Baby Dinosaurs on the Ark? The Bible and Modern Science and the Trouble of Making It All Fit
CHRISTIAN BELIEF
Janet Kellogg Ray Foreword by Deborah Haarsma
A scientific look at creationism from a former creationist
Janet Kellogg Ray is an enthusiastic science educator who blogs at JanetKRay.com on the intersections of science, faith, and culture. Raised a creationist, she is uniquely equipped to explain evolution to questioners, doubters, deniers, and those who just want to know more about the science of origins.
A significant number of Americans, especially evangelical Christians, believe Earth and humankind were created in their present form sometime in the last 10,000 years or so—the rationale being that this is (presumably) the story told in the book of Genesis. Within that group, any threatening scientific evidence that suggests otherwise is rejected or, when possible, retrofitted into a creationist worldview. But can this uncomfortable blend of biblical literalism and pseudoscience hold up under scrutiny? Is it tenable to believe that the Grand Canyon was formed not millions of years ago by gradual erosion but merely thousands of years ago by the Great Flood? Were there really baby dinosaurs with Noah on his ark? Janet Kellogg Ray, a science educator who grew up a creationist, doesn’t want other Christians to have to do the exhausting mental gymnastics she did earlier in her life. Working through the findings of a range of fields including geology, paleontology, and biology, she shows how a literal interpretation of the book of Genesis simply doesn’t mesh with what we know to be reality. But as someone who remains a committed Christian, Ray also shows how an acceptance of the theory of evolution is not necessarily an acceptance of atheism, and how God can still be responsible for having created the world, even if it wasn’t in a single, momentary, miraculous event. “This is a well-written, insightful, and accessible book with pitch-perfect and well-balanced tone. I couldn’t help but to be drawn into the stories that punctuated the treatment.” — JOHN H. WALTON Wheaton College
“If you are . . . wondering if there is any way that Christian faith and evidence-based science can work together, Janet Ray is an able guide. She is a biology teacher and a Christ-follower who invites you to walk alongside her in her journey and provides an engaging overview of the views, evidence, and arguments on origins science.” — DEBORAH HAARSMA from the foreword
978-0-8028-7944-8 | Paperback | 229 pages | $17.99 US | $23.99 CAN | £13.99 UK | Available September 2021
Questions Christians Aren’t Supposed to Ask James V. Brownson Why should anyone believe in God in a world with so much pain? Why should I become a Christian when I find the public agenda of many Christians so offensive? I have been hurt by the church in the past. Why should I bother with it now? Most Christians have found themselves in conversations with nonbelieving friends and family where these kinds of questions have come up. In fact, most Christians have probably found themselves asking these questions too. But everyone who has ever wondered about such complicated things knows that this is dangerous territory—after all, what if there’s no easy answer? This book welcomes and encourages these questions that Christians “aren’t supposed to ask.” In each chapter, James Brownson introduces a particular question and then reframes it with a relevant passage from the Bible, bringing to bear his expertise as a biblical scholar. Rather than providing dogmatic (and ultimately unsatisfying) “Sunday school answers,” he explores the questions in provocative ways that often challenge the status quo of American Christianity. Fittingly, each chapter closes with discussion questions and suggestions for further reading, so that the conversations begun here can continue among the book’s readers in fruitful ways. James V. Brownson is the James and Jean Cook Professor of New Testament at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. He is also the author of Bible, Gender, Sexuality and The Promise of Baptism.
“Jim Brownson is one of the most important biblical scholars writing today, and in this book, he lends his theological expertise to a variety of contemporary issues that often prove to be stumbling blocks for young people and others wrestling with doubts about Christianity. From the problems of hypocrisy and abuse in the church to theological debates about sexuality, hell, and women’s roles, Dr. Brownson offers important insights from Scripture to help Christians think more clearly about complex topics.” —MATTHEW VINES author of God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case for Same-Sex Relationships
978-0-8028-7841-0 | Paperback | 176 pages | $17.99 US | $23.99 CAN | £13.99 UK | Available June 2021
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