Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique

by J.P. Moreland (Editor), Stephen C. Meyer (Editor), Christopher Shaw (Editor)

Winner of the ECPA Book of the Year Award for Bible Reference Works

Many prominent Christians insist that the church must yield to contemporary evolutionary theory and therefore modify traditional biblical ideas about the creation of life. They argue that God used--albeit in an undetectable way--evolutionary mechanisms to produce all forms of life. Featuring two dozen highly credentialed scientists, philosophers, and theologians from Europe and North America, this volume contests this proposal, documenting evidential, logical, and theological problems with theistic evolution--making it the most comprehensive critique of theistic evolution yet produced.

Explains why theistic evolution is not congruent with a biblical worldview Features nineteen essays written by well-known experts in their fields Designed to be used as a textbook for courses on religion and evolution Accessible for those without expertise in the subject

Genres: Theology, Science, Christian, Philosophy, Religion, Evolution, Nonfiction

1008 pages, Hardcover

Published July 26, 2022

About the author

J.P. Moreland is the Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University in La Mirada, California. He has four earned degrees: a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Missouri, a Th.M. in theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, an M. A. in philosophy from the University of California-Riverside, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Southern California.

He has co-planted three churches, spoken and debated on over 175 college campuses around the country, and served with Campus Crusade for Christ for 10 years. For eight years, he served as a bioethicist for PersonaCare Nursing Homes, Inc. headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.

His ideas have been covered by both popular religious and non-religious outlets, including the New Scientist and PBS’s “Closer to Truth,” Christianity Today and WORLD magazine. He has authored or co-authored 30 books, and published over 70 articles in journals, which include Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, American Philosophical Quarterly, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Metaphilosophy, Philosophia Christi, and Faith and Philosophy.

Reviews

[Mark McGee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a strong Darwinian evolutionist in the 1960’s and saw no reason to believe in the existence of a “creator god” because science had “proven” one was not needed. So, it was scientific arguments for “creator/designer theism” that first caught my attention as a hard-core atheist. I followed the evidence from science to philosophy to historical to textual evidence and determined that the God of the Bible existed, that the Bible is a credible historical document, and that Jesus Christ came from Heaven to earth to offer us the gift of eternal life.

I benefited greatly from meeting Christians who presented me with scientific evidence for the designer God who created the Heavens and the earth. I have continued to read both sides of the argument since becoming a Christian and to stay up with relevant scientific discoveries and arguments.

However, there are Christians who believe the scientific evidence doesn’t support theistic creation and that’s what this new tome (1,008 pages!) addresses. Given the importance of this topic to my own conversion from atheism to Christianity, the conversion of many other former atheists, and the future conversion of non-believers, I view this new book of “vital” importance in the ongoing discussion about God and science.

One of the benefits of the book to many will be that the great number of arguments and evidence are located in one volume. The authors carefully reference quotes and materials, so conducting further investigation is made easier for Christian and non-Christian readers alike.

The Authors

The lineup of authors for Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique is outstanding:

Science

Stephen C. Meyer: former geophysicist and philosophy professor at Whitworth University, now directs Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture in Seattle

Douglas D. Axe: Director of Biologic Institute, a founding editor of BIO-Complexity, and the author of Undeniable—How Biology Confirms Our Intuition that Life Is Designed

Matti Leisola: professor emeritus of bioprocess engineering at Aalto University

James M. Tour: synthetic organic chemist, is presently the T. T. and W. F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, professor of computer science, and professor of materials science and nanoengineering at Rice University

Winston Ewert: intelligent design researcher and software engineer

Jonathan Wells: senior fellow at the Discovery Institute in Seattle, author of Icons of Evolution, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design, and The Myth of Junk DNA, and coauthor (with William Dembski) of The Design of Life

Ann K. Gauger: Director of science communication at the Discovery Institute, and senior research scientist at Biologic Institute in Seattle

Paul A. Nelson: fellow of the Discovery Institute, and an adjunct professor for Biola University’s MA program in Science and Religion

Sheena Tyler: research director of the John Ray Research Field Station, current research interests and publications include aspects of bioelectric fields in morphogenesis and wound healing, egg surface structure, avian development, solar-electric power, and the biology of cork

Günter Bechly: paleontologist and senior research scientist at Biologic Institute

Casey Luskin: PhD student in science and an attorney

Ola Hössjer: professor of mathematical statistics at Lund University in 2000, has held the same position at Stockholm University since 2002

Colin R. Reeves: professor emeritus of operational research at Coventry University in the UK

Christopher Shaw: has held the positions of lecturer, reader, and professor in Queen’s University, Faculty of Medicine, and of professor of biotechnology in the University of Ulster, currently professor of drug discovery in the School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University

Philosophy

J. P. Moreland: distinguished professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University in La Mirada, California

Stephen C. Meyer: (see above)

Paul A. Nelson: (see above)

Stephen Dilley: associate professor of philosophy at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas

C. John Collins: professor of Old Testament at Covenant Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri

Garrett J. DeWeese: professor at large, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University

Colin R. Reeves: (see above)

Tapio Puolimatka: professor of educational theory and tradition at the University of Jyvaskyla and adjunct professor of practical philosophy at the University of Helsinki, Finland

John G. West: vice president of Discovery Institute and associate director of the Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, which he cofounded with Stephen C. Meyer

Theology

Wayne Grudem: research professor of theology and biblical studies at Phoenix Seminary

John D. Currid: Carl McMurray Professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina

Guy Prentiss Waters: James M. Baird Jr. Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi

Gregg R. Allison: professor of Christian theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky

Fred G. Zaspel: pastor of Reformed Baptist Church of Franconia, Pennsylvania, executive editor at Books at a Glance and associate professor of Christian theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

The Book

The book is a scientific, philosophical, and theological critique of “theistic evolution,” so it would be helpful to know the definition of what the book critiques.

“God created matter and after that did not guide or intervene or act directly to cause any empirically detectable change in the natural behavior of matter until all living things had evolved by purely natural processes.” Editors

“The model for divinely guided evolution that we are proposing here thus requires no ‘intrusions from outside’ for its account of God’s creative process, except for the origins of the natural laws guiding the process.” Theistic evolutionists – Karl Giberson and Francis Collins

What do theistic evolutionists mean when they speak about “evolution”?

