Creationism and the Conflict over Evolution (Cascade Companions)
Logos 電子版
Overview
How do our current notions of the workings of the universe fit with our deepest convictions about its meaning and value? From religion, we grasp the world as a created, given gift. From science, we apprehend it as evolving, in process, changing. How do we bring these apprehensions together? Or can we? Is our impulse to find the two complementary: creation and evolution? Or is it to find them contradictory: creation or evolution?
The way in which we answer these questions carries personal and intellectual consequences. It will constitute the first piece in a worldview within which we order our religious beliefs and scientific judgments.
In the Logos edition, all Scripture passages in Creationism and the Conflict over Evolution are tagged and appear on mouseover, and all Scripture passages link to your favorite Bible translation in your library. With Logos’ advanced features, you can perform powerful searches by topic or Scripture reference—finding, for example, every mention of “evolution” or “conflict.”
Save more when you purchase this book as part of the Cascade Companions Series (15 vols.).
- Discussion of three problematic presumptions that treat creation and evolution as incompatible
- Introduction of the outlines of the modern evolutionary theory
- Exploration of contemporary religious resistance to evolutionary theory
- The Bible and Creation
- The Meaning of Creation
- Method, Truth, and Evolutionary Science
- Catholics and the Theory or Evolution
- Creationism in the Public Arena
- Fundamentalist Anxiety
Top Highlights
“Augustine’s methodological principle, crede ut intelligas, ‘Believe in order that you may understand,’ became a theological mantra of the tradition.7 In his view, trust in a reliable source (faith) is an essential condition of understanding. Because God is the author of truth, faith and reason are complementary. Augustine’s ‘divine illumination epistemology’ brings God into relation with science, not as an alternative explanation to what scientists propose about the world but at the root of their understanding of the world. God illumines the human mind, making the world and divine truths intelligible. All knowledge is from God. In knowing what is, human beings come to know what God already knows.” (Pages 46–47)
“In naming the supernatural as the cause of natural events, creationists confuse what Thomas Aquinas distinguished as primary and secondary causality. Secondary causality refers to the finite system of laws governing the universe. Secondary causality is created. It is the condition for the possibility of the verifiable explanations that contribute cumulatively to our knowledge of reality and that serve as the ground for further prediction and experimentation. Primary causality refers to the ultimate source for secondary causality, to God as the source of the whole, to the ultimate source for the existence of the universe and its intelligibility. Primary causality is infinite, not finite. As the primary cause, God operates not by ‘making things’ or species but as the ground of being itself.” (Pages 112–113)
The scientific failures of ‘Intelligent Design’ and other forms of creationism have been detailed in dozens of books, scores of articles, and in a handful of spectacular court cases. What Tatha Wiley adds to this mix is a provocative and highly readable analysis of the theological failings of today’s creationist movement. It will surprise those who assume that creationism is rooted in Christian tradition, and it will challenge those who believe that the biblical narrative is hopelessly at odds with modern science.
—Kenneth R. Miller, professor of biology, Brown University, author of Finding Darwin’s God and Only a Theory
- Title: Creationism and the Conflict over Evolution
- Author: Tatha Wiley
- Series: Cascade Companions
- Publisher: Wipf & Stock
- Publication Date: 2008
- Pages: 164
Tatha Wiley is the author of Original Sin: Origins, Developments, Contemporary Meaning and Paul and the Gentile Women: Reframing Galatians. She is editor of Thinking of Christ: Proclamation, Explanation, Meaning and the series Engaging Theology: Catholic Perspectives. She teaches theology at the University of St. Thomas and the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota.
