Derek Bownds and Paul Luckraft review ‘The New Creationism’ by Paul Garner (Evangelical Press, 2009).

Topics like Creationism can often be daunting to many, including those with a strong desire to understand but who lack a scientific education. Here is an accessible book on the topic - although, by the author’s own admission, it is still challenging in places. However, on the whole Garner has succeeded in laying out an oft-confusing topic in a digestible way for lay readers, providing a sufficient summation without overplaying the detail.

Dual Approach

His general approach is to start with the scientific evidence and ask which worldview it best fits: Creationism or evolutionism. For instance, he tackles the Big Bang by outlining the three main pieces of evidence that support this generally accepted theory (weak radiation, red shift expansion, the light elements) and then explaining deficiencies – often overlooked - which cast doubt on it. He follows this up by proposing a Creationist theory of cosmology (pp23-31).

His secondary approach is to start with statements proposed by evolutionists and test them - scientifically, critically and objectively. Together these two strategies provide a very satisfactory methodology which every reader should be able to appreciate.

Topics of Interest

As part of his overall argument in support of a Creationist worldview, Garner provides several smaller sections on specific topics. There is a useful summary of the uniqueness of the earth (the ‘Goldilocks planet’ – with conditions ‘just right’ for life) and its atmosphere relative to other planets in the solar system.

There is also a helpful mention of the RATE (Radioisotopes and the Age of The Earth) project – perhaps unfamiliar to many, but undoubtedly of great importance in shedding new light on the problems with radiometric dating techniques. In Garner’s words, RATE is “one of the most ambitious creationist research initiatives ever undertaken” (p98).

Garner has succeeded in laying out an oft-confusing topic in a digestible way for lay readers.

The chapter entitled ‘A Youthful Creation’ is particularly helpful, easy to understand and convincing. In this section the author argues that an average population growth rate of just 0.5% (half of what it is today) “is sufficient to generate the present world population from just two people in a mere 4000 years” (p116).

Two chapters are devoted to the Flood as a global catastrophe, with a robust defence of the biblical record. The Ice Age is also examined in detail - it is fascinating to be taken through the argument for just one Ice Age, post-Flood (as opposed to the common view of multiple ice ages). Garner concludes that the pattern of extinctions in the scientific record is more consistent with a single ice age, casting doubt on the idea that these creatures survived up to 50 earlier ice ages before becoming extinct in the last one.

Regarding the origin of life, the author includes some interesting observations from those engaged in such research but who discount the biblical position. For some, the search for the origin of life is ‘a kind of religion’ in itself, albeit an immensely frustrating one, since it remains one of the great unsolved riddles of science. Every step forward simply creates another alternative theory instead of a solution. All that is gained is a greater sense of the magnitude of the problem of explaining the origin of life without reference to God.

The book ends with a short epilogue reminding us that there are over 200 New Testament quotations from, or references to, Genesis, many from Jesus himself, with 63 being concerned with its first three chapters. There follows an extensive glossary (to help with scientific terms), good endnotes, a substantial bibliography including websites, and an index.

What Garner does so well is to make it legitimate to query some of the fundamental claims of evolution, while positioning Creationism as a truly viable alternative.

A Welcome Addition

Overall, what this book does so well is to make it legitimate to query some of the fundamental claims of evolution, while positioning Creationism as a truly viable alternative. Although mostly concerned with scientific arguments, Garner ventures a little into the field of biblical interpretation, though his use of the King James Version for Scripture quotes may not help in communicating to a more modern generation.

Garner is humble and gracious when it comes to big, divisive issues, recognising that “there are fellow believers who see these matters differently” (p74). He is also realistic about the nature of scientific enquiry, acknowledging that there are often scientific arguments and observations that support a different view from the one he is proposing, and that in many areas “there are bound to be large gaps in our understanding” (p87).

The New Creationism is a welcome addition to the ongoing debate and should help put the topic back on the agenda for the whole Church community.

‘The New Creationism’ (300pp, RRP £10.99) is available here for £7.79 – also on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.