“Some proponents of theistic evolution openly affirm that the evolutionary process is an unguided, undirected process. Kenneth Miller, a leading theistic evolutionist and author of Finding Darwin’s God has repeatedly stated in editions of his popular textbook that ‘evolution works without either plan or purpose. . . . Evolution is random and undirected.’ Nevertheless, most theistic evolutionists, including geneticist Francis Collins, perhaps the world’s best-known proponent of the position, have been reluctant to clarify what they think about this important issue. In his book The Language of God, Collins makes clear his support for universal common descent. He also seems to assume the adequacy of standard evolutionary mechanisms but does not clearly say whether he thinks those mechanisms.” Scientific and Philosophical Introduction, Stephen C. Meyer, p 42

I especially enjoyed how the authors summarize each chapter and section. That is most helpful in developing an understanding of the issues. Here’s one example –

“In chapters 14 through 16 we have shown that,

The fossil evidence shows an absence of intermediates between ape-like fossils and human ones, indicating that the story told by evolutionists of a well-documented continuous bridge between the two is false.
The genetic evidence shows there are many more uniquely human elements in our genome than are commonly ascribed to it, significantly more than the oft-quoted 1 percent genetic difference between chimpanzees and us. Many of these elements come from what used to be called junk DNA, but are now thought to be functionally significant. There isn’t enough time for all these differences to have been selected and fixed in the ancestral human population by purely natural means. Population genetics models that say we had to come from an original population of thousands rather than two are subject to question, and can be tested against an alternative model starting with just two first parents.Taken together, our argument leads to the conclusion that it is un warranted to discard traditional interpretations of our origin.” Chapter 16

Another example –

“SUMMARY. People of faith should reject the call to affirm the Darwinian ex- planation of life and should instead affirm the traditional understanding of divine creative action, which defies reduction to natural causes. There are three good reasons for this. (1) Acceptance of Darwinism carries a substantial apologetic cost. Specifically, if Darwin was right that life can be explained by accidental physical causes, then we must forfeit the claim that all humans are confronted by God’s existence when we behold the wonders of the living world. (2) All accidental explanations of life, whether Darwinian or not, are demonstrably implausible. (3) The common justifications for accommodating Darwin’s theory within the framework of traditional faith are confused.” Chapter 1, Three Good Reasons for People of Faith to Reject Darwin’s Explanation of Life, Douglas D. Axe, p 83

“Buy this book!” It may be the best one-volume guide to understanding the scientific, philosophical, and theological reasons for rejecting theistic evolution.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a huge book. It has taken me over a month to work my way through it. Although I have a degree in science, it is in physics. I read this book as a lay person, so to speak, without advanced training in the biological sciences. My interest in reading this book came from being taught theistic evolution in a Christian college in the early 1970s. I found out that much has changed in the fields of biology and origins since then.

Most of this book is written in a scholarly manner and may be beyond the interest of many Christians. Some of the essays are answers to critiques of previous articles and books. However, Christians interested in the issues of intelligent design, special creation, or evolution would benefit from carefully reading this book.

The book is a critique of theistic evolution: that God arranged and set everything in motion so that life would evolve without additional intelligent input. The authors define theistic evolution as the sufficiency of the undirected mechanism of mutation and natural selection as an explanation for new forms of life. (59) In other words, God created matter with certain properties so that no further activity from God was required to bring about all living things. (60)

The first part of the book is an in depth critique of the creative power of natural selection and random mutation. The conclusion is that these mechanisms do not have the creative power to generate new genetic information. The authors explain how current research shows a loss of information from such mechanisms instead. This section also includes a critique of the assumption of universal common ascent. They pay particular attention to fossil and DNA evidence.

The next part of the book looks at the philosophical aspects of science and creating theories. The authors explore how one should define science and argue that science should not limit itself to strictly materialistic explanations. Rather than science correcting the Bible, perhaps Scripture should correct our scientific ideas. (707) There have been many scientific “facts” in the past that have turned out to be incorrect. It is also noted that theistic evolution fails to explain the development of moral values in humans and the spiritual nature of mankind.

The last part of the book deals with theological and biblical issues. This section is not about the age of the earth. It is about whether Genesis 1-3 should be taken as historical narrative, reporting events that actually happened. Theistic evolutionists in general say that Adam and Eve were not the first human beings, there was no fall into sin, and God did not place a curse on the world. (778) This seriously affects the truth of the gospel and the meaning of Christ's death. The conclusion is that “belief in theistic evolution is inconsistent with belief in the truthfulness of the Bible.” (776)

I have mentioned just a small part of all of the information included in this book. It is a detailed critique of theistic evolution and the works of those who promote it. I am impressed with the amount of information this book contains. It may be overwhelming for some readers. The chapters do contain summary introductions and conclusions to help readers navigate the text and decide which chapters may be of specific interest.

“ID [intelligent design] is essentially consistent with biblical doctrine, and is supported by many scientists and theologians whose views cannot be lightly dismissed,” Colin Reeves writes. (706) Unfortunately, this book does not contain a presentation of intelligent design.

I do recommend this book to Christians who have an interest in the issues of creation, evolution, and other aspects of origins. Be prepared for a good amount of time studying this topic.

Note: I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book. My comments are an independent and honest review. Some of the quotes and page numbers I give may have been changed in the final published edition of the book.

[Christian Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the most thorough critiques of theistic evolution that is out there. The organization of the book alone should show the effort that was placed into it to ensure that theistic evolution was covered in every facet. The multiple authors cover the scientific, philosophical, and theological components of theistic evolution, and high light how theistic evolution (and Neo-Darwinism) doesn’t hold up when put to the test.

While the scientific parts of the book may be the least accessible, they are also the most informative because they break down what theistic evolutionist mean when they proclaim theist evolution. By focusing in on the definition that creation came into being under UNGUIDED premises the critics are able to not only discredit theistic evolution, but also Neo-Darwinism.

With all of that said the authors come to the consensus that theistic evolution doesn’t add up when it comes to the scientific data and is contradictory to what the Word of God teaches. Each reader may benefit from different aspects of this book, and I must admit that I think this will be one that I return to in the future to reread certain parts as they become more and more relevant in the ever changing climate of the church as more secular ideas invade the religious realm.

[Rick Dobrowolski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a long and helpful critique and debunking of Theistic Evolution. It is needed in a day when Christians are caving into pressures to make friends with evolutionists, reaching across the aisle with an olive branch of theistic evolutionist.

Each author does an excellent job with their contribution. I do recommend skimming to find sections that stoke your interest and then hunkering down in them for awhile. This also serves as a great reference book as you engage in conversations regarding this issue.

While excellent, I hesitated to give the book a full star rating mainly in hopes that a more accessible version will be put out that I can place in the hands of the average church-goer that they will actually take the time to read. For content, this book deserves 5 stars, for length and conciseness, it earns 4.

[J.W. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Theistic Evolution is, without a doubt, the most comprehensive collection of arguments against the eponymous position that I know of in existence. But that is not to say there is going to be much new here for those who have read about science-faith issues. Indeed, though almost every chapter is first published here (except where otherwise noted in a few chapters), most of the arguments have been dealt with or have been ongoing for years, if not decades. Here, I can only offer the briefest interaction with the massive work (but see my longer interactions linked below).

