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The Quest
Every day, scientists make thousands of new discoveries as they uncover the wonders of God's creation. At the same time, scientific theories about evolution and the origin of the universe challenge traditional Christian beliefs about God's creation. Did God really create human beings by evolution? Or are the Bible's stories of the Garden of Eden and the Great Flood true? Can we ever hope to answer these hard questions?
What if these challenges aren't merely problems to be solved but an invitation to a lifetime of discipleship seeking God? Thus begins The Quest, a unique perspective on creation and evolution that encourages faith, commitment, and curiosity in the face of uncertainty. Science and biblical creation walk hand in hand as we explore God's creation. God calls us to experience the joy of questions and the beauty of His handiwork on The Quest.
What if these challenges aren't merely problems to be solved but an invitation to a lifetime of discipleship seeking God? Thus begins The Quest, a unique perspective on creation and evolution that encourages faith, commitment, and curiosity in the face of uncertainty. Science and biblical creation walk hand in hand as we explore God's creation. God calls us to experience the joy of questions and the beauty of His handiwork on The Quest.
- GenresNonfiction
146 pages, Paperback
Published December 6, 2018
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49 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 2, 2021
I was required to read this book for Liberty University Course CRST290: History of Life. Author Todd Wood is apparently friends with the professor of the course and thus I assume is cause for this book being used as course material. With that being said that none of this influenced my perspective on the quality of the book.
Wood is a very well educated man. By far he writes the book in a very easily read manner for those who are not super well versed in evolution and creation topics. He also does a great job at holding true to his personal conviction of remaining a young-earth creationist, despite the issues that he explores. With this being said I think much of what Wood discusses is out of his wheelhouse. He seems far more versed in biology than archeology or paleontology, which are more of the focus in this book. At least to me I feel like this book did an okay job at starting the discussion but failed to get deep into the issues from both perspectives. I understand that many of these issues are not really able to be answered with the science we currently have. However I just wish the book was a bit more involved and in-depth.
Wood is a very well educated man. By far he writes the book in a very easily read manner for those who are not super well versed in evolution and creation topics. He also does a great job at holding true to his personal conviction of remaining a young-earth creationist, despite the issues that he explores. With this being said I think much of what Wood discusses is out of his wheelhouse. He seems far more versed in biology than archeology or paleontology, which are more of the focus in this book. At least to me I feel like this book did an okay job at starting the discussion but failed to get deep into the issues from both perspectives. I understand that many of these issues are not really able to be answered with the science we currently have. However I just wish the book was a bit more involved and in-depth.
September 17, 2024
The title of this book is a bit of a misnomer. Dr. Wood spends very little time actually talking about hard problems in creation science. Essentially only one chapter out of the ten deals with these problems. The main theme of the book is really an encouragement to live with uncertainty. He argues that Christians should be comfortable identifying areas where creation science models don’t seem to fit observable data, and do the hard, slow work of bringing these into harmony. Dr. Wood does take rather a long time to come to this thesis, however. In the early chapters it’s not clear what main point he is trying to defend. The writing is also frequently disjointed, lacking strong flow or connection between ideas even within a chapter.
I also note that Dr. Wood seems too quick to accept new "findings" in anthropology as legitimate. For example, he treats both Australopithecus sediba and Homo naledi as true hominid species based on early reports with very limited evidence. But Dr. Lee Berger, who "discovered" both, has been shown to be very sloppy, particularly with Homo naledi, and few even in the evolutionist community accept Homo naledi as actual hominid remains.
I also note that Dr. Wood seems too quick to accept new "findings" in anthropology as legitimate. For example, he treats both Australopithecus sediba and Homo naledi as true hominid species based on early reports with very limited evidence. But Dr. Lee Berger, who "discovered" both, has been shown to be very sloppy, particularly with Homo naledi, and few even in the evolutionist community accept Homo naledi as actual hominid remains.
