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The Advancement: Keeping the Faith in an Evolutionary Age
This is a book that "unapologetically presents the biblical solution as the only satisfactory worldview for modern life in contrast to the naturalistic worldview that dominates thought today."
160 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 5, 2014
Bush is quite scatterbrained and his thesis seems to jump around without warrant from one topic to the other. Moreover, one is not sure who this book was written for seemingly trying to refute serious philosophical assumptions, but then quoting scripture about how the last days will be dark as they are now. This book was honestly quite sophomoric, and unscholarly. Would not recommend at all.
February 15, 2015
This book was awful. Bush is disorganized, following no logical pattern in his thinking. He also groups two opposing perspectives, modernism and postmodernism, into one category and thinks his arguments are sufficient to answer both. He alienates those Christians who do not read the creation accounts in the Bible literally. The only good contribution he makes is when he points out some of the inconsistencies in modern, naturalistic thinking. I find Miracles by C.S. Lewis to infinitely more helpful on these topics.
April 22, 2014
L. Russ Bush (1944-2008) was a Southern Baptist professor, apologist, and philosopher. He served Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary as Professor, Dean of Faculty, and Vice-President. In 2006, he was appointed Dean of Faculty Emeritus and the first Director of the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture. His commitment to biblical inerrancy and his astute academic publications surrounding it safeguarded biblical inerrancy as Southern Baptist Convention doctrine. He is remembered for his passion to integrate theology and culture, in hopes that the culture could be successfully evangelized for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In an effort to address the prevailing culture of modernism and moral relativism, Bush published his treatise entitled The Advancement: Keeping the Faith in an Evolutionary Age. This eight chapter book exposes the philosophical flaws of naturalism, revealing its logical inconsistencies and antireligious sentiments. Finding the terms “modern” and “postmodern” ambiguous and dissatisfactory, Bush utilizes the title “the Advancement” to describe the secularism’s aim of technological and scientific progress and its decline in religious and moral development. His text is an impressive, progressive apologetic against naturalism and for God and His intelligent design. A brief summary and critique of the text will be given, including suggestions for future discussions in theology.
Chapter 1, “The Worldview of the Advancement,” describes modernism and its forsaking of its spiritual, specifically Christian, origins. Bush compares the basic tenets of the Advancement to those of Christianity, highlighting Christianity’s central themes of stability in nature, spiritual warfare, and change as a consequence of divine intervention to counter the Advancement’s themes of inevitable progress, physical struggle, and Darwinism.
Chapter 2, “The Rise of Advancement Science,” is a dramatic telling of the rise of the Advancement, tracing its development from the scientific revolution inspired by the Copernican controversy to the emergence of uniformitarian thought and the evolutionary worldview of the modern day.
Chapter 3, “The Advancement of the Theory of Knowledge,” forms a major portion of Bush’s apologetic, in which Bush exposes the fallacies and inconsistencies of modernism’s claims regarding knowledge and truth. He demonstrates that a worldview without God (or at minimum, an intelligent designer) loses its validity as a result of its own claims (i.e., the arguments utilized against religion can be utilized as even more sufficient evidence against science). Chapter 4, “Modern Theistic Alternatives,” discusses theology’s failed attempt to integrate modernism into its doctrine and the error laden theologies such integration produces.
Chapter 5, “What is Naturalistic Evolution?,” details “Seven Assumptions of Evolutionary Biology and “Ten Axioms of Modern Scientific Thought,” discussing the underlying theories that constitute naturalistic evolution and modernism. Chapter 6, “Why Not Naturalistic Evolution?,” exposes the weaknesses of the Advancement’s position, including “Five Simple Objections to Naturalistic Evolution.” Chapter 7, “Why Not Advancement?,” uncovers the illusionary nature of the Advancement, suggesting that the implications of the modernistic worldview discredit their own theses. Bush concludes his text with the eighth chapter, “What then are we to believe?” in which he argues for Christian-based theism and defends Christ’s claims referencing C.S. Lewis’ “trilemma.”