The scientific section is largely outside my area of expertise, so I’ll limit myself to a few broad comments. Time and again, various authors move from saying that scientists cannot determine the exact order of a certain evolutionary chain to saying that there is therefore no such chain. This is deeply mistaken, though I admit I used to buy into this type of anti-evolutionary argument myself. At first it sounds compelling, until one considers that nowhere else do we allow this reasoning. For example, we would not say that no automobile accident happened just because we could not determine the exact order in which individual parts of the cars involved were crushed. Another difficulty with the scientific part of the book is that time and again, the assertions are made that theistic evolutionists do not allow there to be design as a possibility or God acting in nature; yet this is false at best and disingenuous at worst.

The philosophical critique falls largely flat. For one thing, a constant refrain is that theistic evolutionists are no different from atheists when it comes to methodological naturalism, yet this strangely ignores the “theistic” part of the term theistic evolution. Because proponents of said position are theists, they clearly allow for divine activity, and major proponents of the theory like those at Biologos constantly affirm this. Second, assertions that evolution would not allow for theism in the first place also fail both because Christians from the beginning of interaction with evolution have noted that God could simply have ordained the whole process and because those Christians who think in Aristotelian terms can still have final ends in mind with evolution, even on the level of individual species.

The theological critique musters perhaps the strongest arguments in the book, but even here there are a series of blunders that undercut much of the case. In the chapter on the Old Testament, for example, the author fails to defend or even define the meaning of the term “history” and its use to describe the early chapters of Genesis. In the chapter on the New Testament, the author strangely insists that Jude must mean Genesis is “historical” (again failing to define or even touch on what that term is supposed to mean here) while also dismissing claims that other parts of Jude would make other events historical. Then, the author turns around and says that because Jude cites the book of 1 Enoch, that means some parts of 1 Enoch are historical while others aren’t. Which are which? Well, clearly, whichever parts benefit the author are historical; those that don’t are not. Moreover, the same author does not at any point defend the notion of taking a genealogy in the way that we Westerners in the 21st century take it, despite the genealogies in the New Testament being written in an ancient time with a completely different culture. In the chapter on historical Christian theology, the word “creation” is wielded like a sword, leading to some possible confusion on categories related to Aquinas and others.

Definitions are clearly very important in the book, though vastly important terms like “history” or “historical narrative” are thrown about without ever interacting with them. This, despite the intense debate in the field of history about the changing meaning of the term and how history is written. The definition of Theistic Evolution–“God created matter and after that did not guide or intervene or act directly to cause any empirically detectable change in the natural behavior of matter until all living things had evolved by purely natural processes” (67)–given in the book fails to adequately account for the range of beliefs of theistic evolutionists and does not draw adequately from major TE groups. Nevertheless, the authors use that definition as though it can exclude or include people in the umbrella term. Not only that, but some authors rail against TEs for things the definition that the editors themselves endorse use make clear TEs don’t all believe. Prominent Christian philosopher J.P. Moreland is among those who attack TEs for denying a historical Adam and Eve, yet the definition that the editors provide does not actually exclude this belief in any way.

Overall, Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique does not contribute much new to the intrafaith debate about evolution. For one thing, as noted above, it fails to adequately interact with the actual views of those who hold to theistic evolution, while also failing to acknowledge the breadth of thought such a position represents. Additionally, the arguments presented herein have largely been encountered in other works throughout the science-faith debate. Finally, many of the arguments presented herein are either circular or self-refuting. As noted briefly above (and in more detail in my extended analyses on my site), several authors simply assert that parts of the Bible are “historical” and then use that to batter theistic evolution, as if no serious exegesis has been done on the other side. Where exegesis is addressed, it is typically perfunctory and laced with dismissals of rival positions. I cannot recommend the book to those wishing to have a full and honest discussion of theistic evolution, though if it does truly represent the best of the best by way of critique of theistic evolution, I would say that those holding to that position may sleep soundly.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of the book for review by the publisher. I was not required to give any specific kind of feedback whatsoever.

[C.H. Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure first: I am committed to young-earth creationism, because I believe that is the best understanding of the biblical record. Theistic Evolution does not promote such a position. It is, rather, a tour-de-force of the best arguments of the Intelligent Design (ID) movement. The ID movement leaves aside the question of the age of the earth and instead directly attacks the main vehicle of evolution: random change over time coupled to natural selection of the fittest. ID argues that the panoply of created things clearly displays the marks of design, and therefore the existence of a Designer. This is set in opposition to the notion of theistic evolution, in which it is argued that, yes, God is there, but his act of creation was limited to producing the initial cosmic conditions and the inherent properties of nature. From that point forward, God steps out of the picture and allows what he has created to coalesce randomly over time, eventually producing the world as we see it today. One of the arguments of many proponents of theistic evolution is that, other than the initial creation, any further act of God must be undetectable.

The authors of the essays in Theistic Evolution have compiled a compelling case, both negatively against the possibility of evolution and positively for the contention that the cosmos and all that is in it displays purpose and intention, and therefore is evidence of a Designer.

The book is composed of three major sections. The first section deals with the scientific critique of theistic evolution (and therefore evolution itself, since theistic evolution is built on it). Nine chapters virtually destroy the case for evolution, drawing from chemistry, information theory, DNA, and embryology. Seven more chapters attack the idea of universal common descent (the “amoeba to man” idea). The final chapter of the first section details how scientists are pressured to conform to prevailing theories.

Section two confronts theistic evolution from a philosophical standpoint. In nine chapters, the various authors address themselves to the philosophy of science, the inadequacies of methodological naturalism, the problem of evil, the origin of the moral conscience and more.

The last section, five chapters, addresses the failure of theistic evolution to deal with the biblical and theological data. For someone committed to Scripture, this is the best part of the book. The authors of the essays demonstrate that theistic evolution undermines twelve creation events and multiple important biblical doctrines, and does not comport with the clear statements of either the Old or New Testaments. Theistic evolution is held up against the historic positions of theologians over the last 2000 years and found wanting.

Do not expect the book to argue for young-earth creationism, because it does not. It appears that the authors of the essays (at least the majority) are more comfortable with an old-earth position (but one that clearly involves belief in an actual, historical Adam and Eve supernaturally created as the very first humans, and who fell into sin, becoming responsible for the advent of death). But young-earth creationists should not reject this book. It is a strong polemic against any form of evolution, and the arguments of the authors are, almost in their entirety, arguments that young-earth creationists will find equally useful.

Five stars, highly recommended.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected this book to be good, and it far surpassed my expectations. While I've done some study on the subject, and I've read Meyer's other two books on the subject (Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design and Darwin's Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design), this book took the arguments against evolution and specifically against theistic evolution to a new level for me. The scientific section requires some thought, but is not inaccessible. Both the scientific and philosophical sections included arguments that I've not come across before, and those arguments were quite compelling. The authors do a fine job of presenting the arguments, presenting the counter arguments and limiting the argument to say only what it can and not more.

