Publisher's Synopsis
Can you empathize with a young person in high school or college who is struggling to reconcile the facts of science he is learning in the classroom with the faith in God and the Bible he was raised in? He has believed from childhood that God exists and the Bible is God's word and is true, yet he is learning in the classroom about evidence science has found that seems to contradict his beliefs. He doesn't want to give up or lose his faith, but neither does he want to ignore reality. So he struggles to understand.
And this can describe the dilemma, not just for students, but for anyone seeking the truth about God, science, and the Bible. Many people struggle to understand the origin of species and all of the variety of life. Some believe the Bible account in Genesis, but are not sure if it should be interpreted literally or figuratively. Some come from religious traditions that interpret Genesis literally, and they want to retain their traditional beliefs. But in their studies of science, they are confronted with evidence in anatomy, fossils, and DNA code that seems to suggest that all forms of life have descended from a common ancestor millions of years ago, and they do not know how to reconcile that evidence with the Bible. Yet, they see evidence of a Creator in the irreducible complexity of many life forms. Some, who want to believe in God, find their faith challenged by the apparent imperfections and cruelty in the natural world. Indeed, many have trouble understanding why God would allow suffering and injustice even in man's society, and they are not satisfied with the answers they have heard from their religious leaders, particularly the answer that it is because God allows free will. Many others are simply undecided about whether God exists or not. Some lose faith in God. To many people who look at the evidence with an open mind, the choice seems to be between evolution through natural forces only or direct and sudden creation by an infinite God. But what many people miss is the truth that the evidence points to intelligent design, but design by a limited intelligence, an intelligence that takes millions of years to design the variety of life, in steps, not all at once, and not perfectly. Surprisingly, a literal understanding of Genesis and the Bible allows for just such a design. Some wonder why God allows suffering and injustice, and they are not satisfied with the answers they have heard from their religious leaders. This book gives answers from science and the Bible you probably never heard before. The subtitle gives away part of it, but there is much more, as indicated in the table of contents. This book reconciles a literal understanding of the first chapter of Genesis with the facts science has discovered. It also gives many reasons for believing that God exists and is the creator of the universe and life.
