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Cover image of The Prism and the Rainbow
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The Prism and the Rainbow

A Christian Explains Why Evolution Is Not a Threat

Joel W. Martin

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God or Darwin? It is one of the most contentious conflicts of our time. It is also completely unnecessary, according to Joel W. Martin, an evolutionary biologist and ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church USA. In this slim but powerful book, Martin argues that it is not contradictory to be a practicing, faithful Christian who accepts the science of evolution.

Martin finds that much of the controversy in the United States over evolution is manufactured and predicated on a complete—and sometimes willful—misapprehension of basic science. Science and religion, he says, serve different purposes...

God or Darwin? It is one of the most contentious conflicts of our time. It is also completely unnecessary, according to Joel W. Martin, an evolutionary biologist and ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church USA. In this slim but powerful book, Martin argues that it is not contradictory to be a practicing, faithful Christian who accepts the science of evolution.

Martin finds that much of the controversy in the United States over evolution is manufactured and predicated on a complete—and sometimes willful—misapprehension of basic science. Science and religion, he says, serve different purposes and each seeks to answer questions that the other need never address. He believes that many of the polarizing debates about evolution distract from the deeper lessons of Christianity and that literal, fundamentalist readings of the Bible require the faithful to reject not just evolution but many of science's greatest discoveries.

Just as the scientific explanation of rainbows is not meant to refute the biblical "rainbow" story of God’s promise, evolutionary theory is not a ploy to disavow the divine. Indeed, Martin shows that the majority of Christians worldwide accept the theory of evolution. He urges his fellow Christians to refuse to participate in the intellectually stifling debate over evolution and creationism/intelligent design.

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Reviews

Covers the Christian debate over Darwin—and finds that much of the controversy in the U.S. over evolution is manufactured on a complete, often willful miss-appreciation of basic science. Chapters serve to erase these errors, offering insights into robots of debates about evolution and supporting Christianity and a less literal interpretation of Biblical ideas. Christian collections need this!

If you are a young person who has been looking for a way both to retain your personal faith and appreciate the wonders of modern science, you cannot find a better book than this one. If you are the parent of a young person who has raised the question of the relationship between science and religion, you owe it to that young person to help prevent what could be a totally unnecessary dilemma as your child encounters the massive, compelling evidence for evolution in college biology classes.

This is a book that would be well worth including in the library of any school or college that educates students over the age of 16.

Dr. Martin has written an accessible and interesting introduction to evolution for teenagers who are afraid that the basic theories of modern biological science are incompatible with their Christian faith. Martin shows why this is not so and why their commitment to the belief that God is creator should stimulate rather than discourage their study of natural science. The book meets a real need in Christian education.

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Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
5.5
x
8.5
Pages
192
ISBN
9780801894787
Table of Contents

Introduction
1. By the Numbers
2. The Prism and the Rainbow
3. The Flat Earth Society
4. Of Serpents and Certainty
5. The Nature of Science
6. What Does "Theory" Mean?
7. What Is Evolution?
8. What Is

Introduction
1. By the Numbers
2. The Prism and the Rainbow
3. The Flat Earth Society
4. Of Serpents and Certainty
5. The Nature of Science
6. What Does "Theory" Mean?
7. What Is Evolution?
8. What Is Creationism?
9. What Is Intelligent Design?
10. Is There Evidence Supporting Intelligent Design?
11. Human Arrogance
12. In the Beginning
13. The Unnecessary Choice
14. What Are We to Believe?
Acknowledgments
Appendix: Major Christian Denominations and Their Stance on Science, Evolution, and Creationism/ Intelligent Design
Notes
Glossary
Recommended Further Reading
Helpful Web Sites
Index

Author Bio
Joel W. Martin
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Joel W. Martin, Ph.D.

Joel W. Martin is chief of the Division of Invertebrate Studies and curator of crustacea at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
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