I have read some works by theistic evolutionists, including The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief and found many of Collins' arguments less than compelling. The authors of this book do a very thorough work in addressing the arguments made by Collins and others.

An unexpected bonus was the chapters that deal with significant figures of Christian history that supposedly affirmed some form of evolution. I especially found the chapter on C.S. Lewis and his views on evolution insightful.

[Nathanael Cloutier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember the first time I had ever engaged in a debate with a non-Christian or someone who at least shared a different view than me. I was maybe ten or eleven (I don’t remember exactly what age), in class, when another student and I disagreed over the matter of whether evolution was compatible with Biblical scripture. I said no. He said yes.

Over the course of my life, I’ve found myself periodically coming back to this question. During my high school years, I was adamantly anti-evolution. I was a committed young-earther. In my early university years, I remained a so-called young-earth creationist. However, over the last couple of years, towards the end of my schooling and now as a graduated student of mechanical engineering I have significantly loosened my stance on evolution. This is a result of discussion with individuals much smarter than I am, people who have done far more study, including theological and scientific, and people that disagreed with me on the validity of young-earth creationism (YEC). I’ve found myself in a place that, to some extent, is willing to be persuaded, given a few basic theological assumptions are agreed upon.

The book, Theistic Evolution, thus, comes at an interesting moment in my spiritual journey. As I reexamine the question of evolution and the Christian faith–which, by the way, isn’t for me a dispute over faith and science (“Are They Friends or Foes?”)–this sizable collection of essays seeks to meet people, like me, where we are with valuable insight from a scientific, philosophical and theological perspective (the book is edited by folks like J.P. Moreland from Biola U, Stephen Meyer, and Wayne Grudem who provides theological contributions).

The book does well to define what exactly is attempted to be done. Meyer introduces the book’s scientific and philosophical content as arguing that neo-Darwinism and the neo-Darwinian formulation of evolution is at the very least highly contentious and, on its own, incapable of explaining macro-evolutionary phenomena. He properly notes that “Theistic Evolution” may have many definitions depending on who you ask and he even briefly comments on the definition I, personally, was espousing before I read this book. According to Meyer, evolution could either be referring to change over time (a trivial definition), Universal Common Descent (UCD), or the neo-Darwinist concept of natural selection as driving macro-evolution. Therefore, the theistic evolution position, depending on which version of evolution you agree with, could simply be a position which reconciles God’s existence and Biblical testimony with any or all of these possible definitions of evolution.

Before reading Theistic Evolution, I loosely accepted macro-evolution (a new development for me) and that the earth was old, while still holding, to some extent, to a literal interpretation of Genesis 1. I simply believed God could use evolution, if he so desired, to manage and shape His creation. Meyer identifies this position as being more properly labeled “Intelligent Design”, rather than Theistic Evolution, simply because it still maintains that God actively guides creation, whereas Theistic Evolution, otherwise defined as holding to the third definition of evolution (natural selection), asserts the random, unguided-ness of evolution and natural history. He iterates, “Other theistic evolutionists see the evolutionary process—including both the origin and subsequent evolution of life—as a purely unguided and undirected process, just as orthodox neo-Darwinists do. These theistic evolutionists conceive of God’s role as much more passive.” (Meyer, Theistic Evolution, p.218)

After this introduction, Meyer then states the target of his work, his thesis: neo-Darwinism and the doctrine of natural selection are irreconcilable with the Christian faith–these are necessarily and unavoidably problematic for the Christian. On the other hand, the first two definitions of evolution (change over time, and UCD) aren’t so problematic though UCD is disputable (and Meyer et al. do go on to challenge the theory). Natural selection means that evolution is unguided which runs contrary to Biblical teachings of the sovereignty and creative provision of God.

Wayne Grudem further clarifies the theological contentions of the book which I found to be particularly helpful. This book isn’t trying to do establish whether or not theistic evolutionists are saved. Nor is the book attempting to give an argument for the most rigidly literal interpretation of Genesis 1-3. Grudem, within the scope of the book, isn’t even interested with the subject of the age of the earth, necessarily. The fundamental issues at hand for the Christian are the philosophical presuppositions of materialism, naturalism, and so-called scientism, as well as hermeneutical methodology which too many Christians seem to be overly dismissive towards.

This book is less about outright rejecting evolution per se as it is about upholding God’s design throughout natural history and the supreme authority of the text of scripture as a source of knowledge.

To this end, I’m in firm agreement.

There is significant scholarly weight behind the vast and diverse contributions. For example, there are authors like Douglas Axe who has over a decade of genetics research experience and expertise. As I read through the scientific chapters, I recognized that, while I have (some) technical training, I am by no means a scientist. It was important that I check for (a) fairness in the presentation of scientific data as well as the representation of opposing viewpoints, (b) logical consistency, especially when dealing with the core arguments specified by Meyer in his introduction, and (c) coherence and focus within the different works from different authors. I don’t want to go deep into content but briefly share my thoughts in relation to these three concerns.

With regards to concern (a) there was a lot of information and scientific discussion that I had not yet encountered in all of my previous research on the issue of evolution. I had always wondered how macro-evolution, the development of new organs and body functions over time, was possible or explained. But never before had I considered the specific problems to be addressed within the field of genetics. It makes perfect sense to me that the issue of micro- and macro-evolution, and natural selection, be examined as a problem within genetics and genetics research. So, seeing a presentation on new developments in said research and a clear articulation of the problems confronting the theistic (and atheistic) evolutionist was extremely valuable to me. Ultimately, the scientific chapters lend to further research on the individual’s part to investigate the claims of each author.

There are plenty of citations especially from opposing viewpoints which I think does only to strengthen the integrity of the book, in general, though perhaps in places a more serious treatment of said viewpoints could have been offered.

Then, looking at concern (b), I paid close attention to the logicality of the scientific and philosophical portion, especially since I am not educated enough to fact-check much of the scientific data and claims presented, since a lot of it relies on personal research and such. It would be hypocritical for me to declare any assertion “guilty until proven innocent”, however, I think it’s appropriate to be critical and analytical towards any claims made.

Some of the reasoning concerned me. Meaning, while the data being presented was deeply interesting and compelling, and while a lot of the assertions were valid and helpful, some of the logic early on, I noticed, was familiar to me. As such was the case, I could recognize, in some cases, how one might dispute the arguments being made. But, also, some of the arguments simply didn’t follow.

For example, I find it incredibly difficult to agree with natural selection after reading certain authors’ claim that the dismal odds of a functionally significant early genetic mutation occurring render the means of natural selection nearly futile for creating new body plans. However, it’s difficult, still, especially for the atheistic evolutionist, to make the leap that since the odds of X occurring are so incredibly small, therefore, it is untrue that X occurred in reality.

