Evolution and Creation

This anthology provides a welcome alternative to recent polemical books for and against creationism. The supporters and many of the critics of "creation science" have taken for granted that one cannot accept both the evolutionary account of origins and the Christian doctrine of creation. These essays refute this simplistic understanding. Written from a variety of perspectives in science, theology, and philosophy, they combine to form a powerful argument in favor of the compatibility of evolution and creation as ways of understanding the universe. Part One - Francisco Ayala outlines the present status of the theory of organic evolution. John Leslie discussed the application of evolutionary ideas to cosmology. Phillip Sloan traces the history of the debate concerning the roles of purposiveness and chance in explaining the origins of species. Part Two - Old Testament scholars Carroll Stuhlmueller and Dianne Bergant discuss the biblical notion of creation. David Kelsey develops the theological doctrine of a "creation from nothing." William Alston gives the perspective of a philosopher on the question of how God acts in the world. Part Three - Evolution and James Ross discusses the impact of evolutionary ideas on Christian notions of soul and immortality. William Austin analyzes evolutionary explanations of the origins of religion and morality. Nicholas Lash reflects on Christian life and original sin in a universe in evolution. --- from book's back cover