About the Book

The book is actually a syllabus – a lesson plan that became the framework for a course I teach to lay people in the church entitled, “A Christian Response to Evolution.” In the classroom I have a range of people -- from homemakers whose kids are in public school, to Ph.D. molecular biologists who are steeped in evolutionary training. Also, college students who are taking liberal arts courses built on evolutionary assumptions, as well as retired engineers who have been following the subject for 50 years. I couple this syllabus with some powerful DVDs (noted in lesson 1) and together they provide an effective formula for stimulating interaction among the diverse class, as well as building a robust Internet dialog thereafter. This syllabus can be used by readers to do the same within their local church.

My approach was to first become thoroughly familiar with the arguments on both sides of the creation/evolution debate, as well as become familiar with the differing Christian responses within the church. My source documents for the Christian worldview are (1) the facts of nature accessible to believers and non-believers alike through science and logic, and (2) God’s inerrant revelation in the Bible. My sources for evolutionary theory are the writings of the most outstanding proponents of evolution who in many cases are also the major critics of creationism.

This book is unabashedly a Christian apologetic. My approach is to take the works of the best Christian scientists, thinkers and apologists and translate them into digestible chunks that are accessible to a broad range of backgrounds within a church classroom setting. In lesson 1 I have attempted to give credit to all my sources, listing them in an extensive bibliography. I know I have missed many footnote credits even when I shamelessly have copied their work verbatim. But I have specifically noted these primary sources and encourage you to buy those books for your library.