An example of similarly unconvincing argumentation is in this passage:

Intelligent design makes the falsifiable claim that design, or the appearance of design, derives only from intelligence. When we observe complex processes, digitally encoded information, or finely tuned machines, we observe the appearance of design, and according to the theory of intelligent design, we have good reason to infer intelligence. Stephen Meyer argues, “If we trace information back to its source, we always come to a mind, not a material process.” Meyer’s argument is a falsifiability argument: if anyone were to present a counterexample—design without intelligence—then intelligent design’s claim would be falsified and would have to be abandoned. However, continued absence of a counterexample provides evidence for intelligent design. (Ewert, Theistic Evolution, p.199)

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. This doesn’t just apply to the case of God, but to other things as well. Absence of counterexamples of design sans intelligent causes is not evidence of the absence of counterexamples, or of intelligent design. (By the way, aside from this, Ewert very interestingly addresses various computer simulations as evidence for natural selection as a driver of evolution.)

This being said, a lot of valuable research has been done and these often times technically sophisticated portions of the book effectively perform their work in enlightening the Christian to the information that is out there, that they may not have even be aware of before. I certainly find it insurmountably difficult to accept natural selection as a valid theory, as an effective mechanism for bringing about evolutionary, large-scale change in animal species. And UCD (which I never really accepted to begin with), though not as theologically problematic, is also firmly established in my mind as a dubious idea.

(This doesn’t mean that the God-of-the-gaps objection holds any weight. We may see the rise of a new and better explanation for the fossil and geological data we see. However, I maintain, still, that God uses natural mechanisms actively to create this natural world.)

To the reader’s advantage, folks like Matti Leisola, necessarily I think, point out the fundamental problems of what I’ll call evolutionary experimentation–attempting to simulate in a lab what happens in nature so as to try and explain a phenomenon (teleology making its way into the argument for random, natural processes). Leisola, in his chapter “Evolution: A Story Without A Mechanism” weighs in anecdotally on the important influence of philosophical underpinnings in scientific conversation. He writes, “What, then, is the “modern” concept of truth? After hundreds of discussions over the years it is quite clear to me that very few natural scientists are aware of their philosophical commitments.” (Leisola, Theistic Evolution, p.159). It’s hard to dismiss the observation that few scientists consider their metaphysical assumptions when interpreting physical data. It is ever more difficult to dismiss that few are conscientiously committed to a worldview consistent with their presuppositions about reality or even try to engage honestly on such a basic plane of thought. I feel this way especially when such popular scientific thinkers like Stephen Hawing, Sam Harris, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Richard Dawkins try their hand at tackling God and philosophy (on Twitter, for example).

What are the philosophical commitments of these scientists? I have yet to find a philosophical naturalist give an answer to the question of Meaning and Morality without resorting to “you create your own meaning/good” or borrowing assumptions from theism. I wonder how many scientists even consider this problem, the subjective nature of reasoning and morality under the assumptions of materialism, when interpreting the data and coming to conclusions about the origin of life. These are fundamental problems. Necessary problems. For the theistic evolutionist, does it really make sense to borrow conclusions from a naturalist worldview and import them into a Christian one? It’s an awfully tight fit, if so.

Another great point that sums up the dilemma for the theistic Evolutionist is here:

Now, one may try to argue that evolution and design are not contradictory. However, the writings of Charles Darwin and his contemporaries, and of many others ever since, prove that they are. Darwin and his followers explicitly claim that chance variation and the law of natural selection have created all species of living organisms. If so, design is ruled out. In contrast, if design is the cause of the creation of species, then chance and law are ruled out as the creators of species. (Leisola, Theistic Evolution, p.163)

Definitions matter.

Now, on my final point of concern (c), the focus was definitely there and the consistency and fluidity was there. Of course, each author has their own style, approach and area of expertise, but each piece served a larger, unifying purpose which created a diverse, multi-faceted, enjoyable reading and learning experience.

My final thoughts are on the final theological chapters of the book. I think this section is quite helpful and probably the most important part for Christian audiences. At least, if we’re reading and studying this issue presuppositionally.

Does a consistent hermeneutical approach to Genesis 1-3 make room for the (theo)logical conclusions of theistic evolution? The problem that is prevalent in many apologetic discussions (attempted to be thwarted without apology by Grudem and company) is when scholars take their science and philosophy to the text of sacred scripture rather than allowing the text to speak for itself and inform our theology. Grudem begins, where I would, with what is theopneustos, the God-breathed text of scripture. And, in this way, he provides a refreshing pastoral take on the issue at hand. In doing so he, I think, correctly totals the spiritual expenditure for the one holding to theistic evolution. What one gains in elevating and appealing to external sources of authority over and above the word of God, one loses in internal consistency.

What follows Grudem’s chapter is the deeper analysis of the text from the conservative mostly-historical perspective with responses to alternative interpretations. Dr. John D. Currid (professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary) gives a really interesting piece against many of these popular alternative approaches such as myth and poetic literature. He presses against the theories and explanations offered by the likes of Peter Enns and John Walton. Again, more detail is uncovered that many are unfamiliar with.

In the second final essay of this volume, Dr. Guy Prentiss Waters (professor of New Testament, also at RTS) argues the confliction between theistic evolutionary theory and the viewpoints of the New Testament authors. Acting as the full-handed finale of a persuasive combination of academic hay-makers, out of plain necessity, Dr. Waters brings into conversation the thought of Luke, Paul, Christ himself, Peter, and other NT writers who all, interestingly enough, seemingly held to what one might call a “traditional” interpretation of the Genesis account, to the chagrin of those who recently may have gone liberal, abandoned OT credibility, and ventured off solely with the NT in hand.

(I think Dr. Waters’s point in section B.1. (chapter 29) highlights what is, for me, one of the most compelling Biblical arguments in favor of the historical Adam and Eve.)

As a small sample of his argument, here is one of the conclusions Dr. Waters draws from Paul’s discussion in 1 Corinthians 15:

… Paul presents the ministry of Christ in a particular light. Christ’s work of death and resurrection was not designed to destroy or eliminate our humanity. Neither was it designed so that we might transcend our humanity. It was designed to perfect and to advance our humanity. For this reason Paul repeatedly refers to Adam and to Christ, in parallel, as “man” (1 Cor. 15:47, 48, 49). If the omega point of our redemption is an eschatologically consummate humanity, then Paul’s alpha point in this chapter is the pre-eschatological humanity of Adam (v. 45, citing Gen. 2:7). To call into question the humanity of Adam or to challenge the universal descent of humans from Adam therefore has dire implications for the gospel as Paul outlines it in this chapter. Absent either a historical Adam or the universal descent of humanity from Adam, Paul’s gospel is incoherent. (Waters, Theistic Evolution, p. 907)

He would later go on to aptly handle more liberal treatments of the Pauline texts of 1 Corinth. 15 and Romans 5, for example, from Enns and Walton whom he gives extensive attention.