May 27, 2021
Todd Charles Wood is a trained evolutionary biologist, yet holds firmly to a young earth creationist view. He is a paradox and certainly an outlier in the science world which made this such a great read. The content is an even blend of science, reasoning, morality and the bigger picture of seeking truth as Christ-followers. Guarded by honesty and humility, Wood encourages his readers not to “shy away from the hard questions,” or dig your heels in on something we don’t truly know. Science and the message of salvation are interwoven for him on this quest of discovering more of God’s creation. He bridges a gap between science and faith so wonderfully. In our ever-dividing world, there is a real offer of hope to better understand one another. Highly recommend this to anyone seeking deeper understanding or are curious of creation, faith and science.
September 1, 2018
I consider this book to be a congenial, honest, and inspiring invitation to "the Quest" - the attempt to integrate science and faith in a God-honoring way. The goal of the quest? To understand God and His creation. Dr. Wood has a background in both creation studies and evolutionary biology, which might make some people extremely uncomfortable. But Dr. Wood is clear and upfront with his position: he is a young-earth creationist and he wants to understand truth and move creation science forward. How? With new models and paradigms which will carry the field beyond its sometimes-history of just delegitimizing evolutionary science, etc. and instead focus on good science informed by the word of God. He is uniquely positioned as a scientist to issue the invitation in this book. Recommended.
October 2, 2019
Moving past the “science vs religion” stalemate
Todd Wood inspires and challenges in this deeply personal book. For too many Christians, science represents either a foe to be defeated or a weapon to be wielded. In The Quest, Todd reframes the entire proposition of science, taking us back to the foundations of science as the pursuit to understand the great works of God. For believers and pursuers of the Creator and giver of all good things, science - not merely creation science - can become a rich avenue for devotion and worship. While I believe that apologetics has a right and needful place, books such as The Quest are a refreshing change of outlook, one that moves beyond the adversarial and invites us to learn more of our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer.
Todd Wood inspires and challenges in this deeply personal book. For too many Christians, science represents either a foe to be defeated or a weapon to be wielded. In The Quest, Todd reframes the entire proposition of science, taking us back to the foundations of science as the pursuit to understand the great works of God. For believers and pursuers of the Creator and giver of all good things, science - not merely creation science - can become a rich avenue for devotion and worship. While I believe that apologetics has a right and needful place, books such as The Quest are a refreshing change of outlook, one that moves beyond the adversarial and invites us to learn more of our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer.
September 10, 2018
This book should be part of the required curriculum of anyone pursuing a well-rounded understanding of the Creation debate within the Church.
The greatest contribution of this book is its tone, one that is humble, honest and stays within the orbit of the two greatest commandments: love God, love your neighbor.
The Quest also provides a good dose of history which is essential to the context of today's discussions.
If you are looking for a book that is merely an echo chamber of your current beliefs on Creation, then it is not what you want...but it is what you need. For anyone taken aback by that remark, consider it an encouragement to partake of something truly edifying.
The greatest contribution of this book is its tone, one that is humble, honest and stays within the orbit of the two greatest commandments: love God, love your neighbor.
The Quest also provides a good dose of history which is essential to the context of today's discussions.
If you are looking for a book that is merely an echo chamber of your current beliefs on Creation, then it is not what you want...but it is what you need. For anyone taken aback by that remark, consider it an encouragement to partake of something truly edifying.
December 27, 2018
Great book about the quest to answer tough questions related to creationism.
As a Christian who majored in biology as an undergrad, I was interested in this book. Mr. Wood handles the topic in a refreshing manner.
As a Christian who majored in biology as an undergrad, I was interested in this book. Mr. Wood handles the topic in a refreshing manner.
December 14, 2018
Hands down the best book I've read on the tension between traditional science and the Bible. If you are a Christian, I don't care what kind of "-ism" you subscribe to . . . creationism, evolutionism or somewhere in between, READ THIS BOOK. Dr. Wood doesn't give easy answers to the big questions in creation science, but instead invites us all to join him in the quest to discover the answers.
Seriously though, read it. It's worth it.
Seriously though, read it. It's worth it.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews