Publisher: The Institute for Creation Research
Authors: Morris III, Morris, Lisle, Johnson, Jeanson, Guliuzza, Tomkins, Hebert, Shwerwin, and Thomas.
The Institute for Creation Research’s (ICR) book Creation: Basics & Beyond provides, as the cover indicates, an in-depth look at “science, origins, and evolution.” More explicitly, this book explains in detail the relevancy of Genesis in regard to science, history, morality, our worldview, and how we live. This book shows how the first couple chapters of Genesis, not to mention all of Scripture, impact who we are as people and how we view ourselves and the world around us.
Creation: Basics & Beyond is divided into five main sections in addition to an introduction, conclusion, and final argument for creation in an appendix. This relatively succinct book – it contains fewer than 350 pages – tackles subjects on worldview, biology, geology, dinosaurs, and astronomy. Within each of these sections are a series of papers that are simple and short enough for a reader who does not spend their days reading science journals to enjoy but detailed enough to gain hearty knowledge and will not bore the technical reader.
This book tackles issues like: the Day-Age Theory; is Genesis history or poetry; macro and micro “evolution”; DNA; the origin of “races”; how fossils are actually dated; does continental drift happen; the significance dragon legends; distant starlight and its answers; UFO’s; and the multi-verse theory. These are only a handful of the various topics scientists from multiple fields address in this book.
I found ICR’s book to be an easy enough to read for a variety of readers and enjoyed it thoroughly. While I read it from cover to cover, as one of the authors indicated, it could be read piecemeal. A reader could simply pull out a chapter to read without particular need of previous or following chapters. However, I found it better to read from beginning to end as 1) I try to read without skipping when I can and 2) the book does follow a logical format that adds to the following chapters if you read them “in order.” Also, some chapters reference other chapters for readers to review for more information separately. But the papers can stand alone.
There were, though, a couple of points in the book I did not agree with. They were mainly found in the section on the origin of races, ironically enough, as that is what my own book is about. However, they made some assumptions on the person of Nimrod that, from my own research, is at best difficult to prove. While Nimrod is likely to have been the instigator of Babel (which seems to agree both Scripturally and extra-biblically), Scripture never explicitly says it was him, nor what his influence was.
There is also a comment on the purpose for the Tree in the middle of the Garden that I do not believe is entirely accurate. ICR also used a different version of the Ten Commandments than Lutherans, though it does not affect the message nor was what was said unbiblical. Additionally, while there are 70 “nations/family groups” mentioned in Genesis 10, it is not know that there were only or as many as 70 languages formed. The argument that there were specifically 70 nation/languages is a matter of opinion that still needs more research. Overall, however, I found the book to be most accurate, and the rest of this particular chapter to be based solidly on Scripture and good science.
The intent of Creation: Basics & Beyond, addressed in both the introduction and conclusion, is to show the inherent and inerrant truth of Scripture, mainly Genesis, and how this book of beginnings has an earthly and eternal impact on our lives. This book helps Christians understand how they can defend their faith. ICR also addresses how rejecting Genesis also has moral, social, and historical implications. This is why the book begins with addressing worldviews. While you could pick up this book and start in the middle or end, knowing what and why you believe something is important in any area of life, including Genesis, as it is the foundation of most of our social, moral, historical, and spiritual structures. Creation is more than the opposite of evolution, rather, it constitutes a basis for everything we believe, whether we reject or adhere to it.
Blessings to you and yours,
~Rose
The Lutheran Column 