Theistic Evolution combines positive argument (here is what the science leads us to believe currently) with negative argument (here is why the alternatives can’t be true) in I think appropriate balance. Chapter 28 which deals with the OT teachings is more negative (and excellently so) while chapter 29 (NT) is a comprehensive, positively argued case for New Testament endorsement of the historicity of Adam and the Creation narrative.

In toto, there’s much to be learned, by all sides, by the lay man and the academic alike, from this robust and layered collection of essays critiquing theistic evolution. Often times, the relegation of one or two chapters to each author means they must reference their own work (in addition to other literature) to maintain brevity. This may frustrate some readers looking for the deepest level of detail but, especially for the avid apologist, this should be appreciated for the blessing that it is.

What I especially appreciated from this book is that (a) it treats this complex issue with enough respect that it gives a fairly lengthy, multi-disciplinary response, and (b) the theological writers affirm an elevated view of Scripture and Biblical truth. While not every single line of reasoning lands, I think, certainly every chapter provides an enjoyable and enlightening experience to the Christian reader who wants a reasonably balanced and fair understanding of the conservative interpretation of Genesis 1-3. While this work won’t end any conversation on evolution, science and faith, it can certainly be useful in giving direction to an uncertain mind and a reliable resource on the bookshelf of any apologetic preacher.

A special thanks to Crossway for supplying a complimentary copy of “Theistic Evolution” to review through their Blog Review program

[Becky]

I'm not sure I can fairly rate this one. It's pretty technical and academic, which means a lot of it was way beyond my full comprehension, but I read it knowing that would be the case, because I like to stretch my brain. This was a pretty big stretch for me, so there were quite a few parts that weren't necessarily *fun* to read (super challenging), but I read every word nonetheless. So. I learned/understood enough to keep going, which means it was interesting even when difficult. If I were a little smarter, this would probably be a solid 4, but again, I'll just leave it unrated and let smarter people decide for themselves.

[Russell Threet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theistic Evolution is a theological book full of practical, useful, and biblical wisdom. In a culture that continues to reject God's account of Creation the church has drifted into time and again theology that would seek to reconcile God's perfect truth with man's wisdom. This book presents excellent arguments against this approach. I believe this book would be useful for all Christians from new Christians to pastors because it does such a good job of dissecting the issues surrounding belief in evolution and its march into the church posing as a God centered idea. Great book.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theistic Evolution and Christianity as a Harmless Delusion

I eagerly bought this book when it first came out, but at almost 1000 pages and 31 chapters, it sat on my shelf for four or five years before I finally picked it up. And when I finally did pick it up four months ago, I found it to be not exactly a page-turner, but a dense, thorough read that requires careful attention. As it turns out, one of the editors, Stephen Meyer was interviewed about it one time, and expressed some surprise as to the success of the book sales. They were expecting it to be a modestly-selling reference work but not enjoy anything like the number of sales that it has. This reveals a hunger in the evangelical world for a comprehensive evaluation of the subject. But then that explains the density of the writing.

Why do you need a thousand pages to deal with the subject? Because when you start into the subject, it becomes clear that adding the word “theistic” to “evolution” doesn’t sharpen the focus too much. “Evolution,” of course, can mean multiple things, and the equivocation and lack of precision that has plagued the subject from the beginning is also evident in its theistic version.

You’d think that what many have observed to be the defining characteristic of “evolution” as it is understood today – a denial of design – would be clarified when the existence of a Designer is affirmed. Not so. I always thought that theistic evolutionists all agreed that though evolution was the correct interpretation for biological history, that nonetheless it was a process guided purposely by God.

But in the pages of this book I found that even such a basic thing as “purpose” and “guidance” is disputed in the camp. There are those who believe that the only contribution that “theistic” makes to evolution is that God created the starting materials of the universe, natural laws and the potentialities of matter, and then let it go to unfold on its own. They wouldn’t even concede that human beings were the intended goal of the process. If you could turn back the clock and start it again, perhaps the image of God would have manifested itself in some other, completely unrecognizable creature.

So “theistic evolution” is a very broad tent indeed. But it seems that one commonly-held characteristic that those in this camp hold is a low view of natural theology, the idea that nature actually gives us knowledge about God. I wonder if this is a left-over from the Enlightenment critique by Immanuel Kant who, as an empiricist believed that we could only know what our senses have access to. And so he could claim to be a Christian while at the same time denying that we could know anything about God. God had to exist to give things meaning, but we could access the spiritual realm only by a blind leap of faith, not by reason.

Contributing author J.P. Moreland, in the section of the book dealing with philosophical issues, gets into some of this in his chapter entitled “How Theistic Evolution kicks Christianity out of the plausibility structure and robs Christians of confidence that the Bible is a source of knowledge.” He defines a plausibility structure as a set of background assumptions that a culture has that sets the framework for what people would consider to fall within the realm of knowledge, and what is merely personal belief. And he argues that theistic evolution has largely bought into this post-Enlightenment science-centered plausibility structure.

Maintaining that scientism, even in its weak form, is false, Moreland argues that adopting this view inevitably places biblical teaching outside of the realm of knowledge. Biblical claims must always be scrutinized and adjusted according to the latest scientific (read “knowledge”) claims but never the other way around. And this is pernicious.

To make the point, he quotes J. Gresham Machen, whose words simply must be quoted in full:

“God usually exerts that [regenerative] power in connection with certain prior conditions of the human mind, and it should be ours to create, so far as we can, with the help of God, those favorable conditions for the reception of the gospel. False ideas are the greatest obstacles to the reception of the gospel. We may preach with all the fervor of a reformer and yet succeed only in winning a straggler here and there, if we permit the whole collective thought of the nation or of the world to be controlled by ideas which, by the resistless force of logic, prevent Christianity from being regarded as anything more than a harmless delusion.” (p. 644)

Moreland continues: “The simple truth is that ideas have consequences. If a culture reaches the point where Christian claims are not even part of its plausibility structure, fewer and fewer people will be able to entertain the possibility that such claims might be true… Theistic evolution is intellectual pacifism that lulls people to sleep while the barbarians are at the gates. In my experience, theistic evolutionists are usually trying to create a safe truce with science so that Christians can be left alone to practice their privatized religion while retaining the respect of the dominant intellectual culture.”