評論
13 評級
Hoon Woo
2026/6/21
Success Ajayi
2026/6/20
Andrew clipsham
2026/6/15
Hmmm. If this had not been a free book it would have been returned for a refund after reading the first chapter. The author very quickly consigns almost everyone holding a different view to hers (including scientists, Bible scholrs, theologians or philosophers) to the category of 'fundamentalists' and that means they can be written off as holding weird views if they even think at all. This makes her position easy to maintain. A disappointing offering from Logos.Stuart Shackleton
2026/6/12
If this was not a free book, I would never have included it in my library. The comments made by others (below) echo my sentiments in elucidating its many failings.Damon
2026/6/11
I'm not even a young earth creationist, but I'm very disappointed in this piece of work. The author doesn't seem to be Christian and tries to undermine the authority of God's word completely. But in trying to undermine the bible, she leaves us with... nothing? Take for example this quote: "Fundamentalists argue that evolutionary theory threatens the idea that human beings are made in the image of God. It is true that modern developments have cast suspicion on the long-standing identification of *males* with the divine image in a patriarchal social order and for gender subordination to be derived from granting men the image of God and denying it to women." - p. 139. She creates a strawman in saying that fundamentalists believe that only *males* are created in the image of God, denying it of women. But then, she goes on to say that there is theological value, but lands on a completely idolatrous conclusion, saying that God created the world for our glory, not His: "Theologically, however, this idea of image of God is still meaningful. Bernard Lonergan locates it in the human capacity for self-transcendence. He writes: “To say that God created the world for his glory is to say that he created it not for his sake but for ours. He made us in his image, for our authenticity consists in being like him, in self-transcending, in being origins of value, in true love." Regardless, she undermines her own assertions here in saying: "Holding the Bible as inerrant—as the source for scientific and historical truth—has to do with choosing certitude as the primary tool for overcoming the insecurities brought about by modernity. Inerrancy is certainly not intrinsic to Christian faith." - p. 138 She rejects Genesis as historical, tries to keep it as "theological", but then undermines herself by rejecting inerrancy. Why should there be any theological value to Genesis if it is not inerrant? Wiley has failed to understand that Christianity itself is inseparable from history. The historical event of Christ's resurrection is inseparable from who He is. It is the same with the existence of Adam and God creating the world.
Marc van Eijden
2026/6/8
"Moreover, the assertion that the Bible gives us complete historical and scientific truth—the idea of biblical inerrancy—is a reaction to and rejection of the emergence of historical-critical studies of the Bible." p.5 Is it? Not necessary. My problem with evolution theory is the theory itself and the scientific underpinning. Wondering whether or not evolution exists is perfectly acceptable. We can explore ideas and test them. We sees technological evolution, right? But what/who is driving that kind of evolution and what is the actual nature of that evolution. The same with the increase of knowledge. Again, what is the exact nature of the evolution of knowledge? There's a categorical error at work in the reasoning. The two evolutions (knowledge and technological) involve external intelligent agency, something that is denied (dogmatically) in material evolution. The science I was taught by evolutionist does not allow me to accept scientifically the theory of science. So for me it is not a problem of science and faith, but science and evolution. (Natural selection in combination is largely insufficient as a mechanism. It is far too simplistic.) Hard science, such as biochemistry and physiques, contradicts the theory of evolution. The other issue is a philosophical/theological one. The whole science debate is done by intelligent agents who act and react creatively based on meaning and intentionality, reflecting the observed reality of creative and thinking minds. Evolution is a merely inanimate material non metaphysical process. Evolution does not have life in itself and it does not have a will and purpose. If we attribute mind and will to "evolution", we are cheating philosophically, juste like how some talk about "Nature" as an independent divine Actress. Independent evolution and a creator God are indeed two opposing ideas. A creator God who uses evolution is in theory a possibility, but it does not fit with the science as practiced and observed. And it is not what the theory of evolution suggests.
