Tim Stafford, senior editor for Christianity Today, has written a truly thought-provoking book Titled The Adam Quest, in which he interviews eleven scientists who have clung to their Christian faith while tackling scientific issues that often divide the Church. These creation scientists adhere to either the young-earth, old-earth, or evolutionary school of creation science. Young-earth creationists typically believe that God created the universe and all its contents in six 24-hour days. They claim this occurred roughly 6,000-10,000 years ago, as written in the first chapter of the book of Genesis in the Old Testament. They assert that most of the fossil distribution is the result of Noah’s flood and that we are all descendants of Adam and Eve. Old-earth creationists, on the other hand, interpret Genesis 1 differently, understanding the word “day” to mean “era”. Regarding the age of the earth, their views are generally more compatible with mainstream scientists, yet old-earth creationists deny that humans evolved from other life forms. Evolutionary creationists believe that God created all of the universe and life within, and that evolution is a tool He used to carry out that process. I admire Stafford’s ability to remain unbiased in his retelling of each scientist’s story. I read through all of the biographies without having the slightest inkling of Stafford’s position, which he offers at the end. I also appreciated the diversity of scientific disciplines the scientists represented, including geology, genetics, paleontology, biochemistry, and physics.
If you want to gain a thorough understanding of the debates involving Christianity and science, this book will not satisfy. Stafford was obviously not attempting to write a scientific textbook, nor a book about how to refute certain scientific claims. Instead, he provides us with mini-biographies of the scientists’ faith journeys, scientific journeys, and how they integrate the two. To fully comprehend their underlying worldviews, however, one must do some more digging. I recommend taking a break after reading each scientist’s biography and googling his or her name to get a better understanding of who each one is, what he or she teaches, and his or her approach to scriptural interpretation. Better yet-read their books. My main takeaway from this book is that I now have a long list of others I plan to read, such as Darwin’s Black Box by Michael Behe; Faith, Form, and Time by Kurt Wise; The Cell’s Design by Fazale Rana; and The Crucible of Creation by Conway Morris. I also have many new names and organizations to research, and debates to watch. I hope that this book will generate some discussion among Christians regarding the origins of the universe and our world. These are often avoided topics in the Church. What really compelled me to read this book is that I am a truth seeker. This is also what led me to pursue a minor in religious studies many years ago at a major public university. I wanted to make sure that I was not simply choosing Christianity because it’s what I’m familiar with. Likewise, I want to ensure that I am not simply a young-earth creationist because it’s what I’m familiar with. I now realize that there are Christians with different interpretations of the Genesis account, which deserve some recognition. I’ve been doing a lot of research over the past month and I see strong and weak arguments among both old and young earth camps. I’m also seeing how evolutionary creationism is not as heretical as I had once thought, although I don’t agree with it. After all, salvation does not rest on how you interpret Genesis 1. Most of all, what I am recognizing more and more is the complexity of God. We cannot know how or when God created everything, nor why he created. But I think it’s fun to try to figure out God’s mysteries. It’s like searching for hidden treasure. I have always thought that God made the Bible somewhat mysterious for a reason. Maybe He wants us to have discussions about Him, rather than the latest reality show, since Philippians 4:8 tells us “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable; if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.” Of course, you could drive yourself crazy trying to make complete sense of topics like God, time, the universe, and everything in it, so I don’t recommend neglecting your daily responsibilities in attempt to figure it all out. But it’s important to ponder these questions, since 1 Peter 3:15 tells us, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” And personally, I want to make sure I understand all points of view (including atheistic evolution) so that I can present them to my children when they’re older and encourage them to further investigate these topics for themselves. If you’re a parent I recommend doing the same. I have compiled a short list of websites below that may be helpful to you. When researching these different points of view you may come across ideas that seem lacking or websites that seem insufficient in comparison to mainstream evolutionist ones. Keep in mind that creation science is in its infancy. Very few people are entering the field of creation science and it does not have the funding for research or laboratories. Therefore, most creation science research is statistical and theoretical. Because there are so few creationist brains working together, they still do not have one unanimous paradigm, as evolutionists do. Every day evolutionists are working together to expand on their paradigm, but creationists are still trying to form theirs. So, read the book, check out the links, and I'd love to hear what your thoughts are! www.answersingenesis.org (young earth creationism) www.reasons.org (old earth creationism) www.biologos.org (evolutionary creationism) www.icr.org (young earth creationism) http://www.aish.com/ci/sam/48951136.html (old earth creationism) http://www.theisticevolution.org/ (evolutionary creationism) Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