There are so many other scientific and theological concerns about theistic evolution beyond this philosophical objection that this book goes into. I encourage anyone who is interested in the subject to pick it up and, if intimidated by its size, to stick to one of the three subsections, or even just an individual chapter. There is much food for thought here that can be taken in a bit at a time. True, the book is dense and not a quick read. But put in the investment, and the rewards are most assuredly there.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The science section got a little tedious, as it seemed to present the same argument many times over, just differing in the particular organ, organism, or phenomenon. There was also a discussion of the fact that the nature of science is turning away from curiosity and discovery, which I found both intriguing and discouraging.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

After this book there don't have to be any books on theistic evolution.  Put a fork in it.  It's dead.  It's not moving, and no one is going to be able to bring it back to life or even want to after this volume.  This book won the ECPA book of the year award for Bible Reference Works and it well earned it.  Like some reviewers of this book, I agree that much of what is in this book is not exactly new.  Much of what is said in this massive work of around 1000 pages that will take the reader some time to get through, no matter how quickly they read, will be very familiar material indeed.  Some of the authors directly note that they have addressed portions of the Theistic Evolution argument in other parts of their works and those who have read works from Intelligent Design writers will have seen many of the aspects of this book anticipated in other works.  Still, to see so much ink and paper devoted to beating a dead horse into such a puree that no one will be able to mistake that the theory is dead is impressive.  This book lives up to its full title and provides a devastating scientific, philosophical, and theological critique to a theory that does not really deserve the attention of these worthy writers.

This book begins with a list of illustrations, contributors, and a foreword by Steve Fuller, as well as two general introductions on the scientific and philosophical aspects of this book and then on the biblical and theological explorations of the incompatibility of Theistic Evolution and the Bible.  The first section of the book then provides the scientific critique of Theistic Evolution, which is divided into two parts.  The first part, containing nine essays, provides a discussion of the failure of Neo-Darwinism from an empirical perspective, familiar to Intelligent Design audiences, while the second part provides eight essays that give the case against Universal Common Descent as well as for a unique human origin.  After this there are nine essays that provide a discussion of the philosophical critique of Theistic Evolution which allows the reader to recognize that evolutionary worldviews of any kind rest on a (very bad) philosophical basis that seeks to define evolutionary perspectives as the only legitimate science.  Finally, the book ends with five essays that give a biblical and theological critique of Theistic Evolution that point to fair readings of scripture and their total incompatibility with what Theistic Evolution has to offer, and also note the ties between Theistic Evolution and long-discredited heretical interpretations of sin and creation.  After that there are two indices, one a general one and the other a scriptural one.

While this book is written from an Intelligent Design perspective, there are certainly aspects of this book that will be of great interest to those who consider themselves to be Creationists.  Some of the essays later in the book, it should be remembered, deal with the incompatibility of Theistic Evolution with any reasonable reading of Genesis 1-3, and those readers who would consider themselves either Young Earth or Old Earth Creationists will find it interesting to add this material to their own memory banks for future debates over such matters, if any Theistic Evolutionists are going to be willing to show their face after the thorough beatdown that this book delivers.  Still others will come to this book appreciating the thoughtful exploration of the thinking of C.S. Lewis and B.B. Warfield on matters of evolution or will cheer on the way that the authors demonstrate the clear incompatibility between the truth of the Bible and the misguided and mistaken view of evolutionary theorists and their handmaidens in the Theistic Evolution camp who want to keep alive some sort of vague God-in-the-gaps while conceding any ground worth fighting over.  I do not think, personally, that Theistic Evolution as a position deserved a book of this level of intellectual and theological rigor, but it sure got it, that's for sure.

[Lucas G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a 1000 page book, this is actually a fairly quick read. This book is a collection of essays critiquing the idea of Theistic Evolution. The first half of the book deals strictly with scientific challenges to evolutionary theory. The second half is split between philosophical and biblical/theological challenges.

The essays cover a wide range of topics from a variety of angles. The fact that not all authors agree on everything is a necessary outcome of this type. It is worth noting that another reviewer incorrectly identifies these disagreements as contradictions. Such an identification is a misunderstanding of how this type of book generally functions. That is, no two authors agree on everything, but they combine to present a defense of what they do agree on.

As a result of the multiple author format, not every essay is equally as interesting and different authors are more enjoyable to read than others. Nevertheless, chances are anyone who picks up a 1000 page book won't be deterred by that. On average, the essays are interesting enough to keep the reader's attention.

I'd say the science-focused essays were the most interesting overall. Understanding that challenging evolution is not a well-respected move in the scientific community, I think these essays are especially important because they at least raise questions that need to be answered more satisfactorily by evolutionary theorists. For example, James Tour, one of the world's leading synthetic chemists, contributes an essay that clearly outlines the technical problems with all theories of abiogenesis. The philosophical critiques were similarly interesting. One notable contribution from this section is the essay by C. John Collins outlining a robust philosophy of how to approach understanding scripture.

Unfortunately, the essays in the biblical/ theological section left much to be desired. Grudem's essay, while one of the longest in the entire book, brings little unique information to the discussion. In fact, almost every interesting claim made in his essay points to one of the other essays in the volume for further discussion. It also seemed to me that the essays in this section tried to cover too much ground and weren't able to satisfactorily defend many of the key assertions.

Ultimately, despite the flaws, this was a worthwhile read. It certainly isn't a book for everyone. But anyone who regularly engages with the creation/evolution dialogue, regardless of personal opinion on the matter, should find this volume to be a must-have resource.

[Zachary · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Theistic Evolution" is a behemoth of a book, but for good reason. In it, you will find one of the most comprehensive collections of essays that take a look at the view of God's creation known as theistic evolution (or evolutionary creationism). The book is accessible in that it compiles these essays in an easy to navigate format, breaking them up into three categories: The scientific critique, the philosophical critique, and the biblical/theological critique. It should be noted that it is quite academic, and at over 1,000 pages, not a light read by any means.

As a student of Theology, I know that it is important to approach any particular point of doctrine with a mindset that is seeking to find the truth and to do this with intellectual honesty. It is important to look at a variety of views when there is more than one view that is widely held. The topic of theistic evolution is one such doctrine that can be quite polarizing in the Christian community, with proponents of each side often making a strawman out of the other's views.

As someone who personally supports the very view this book critiques, I recognize that I need to understand the objections to my view, rather than hide from them. For some time, I was looking to find literature that argued against theistic evolution but did so without the emotion and poor theology sometimes used by others. This is not a book that argues "you just need to read the text plainly!" This is a book that presents detailed philosophical, scientific, and theological analysis.

This book is precisely what I needed.

Whether you believe theistic evolution is not true and want to learn more to support your position, or you're like me and seek to understand the very best of arguments against your view, this is a great place to start. I highly recommend this book for seminary students, theologically inclined laypeople, or anyone who wants to delve deep into this fascinating subject.

[Kevin Higginbotham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible read. Presents a three-pronged attack against theistic evolution (the idea that the world was created by an unguided Neo-Darwinian evolutionary process initiated by God but without any need of His special intervention):

1) a scientific critique of the idea of Darwinian evolution

2) a philosophical critique of the idea of methodological naturalism presupposed by virtually all evolutionists

3) a theological critique of the theology claimed and/or implied by theistic evolutionists

Although some chapters make a stronger case than others, the entire work, taken together, presents a crushing blow to the idea that evolution is a necessary belief for the well-informed Christian.