Roger Kadeg
2026/6/8
As a retired scientist, I suggest Faithlife publishers acquire the rights to digitize/publish works of prominent creation scientists from various fields who adhere to a literal, historical-grammatical interpretation of the Book of Genesis and the Bible as a whole. The Institute for Creation Research (ICR https://www.icr.org/ ) and Answers in Genesis (https://answersingenesis.org/ ) are two such organizations who support state-of-the art research and publications on the subject topic. They create engaging works for all age groups and levels of expertise. The one creation scientist Logos prominently features (Dr. Hugh Ross, with more than 15 resources) does not adhere to a strict literal interpretation of Genesis nor to a young earth. There are a couple of comparative monographs that include alternate conservative views, but otherwise Logos offered resources are largely silent. This significant imbalance/bias? leaves a glaring hole for conservative evangelicals wishing to engage the topic on the Logos platform. As to the subject resource, I largely concur with the extensive negative reviews, which point out its failings. I take offense at the characterization of conservative Christians as “anti-modern” and having an “anti-intellectual understanding of the Bible”. Although an older work, it is still clear the author has failed to do her homework given the numerous works covering a variety disciplines by noted Ph.D.’s and Th.D.’s affiliated with the above organizations. The adage “you get what you pay for” aptly applies to this offering. I will gladly pass.Samuel S. Thorp
2026/6/6
The free book of the month should be an offering of something valuable and thought provoking rather than something vapid and a waste of time. The conservative fundamentalists"are not named or engaged with seriously, rather their positions are strawmanned and dismissed. Neither is the case against them made with anything approaching rigour or curiosity. The argument seems to book down to "these people are obviously wrong and therefore the opposite is right". I appreciate that the book is not new but even when it was published the demonstrated understanding of scientific evolution barely moves beyond Darwin and lazily relies on phrases like "the overwhelming evidence scientists cite..." without actually pointing to that evidence (pg69). The role of polemical theology in engaging with science is first of all to understand (and teach) the science so that the argument might be demonstrated and thus convincing. It cannot simply be asserted. The irony is compounded by the conclusion: "The theology advanced by creationism is not any better than its science. The critique of theology legitimately includes the question of authenticity. On the basis of honesty and consideration for the human good alone, one would have reasons to suspect the authenticity of the faith that accompanies the creationist agenda." Et tu, brute? This is a worthwhile and worthy topic, however it is not a worthwhile and worthy book choice for the free book of the month.Robert Baribeau
2026/6/3
I can't offer a rating for this book because I haven't read anything past the sample pages. In fact, this may be the first free book Logos has offered that I choose not to claim. What follows is not a complete review of this book or a response to its arguments. It's just a brief call for theological discernment to anyone who might be wrestling with this topic. It's often argued that we can cling to Christian theology without believing that the portions of the Bible on which that theology is based are literal and historical. But there are several times in Scripture when theology is dependent on history. The most obvious example of this is the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15), but we find examples in Genesis as well. If it is only the theology and not the historical accuracy of the creation account that matters, then what exactly does that theology include? Among many other things, it clearly includes the idea that God approved of His original creation. He saw that it was good. Later on, in Genesis 6:11-12, we have a clearly contrasting statement in which God looks at the earth and sees that all flesh has become corrupt. The primary evidence of this corruption is that the earth has been filled with violence. It was the belief of both Old and New Testament writers that suffering and death are the result of sin, not part of God's original design (Isaiah 11:6-9, Romans 8:19-22). If God used evolution to create the world, then we have a Bible that consistently misrepresents God's character and how He feels about death and suffering, not to mention the damage done to the gospel itself if sin and death are disconnected. The scientific arguments against macro-evolution are numerous (the irreducible complexity of the cell alone deals it a fatal blow), and there are plenty of serious scientists and mathematicians who reject it. The huge mistake that people make is that Christian fundamentalists are putting ideology before reason and that those who embrace evolutionary theory are following reason alone. This is a conflict between Christian and anti-Christian worldviews, not between science and religion. This conflict is referred to several times in Scripture (2 Corinthians 10:5; 1 John 5:19) and it shouldn't take anyone by surprise. We should want to tear down the obstacles that are preventing people from coming to faith in Christ, but we should also be careful that the obstacles we're attacking are the lies, not the truths that people find hard to accept.
Richard Wayne Daniels
2026/6/3
There are many sober, well informed, books on this subject. This is NOT one of them. Don't bother with this one.