Bush’s critique of the Advancement is indeed warranted; the logical inconsistencies of modernistic thinking are apparent to objective readers educated in matters of philosophy and theology. The Advancement is mostly reader friendly, though not as accessible as W.E. Brown of Liberty University suggests in his review. Bush’s writing style requires familiarity with academic tone and style and proficiency in following somewhat complex rational arguments. This writer is not suggesting that the laity would not appreciate this text; in fact, the common reader would benefit greatly to grasp Bush’s arguments and employ them in conversation with scientifically minded modernists and postmodernists. Still, The Advancement remains complex enough to remain off the shelves of popular booksellers and sufficiently formal to intimidate many laypersons. While intellectual proficiency ought not to be a charge against Bush, one must remember that the battle against the Advancement is most often fought in the trenches of daily life between coworkers, colleagues, and friends. Wise Christian leaders will arm the masses rather than the intellectual elite.
Bush utilizes the term “the Advancement” to replace modernism and postmodernism for he feels “Modern seems strangely old-fashioned, and Postmodern is surely a temporary name.” While he may be correct that postmodern will prove to be a temporary title for the current era, in utilizing one term (“Advancement”) to describe both modernism and postmodernism, Bush unnecessarily and inappropriately unites two very different philosophical perspectives. Modernity holds that there is “objective, absolute and knowable truth” and such truth is ascertained through empiricism and the scientific method. Postmodernity, on the hand, teaches a “deconstruction of objective truth and rationality;” truth cannot be held in absolute statements, but “is a matter of perspective only; it is something that individuals and communities construct, primarily through language.” Modernism and postmodernism are two entirely separate philosophies that produce different implications and worldviews. In a pluralistic age where many individuals concoct their own adaptations of spirituality and religion by drawing elements from one religion and perspectives from another, it is feasible to conclude that there are many postmodernists who hold to modernism in relation to science and academia but hold to postmodernity in morality and law. To this point, Bush does no harm by placing modernity and postmodernism under the same philosophical umbrella. However, Bush errs in his failure to properly distinguish the two philosophies. Perhaps this is why his argument seems to ebb and flow against modernism and postmodernism as he is uncertain as to which exactly he is opposing. The primary purpose of the text, to expose the flaws of naturalism and evolutionary worldviews, is an apology against modernism.
The Advancement does well in its stance against integrating modernism with theology. Bush indicts open theism and process theology, whose affinity for naturalistic and evolutionary science influences its understanding of God’s nature rather than allowing the opposite to occur. The notion that God is in process because the earth and its human occupants are in process is the consequence of anthropocentric absurdity and a rejection of the inerrant inspiration of the Scriptures. As contemporary Christianity continues to flirt with heresies guised as alternative theologies and postmodern doctrines, Bush’s voice is a light in the darkness beckoning the children of God to return home from their prodigal tour through secular humanism and naturalism.
Bibliography
Brown, William E. "Review: The Advancement: Keeping Faith in an Evolutionary Age," Faculty Publications and Presentations, Paper 242, (Spring 2005): 154-156, accessed April 20, 2014, http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lts....
Bush, L. Russ. The Advancement: Keeping the Faith in an Evolutionary Age. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2003.
Groothius, Douglas. Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011.
Southeastern Baptist Seminary L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture. “L. Russ Bush.” Accessed April 20, 2014, http://www.sebts.edu/faithandculture/....
September 16, 2019
A couple quick thoughts now, more to come perhaps as I my ideas continue to percolate.
On the one hand, I appreciate the work Bush is trying to do (defend a Christian metaphysic from a Naturalistic metaphysic) and think that he points up some excellent thoughts in the course of the book.
On the other hand, I think there are some serious issues present in the communication of his thoughts.
