism, but found that the evidence pointed him in a different direction. 

 

The Fourth Day: What the Bible and the Heavens Are Telling Us About the Creation by Howard Van Till, a now-retired astronomer and professor at Calvin College, explains how he takes both the Bible and the physical Creation seriously.  This dense but fascinating book explains the ancient polytheistic context of Genesis 1 and exactly why scientists conclude that the universe and the Earth are billions of years old.  One of my favorite quotes, which may not make sense until you read it, is, "We are literally made of earthdust; and earthdust is stardust."

 

OldEarth.org is a website by a geologist who nearly lost his faith when he started working in the petroleum industry and found that the earth's geology didn't match up with the young earth creationism he'd been taught.  He doesn't address evolution, but he does have free curricula on dinosaurs and historical geology.

 

If you'd like a more detailed, downloadable guide (free) to these and other resources, you can find me at teachingscienceandfaith.net.  I'm hoping eventually to start a blog, but for now there's just one page where you can download a printable guide.

 

Blessings to you in your search for satisfying answers,

 

Carol

carol@tsandf.net

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I know this is a revived thread.  I have read and appreciated a couple on Carol's list, particularly the Language of Science and Faith book.

 

A couple others not mentioned:

 

Chance or Purpose by Cardinal Schoenborn.  I'm protestant, but I really, really appreciate the hopeful, even joyful, tone of this book.  It is part of the Kolbe Academy biology curriculum along with the Miller Levine biology book.

 

Science, Evolution and Creationism published by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine.  I bought a copy at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, but later found that NASIM had a downloadable pdf version.

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Sebastian,

 

Thanks for these suggestions, which I haven't heard of before.  

 

This is slightly off-topic, but do you know of any Christian science curriculum that accepts evolution/old earth/etc?  When my oldest was doing AP Bio last year, all we could find was either totally secular or totally anti-evolution.  If I should post this question to the general list, I can do that.  Just not sure how these forums work yet.

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Sebastian,

 

Thanks for these suggestions, which I haven't heard of before.

 

This is slightly off-topic, but do you know of any Christian science curriculum that accepts evolution/old earth/etc? When my oldest was doing AP Bio last year, all we could find was either totally secular or totally anti-evolution. If I should post this question to the general list, I can do that. Just not sure how these forums work yet.

This is why I plan to use Kolbe Academy.

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