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Did you know that Play-Doh is made out of wheat? So if you have a wheat/gluten allergy you might want to try making your own. Play-Doh also contains some other not-so-pleasant ingredients, like petroleum and fragrance. There are different ways to make wheat free Play-Doh. I used three ingredients: 1/4 cup natural peanut butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and 1-2 Tbsp honey. Mix it with an electric mixer and you have Play-Doh! To make a turtle, shape the dough into a shell, then use grapes to make the head, arms, legs, tail, and the rest of the shell. We've been learning about turtles lately and I'm amazed at how much sea turtles instinctively know what to do. The mom somehow knows where she was born, and travels back to that place to lay her eggs. She buries them under the sand so that predators can't find them. Then the babies hatch and just know to start making their way to the sea. Here are a couple of really neat sea turtle videos to enjoy: A couple of books that we enjoyed were:
After my post yesterday about how awful TV can be for kids I thought I would write about shows that I think are great for kids! I'm not against TV, I just think we should carefully select the shows our kids watch, and limit TV watching. In case you didn't know, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no TV before age two (this includes background TV), and no more than two hours per day after age two. I'm also not a fan of flashy, fast-paced shows. I don't think it's good for a kid's brain. Here are our favorites:
Little Bear: Ahh, Little Bear. Even saying that makes me want to relax. It's like the classical music of the cartoon world. I used to watch it when I was a kid and I loved Little Bear's imagination. My son and daughter both have wonderful imaginations thanks in part to him. I also love the cute little phrases that Little Bear, and now my kids, say. You can get these on VHS at Amazon or Ebay. The Busy World of Richard Scarry: I used to watch this when I was little as well. I love that it demonstrates all of the people in a community working together. It's also calm and teaches letters, numbers, manners, nursery rhymes, and so much more. I'm not a fan of the newer Busytown videos, which are more flashy than the older videos. We have found many of these on VHS at thrift stores. Signing Time: Ever since before my kids were born I was excited to teach them sign language. I borrowed many children's sign language DVDs from the library and none compare to these. We began with Baby Signing Time when my children were toddlers and moved on to Signing Time by the time they were about two years old. We also listen to the Signing Time songs on CD. My kiddos now know hundreds of signs and use them daily! Most public libraries carry the Signing Time DVDs. Curious George: I love that George learns a new life lesson in each episode. And at the end of the episode we get to watch real-life kids demonstrating what George learned: everything from composting to playing with pipes and water, to cooking with local produce. My kids are big Curious George fans. Their interest began with the Curious George books. Barney: This was my favorite show as a kid. I remember watching it and feeling like I was in a magical fairy tale land. Plus it teaches colors, shapes, numbers, letters, manners, and healthy relationships. It's an all-around wonderful show. We have found all of our Barney videos on VHS at thrift stores. I don't care for the newer episodes that I've seen recently on PBS Kids. They don't feel as magical to me. Word World: This is a new favorite. Everything in Word World is made of...words! All of the animal characters are made up of the letters that spell the word they are. It's really neat to see. The word friends go on adventures and face challenges that can only be resolved with the right word. That word is built letter by letter, or sound by sound. Once the word is built, it changes into the thing it is! Sid the Science Kid: My kids love to investigate, explore, and discover, which is why we like Sid the Science Kid. Plus the songs are catchy. On a side note, I think the teacher on Sid has a pretty sweet deal. She seems to have an entire school all to herself, with every teaching resource imaginable, and only four students! No wonder she's so enthusiastic! I write a letter on a piece of construction paper and he traces it with a paintbrush. Then he demolishes his beautiful letters by painting crazy designs all over the paper. It's a great pre-handwriting and letter recognition activity.
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