Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn't Say about Human Origins

by Peter Enns

Book, 2012

Status

Available

Call number

233/.11

Genres

Religion & Spirituality

General Nonfiction

Nonfiction

All Topics

Publication

Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, c2012, 172 pp

Description

"Can Christianity and evolution coexist? Traditional Christian teaching presents Jesus as reversing the effects of the fall of Adam. However, an evolutionary view of beginnings doesn't allow for a historical Adam, making evolution seem incompatible with what Genesis and the apostle Paul say about him. For Christians who accept evolution and want to take the Bible seriously, this presents a tension that endangers faith. Peter Enns offers a way forward by explaining how this tension is caused not by the discoveries of science but by false expectations about the biblical texts. Focusing on key biblical passages in the discussion, Enns demonstrates that the author of Genesis and the apostle Paul wrote to ask and answer ancient questions for ancient people; the fact that they both speak of Adam does not determine whether Christians can accept evolution. This thought-provoking book reconciles the teachings of the Bible with the widely held evolutionary view of beginnings and will appeal to anyone interested in the Christianity-evolution debate, including college and seminary students in science and religion courses." -- Publisher description.… (more)

Media reviews

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

For those who already embrace the naturalistic, scientific explanation of human origins and the historical-critical approach to Scripture, Enns's arguments should resonate well. For those less confident of these things, Enns's arguments are not as likely to prove convincing.

User reviews

LibraryThing member BG7700

The Bible is replete with parables, metaphors, and symbolic language. It should be no surprise to us (and it is certainly no cause for alarm) that the creation stories were not intended to be taken literally. The use of mythology implies neither a misunderstanding of reality nor an attempt to

deceive. It was simply a literary device intended to convey important (but in some regards complex, particularly for ancient populations) concepts regarding God's sovereignty and humankind's relationship to Him and His creation.

Now, with the skill and depth of knowledge afforded a world-renowned Bible scholar, Dr. Peter Enns has courageously and convincingly explained why we need not understand the Bible's creation stories to be a literal history of events for them to be valid and important. Indeed, the creation stories, along with the entire book of Genesis, establish the foundation for all that follows in the Bible. Dr. Enns provides a detailed account of the historical context within which these essential Scriptures were recorded and how they, through the work of the Apostle Paul, affect the very foundational principles of Christianity.

For anyone wishing to better understand the history, the literary character, and ultimately the relevance of Biblical Scripture to Christianity and to the entire world, Dr. Peter Enns' The Evolution of Adam is a must read.

Bruce Glass
--author of Exploring Faith and Reason: The Reconciliation of Christianity and Biological Evolution

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