1. Bush seems to have multiple audiences in mind for his book, leaving it with the feeling of randomly skipping between genres. My guess is that it was intended for either a lay audience, or the students of a Christian university. What this means, though, is that we get a mix of philosophical text and sermon all mixed together. At times Bush engages with ideas and arguments which he seems to presume you are familiar with, leading to extended discussions on technical details of a position which do not appear to have an immediate bearing on the text. Additionally, he often jumps directly from philosophical speculation to sounding like he is preaching from a pulpit, dropping in proof-texts with little, if any, examination or explanation.
2. In an attempt to focus his arguments, Bush bundles all of modern and postmodern thought into one overarching category. In theory, this seems like it should work since both operate from a roughly naturalistic metaphysic. In reality, the two schools of thought head in rather different directions. This leaves Bush’s text jumping back and forth, trying to address differing perspectives, but without a point of reference to explain why the jumps are needed.
3. Bush uses his endnotes poorly. We are explicitly told that some of his best arguments are in the end notes, and quite a few of them run on for a good page.
4. The text itself is also rather repetitious, without any clear reason or need to recover the same ground.
5. The use of scare quotes in the preface is terrible and completely undermines the academic gravitas of the rest of the book. They give the preface a sarcastic and condescending feel, though since this tone isn’t present in the rest of the book, I’m willing to consider the option that the preface was poorly edited and missed on the nomenclature which is generally used through the rest of the book.
These are flash thoughts, which might adjust as I continue to think about the book, but for now at least you have my initial impressions. In any case, I would not recommend this book. The ground it covers can be better approaches through other authors.
On the one hand, I appreciate the work Bush is trying to do (defend a Christian metaphysic from a Naturalistic metaphysic) and think that he points up some excellent thoughts in the course of the book.
On the other hand, I think there are some serious issues present in the communication of his thoughts.
1. Bush seems to have multiple audiences in mind for his book, leaving it with the feeling of randomly skipping between genres. My guess is that it was intended for either a lay audience, or the students of a Christian university. What this means, though, is that we get a mix of philosophical text and sermon all mixed together. At times Bush engages with ideas and arguments which he seems to presume you are familiar with, leading to extended discussions on technical details of a position which do not appear to have an immediate bearing on the text. Additionally, he often jumps directly from philosophical speculation to sounding like he is preaching from a pulpit, dropping in proof-texts with little, if any, examination or explanation.
2. In an attempt to focus his arguments, Bush bundles all of modern and postmodern thought into one overarching category. In theory, this seems like it should work since both operate from a roughly naturalistic metaphysic. In reality, the two schools of thought head in rather different directions. This leaves Bush’s text jumping back and forth, trying to address differing perspectives, but without a point of reference to explain why the jumps are needed.
3. Bush uses his endnotes poorly. We are explicitly told that some of his best arguments are in the end notes, and quite a few of them run on for a good page.
4. The text itself is also rather repetitious, without any clear reason or need to recover the same ground.
5. The use of scare quotes in the preface is terrible and completely undermines the academic gravitas of the rest of the book. They give the preface a sarcastic and condescending feel, though since this tone isn’t present in the rest of the book, I’m willing to consider the option that the preface was poorly edited and missed on the nomenclature which is generally used through the rest of the book.
These are flash thoughts, which might adjust as I continue to think about the book, but for now at least you have my initial impressions. In any case, I would not recommend this book. The ground it covers can be better approaches through other authors.
November 18, 2019
Book 190 of 2019. In this book, Bush argues against Darwinian naturalism from a history of ideas perspective. He also argues against postmodernism as well as progress and advancement through discussions of the history of god ideas, and he reveals that much of what is termed postmodernism should be considered late modernism. He also makes the claim that spiritual progress is no further along than it was before the enlightenment.
I know the above is a disjointed summary, but there are a lot of big ideas in this slim book. He bounces from place to place and provides many assertions and proofs in both the text and his extensive footnotes.
I tend to agree with him that most “postmodernism” is merely late modernism. I’m pretty sold on that. He has an interesting take on Darwinism as a product of Enlightenment thinking, and despite the fact that he does not support evolutionary theory, I respect his separation of the “fact of evolution” from the “theory of natural selection.” There are a lot of places to go with the ideas. I think he does an interesting job of attacking the scientific metanarrative, and although I’m not completely convinced, I do find myself wanting to do more reading in this area of both Darwin and his detractors. It’s an intriguing and thought provoking book.
