edited by Matthew Barrett and Ardel. B. Caneday
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Mich. 288 pages
The controversy over a traditional versus an evolutionary interpretation of the creation narratives in Genesis was largely a 19th and early 20th century fracas, but many evangelicals have never given up the fight — even if it’s now a quarrel almost exclusively among themselves. So what accounts for the latest round of debate? The answer is Francis Collins. Head of the Human Genome Project in the 1990s and 2000s and a self-professed evangelical, Collins possesses a unique authority to speak on this issue to conservative Christians. His 2006 book “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief” makes a compelling case for evolution based on recent discoveries of the human genome. Collins himself embraces theistic evolution.
Another important contemporary writer on this issue is Peter Enns, who in his 2012 book “The Evolution of Adam” argues that the apostle Paul, as a first-century man, was understandably mistaken in his belief in a historical Adam — as were Luther, Calvin and most Christians until the 19th century. The editors of this latest book in Zondervan’s Counterpoints series contend that Collins and Enns, as well as those responding to them, have largely framed the current historical-Adam debate. For conservative evangelicals this is a crucial debate because a nonhistorical Adam would put into question the authority and inspiration of a literally interpreted Bible. Moreover, the apostle Paul’s soteriology is based on Jesus being the second Adam. If there were no historical first Adam, this theology would become problematic.
The book, as the title indicates, presents four views on the issue: evolutionary creationism, Adam as an archetypical figure, old-earth creationism and young-earth creationism. It concludes with two essays on the impact a nonhistorical Adam might have on the faith.
All the essays are representative contributions for their positions, but the first two were by far the most original and thought provoking. Denis Lamoureux argues for theistic evolution, or what he prefers to call “evolutionary creation.” He does a fine job explaining how ancient cosmology and creation narratives are reflected in biblical writings, making the case that even the most rigid inerrantist must admit some level of divine accommodation.
In contrast, John Walton admits the possibility of an historical Adam but argues that his historicity is theologically irrelevant because the biblical writers employ him only as an archetypal figure, our human representative. Perhaps, he speculates, Adam was a historical figure, but not the first man. He may have been selected (or elected) at some late point in human history to play a special representative role. This would account for the existence of other human beings and even cities in Genesis 4.
For evangelicals, this book will be particularly important in providing alternative views and ways of understanding science and harmonizing it with Scripture. For those for whom this is an old and tiresome dispute, the book might still be helpful in summarizing the current state of the debate and offering some fresh insights and speculative possibilities. It will also be interesting to those who simply want to understand how brothers and sisters in Christ are striving to come to terms with an old challenge, but one that because of recent developments has had new life breathed into it.
MICHAEL PARKER is director of graduate studies and professor of church history at Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, Egypt.
