Old-Earth or Evolutionary Creation?

- Jesus Creed Book of the Year 2017, Science and FaithChristians confess that God created the heavens and the earth. But they are divided over how God created and whether the Bible gives us a scientifically accurate account of the process of creation.Representatives of two prominent positions-old-earth creation (Reasons to Believe) and evolutionary creation (BioLogos)-have been in dialogue over the past decade to understand where they agree and disagree on key issues in science and theology. This book is the result of those meetings. Moderated by Southern Baptist seminary professors, the discussion between Reasons to Believe and BioLogos touches on many of the pressing debates in science and faith, including biblical authority, the historicity of Adam and Eve, human genetics and common descent, the problem of natural evil, and methodological naturalism. While both organizations agree that God created the universe billions of years ago, their differences reveal that far more is at stake here than just the age of the earth.Old-Earth or Evolutionary Creation? invites readers to listen in as Christian scholars weigh the evidence, explore the options, and challenge each other on the questions of creation and evolution. In a culture of increasing polarization, this is a model for charitable Christian dialogue. BioLogos Books on Science and Christianity invite us to see the harmony between the sciences and biblical faith on issues including cosmology, biology, paleontology, evolution, human origins, the environment, and more.

Joe Aguirre is editor in chief at Reasons to Believe, an organization in the Los Angeles area that spreads the gospel by demonstrating that sound reason and scientific research-including the very latest discoveries-consistently support, rather than erode, confidence in the truth of the Bible and faith in the personal, transcendent God revealed in both Scripture and nature. J. B. (Jim) Stump (PhD, Boston University) is senior editor at BioLogos, where he oversees the development of new content and curates existing content for the BioLogos website and print materials. He has also been a philosophy professor and academic administrator, and he frequently speaks to churches and other groups on the intersection of science and Christianity. He is the author of Science and Christianity: An Introduction to the Issues, coauthor of Christian Thought: A Historical Introduction and coeditor of How I Changed My Mind About Evolution and The Blackwell Companion to Science and Christianity. Kenneth Keathley (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as director of the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture and as a professor of theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He has published several books, including 40 Questions on Creation (with Mark Rooker) and Salvation and Sovereignty: A Molinist Approach. For over thirty years, Keathley has served in a variety of roles in churches throughout Missouri, Louisiana, the Carolinas, and Virginia, including youth pastor, interim pastor, or senior pastor. Before teaching at Southeastern, he served two years at Midwestern Baptist Seminary and almost six years at New Orleans Baptist Seminary as both an administrator and professor. He and his wife Penny live in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and have a son and daughter and three grandchildren.