Deducted one star, however, because of the very obvious tip-toeing around the “young earth/old earth” debate. Although I certainly can understand the argument (explicitly made in one chapter of the book) that the age of the earth debate may not quite be on par with the evolution/special creation debate (although I remain skeptical that this in itself is obvious), it would certainly seem that, from the theological side, there is no more reason to believe in an old earth than there is in evolution. For someone (like, I assume, most of the authors in this collection) to claim that “the Science” is dubious about evolution but convincing about the age of the earth (especially when Darwinian science has an obviously compelling reason for the earth to be “discovered” to be old) is rather odd to say the least to me. Something of the nature of this work addressing the scientific, philosophical, and theological problems with the old earth opinion should be written at some point, and I would certainly read it if it were.

All in all, however, an extremely worthwhile read.

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique (Edited by: J.P. Moreland, Stephen C. Meyer, Christopher Shaw, Ann K. Gauger, and Wayne Grudem) brings several of the greatest Christian theologians, philosophers, and scientists together to refute the idea that theological evolution--the idea that God used evolution as His plan of creation--has any verifiable truth to it. With a collection of scientific data that begins by questioning the conclusions of scientists on the basic topic of evolution itself, critiques by scientists who have examined evolutions claims and found them wanting, and then moving to the conclusiong that if evolutionary claims are true, then the Bible can't be for they both make contradictory claims. For example, both Paul and Jesus make statements showing that they believed in a literal Adam and Eve who were the first humans--not some kind of build up from more primitive species. Theistic evolutionists often believe that either A) the Bible is being figurative when it describes the creation and the first humans, or B) there were humans out there sinning, but it wasn't counted as sin until Adam and Eve. The book concludes that the Bible is true and thus, theistic evolution is not, but it goes a long way to get there (a behemoth of 972 pages plus substantial footnotes) through a lot of sometimes deep scientific jargon and data, and often, as is the case with multiple writers, easier to understand material as well. A great book for those interested in the topic.

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moreland and co. have put together a very comprehensive rebuttal against theistic evolution, and at the right time in contemporary politics, when more and more evangelicals are accepting evolution as a fact, and not a theory.

This tome of a book goes through scientific, philosophical, theological, and historical evidences for intelligent design, and clearly shows the difficulties for not only Christians, but also athiests alike to accept the theory of macroevolution and common descent at face value. The collected group of writers independently have amassed a ton of research to support their case against all sides, bringing in scientists from their field to support the case against theistic evolution. Overall they many a very compelling case.

I came in basically believing in evolution, but unsure of its implications. I have been fully convinced in ID by the end. This is not to say I haven't done my own research, I read quite a few Pro-theistic evolution books as well (that are new, nonetheless), but none could provide rebuttals to almost any of the claims brought up in this book.

[Zach McDonald]

Crossway has managed to compile a work investigating the movement of theistic evolution that will be an excellent resource for years to come. In reality, this work will likely be used more so as a textbook and resource for citing than a work to be read through in full. However, it will come in handy for many students to engage with on their own, and perhaps even for use as a textbook and resource for undergraduate and above college courses on apologetics, Christianity and science, and other such disciplines. The contributors are very broad, which makes the collection very attractive to a wide audience, not just the reformed evangelical camp. All in all, I highly recommend this important work that addresses a topic of growing importance in our day - and there is much more at stake here than most assume.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The topic of intelligent design in conjunction with the involvement, or lack thereof, of a deity has been a popular topics for many years. Many have tried to reconcile evolutionary teachings with Scripture so as to marry science and the Bible. Does such action cause concern?

In the book Theistic Evolution, the contributors set out to show that evolution is not a viable option to explain the origins of life. By doing this, the reader is confronted with a question: if God did not start evolution, how did the universe come to be?

This book is a fascination treatise on how science and the Bible do support one another but only if one takes the Bible as it presents God as the Creator of all in an intelligent design.

*I received a review copy of this book for my participation in giving my honest assessment.

[Doug Adamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important book given the growing acceptance and promotion of theistic evolution among some prominent evangelical leaders. It is a wider ranging book covering scientific, philosophical, exegetical, theology, and historical evidences and arguments. Some of the material is very technical and may be hard for the uninformed to take in or to evaluate properly. That said, the basic arguments are understandable. I read the book in its entirety and from beginning to end but some readers may choose to read those chapters that match their interests and/or questions. It is a helpful read but it is not an easy read which may explain why it took me two months to read. I do recommend the book.

[John Kirkwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

An articulate persuasively argued God-of-the-gaps supposal. I think Meyer’s whole argument against Evolutionary Creation is that natural selection and random mutations are not sufficient to explain common descent...even if God determined it so.

The argument before the ellipsis may be philosophically sound but I don’t know how one could reasonably contend for the full statement.

In other words, while his argument may be a hit and run in regards to atheistic evolution, it is but a drive-by slander of theistic evolution that never truly travels beyond the ad hominem, association fallacy.

[Kevin Fulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a good overview on the science of evolution, and why it falls flat. If you are interested in why many Christians hold to creationism as opposed to evolutionism, this portion of the book would be worth your while.
However, the section on philosophy was substantially weaker than the section on science. It had interesting and good points, but was needlessly repetitive and would not be persuasive to anyone who isn't already in agreement with the authors.

[Tim]

This is an excellent critique of theistic evolution and of evolution in general. It is very thorough, covering the topic from the scientific, philosophical, and theological perspective. The scientific critique takes up the first half of the book. The authors do a good job of explaining the biological concepts for a broad audience; nevertheless, I came away with the realization that my C in high school biology was a fair, if not generous, grade.

[Gregory Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book that deals with the debate between Biologos and the others who uphold Intelligent Design, or a progressive creation approach. It can be technical and out of reach for most readers who are beginning in the science and faith discussion. It is great for those who are looking for detailed reasons for Christians to question materialistic evolution. The only reason I gave it four stars is it is long and would have been better as three books instead one giant read.

[Rocky Woolery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Avery good and comprehensive analysis of theistic evolution and it various shortcomings. Some of the essays are more technical than others making them more challenging to read, but they are no less vital or informative.

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent critique of theistic evolution. This book makes a great read and will help inform your position on origins. It is also a great reference work, providing extensive treatment of dozens of topics.

[Daniel Arter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is long, but it is worth reading to wrap your mind around the issues of evolutionary theory and theistic evolution. It is comprehensive because it makes its argument from a philosophical, theological, and scientific perspective.

[Eduardo Ag · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es mejor libro de evolución teista, lo recomiendo mucho.

[Jason Maples · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did I read a 1000 page book I didn’t enjoy because my pride says I can stop something I started? Maybe

2 stars bc it did push forward my thoughts on evolution and the Bible