For the armchair theologian: Bush’s writing is fairly opaque. He assumes the reader knows a large amount of theology and scientific theory. I have read paragraphs and notes over and over again and still occasionally drawn a blank. In fact, I have two pieces of writing due based on ideas in this book in the next two weeks and really wish I had time to reread the book ahead of writing. I’d stay away from this one unless you have a background in philosophy and/or philosophy of science.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#gradschoolreads #seminary #theunreadshelfproject2019 #scienceandfaith #books #bookstagram #theadvancement
I know the above is a disjointed summary, but there are a lot of big ideas in this slim book. He bounces from place to place and provides many assertions and proofs in both the text and his extensive footnotes.
I tend to agree with him that most “postmodernism” is merely late modernism. I’m pretty sold on that. He has an interesting take on Darwinism as a product of Enlightenment thinking, and despite the fact that he does not support evolutionary theory, I respect his separation of the “fact of evolution” from the “theory of natural selection.” There are a lot of places to go with the ideas. I think he does an interesting job of attacking the scientific metanarrative, and although I’m not completely convinced, I do find myself wanting to do more reading in this area of both Darwin and his detractors. It’s an intriguing and thought provoking book.
For the armchair theologian: Bush’s writing is fairly opaque. He assumes the reader knows a large amount of theology and scientific theory. I have read paragraphs and notes over and over again and still occasionally drawn a blank. In fact, I have two pieces of writing due based on ideas in this book in the next two weeks and really wish I had time to reread the book ahead of writing. I’d stay away from this one unless you have a background in philosophy and/or philosophy of science.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#gradschoolreads #seminary #theunreadshelfproject2019 #scienceandfaith #books #bookstagram #theadvancement
November 12, 2018
I read this as a required textbook for an introductory graduate class in Christian Apologetics. It offers a short, to the point critique of the Materialist-Naturalist worldview from an evangelical Christian perspective. Although it is not exhaustive, it offers some poignant reflections about the implications and effects of a non-theistic, materialist worldview.
April 27, 2020
This book was a required text for a specific course- and it was phenomenal.
The author presented his information clearly and concisely without skating around any bushes or skipping any potholes. His presentation and content were sound and complete and did not shy away from the hard questions.
Anyone interested in apologetics, Christian or otherwise, would benefit from this reading.
The author presented his information clearly and concisely without skating around any bushes or skipping any potholes. His presentation and content were sound and complete and did not shy away from the hard questions.
Anyone interested in apologetics, Christian or otherwise, would benefit from this reading.
December 8, 2017
I had to read this as part of my Apologetics class at Liberty University! I was a great book about sharing the Christian Faith in today's modern world that has a worldview Bush calls the Advancement (age). I highly recommend it!
November 13, 2018
Makes a great case against 19th and 20th century notion of progress in liberal and atheistic circles. Bush combats the naturalistic assumption that humanity is generally getting better, and contends for the opposite. A good mix of Christianity, science, philosophy, and historiography.
April 29, 2010
To start off, let me say I had to read this book. I don't think that I would have read it otherwise. But I enjoyed it. The book is all about understanding the modern viewpoint of life and how that affects our faith. I found this book a little dated but I respect the idea that Dr. Bush (who was a professor at Southeastern where I go)was trying to put forth.
If you are interested in science and how it relates to Christianity, this might be a good book for you. (Might be because there are probably more readable ones out there). If you are not interested in sciene, don't bother with this one. It was hard to find too.
If you are interested in science and how it relates to Christianity, this might be a good book for you. (Might be because there are probably more readable ones out there). If you are not interested in sciene, don't bother with this one. It was hard to find too.
September 23, 2013
Gives Christians evidence, tools, and resources needed to defend their faith and find a connection between science and God.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews