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Book Review 'Six Days' by Ken Ham
by Robert Driskell In Ken Ham's latest book, Six Days (The Age of the Earth and the Decline of the Church), he posits the idea that belief in the theory of evolution causes many to doubt the trustworthiness of the biblical record. This doubt causes some to question their faith and to turn away from Christ. Mr. Ham says that, if it were not for the influence of the naturalistic theory of evolution, a straightforward reading of Genesis would result in no other interpretation of the Creation event than that everything was created in six literal days. Too many scientists believe that the world we see in our present day is the same as God created it. They neglect to take into consideration the effects that the fall of humanity into sin has had, and continues to have, on the natural world on which research is conducted (Romans 8:22). Also, much research is conducted following the presupposition that all natural processes we see working now have always worked this same way and at this same speed. This is how evolutionist scientists believe they are able to determine the age of the earth. However, the Bible tells us that there was a cataclysmic event, Noah's worldwide flood, which altered the face of the entire planet. Ken Ham, a leader among those who hold to a Young-Earth (biblical creation) view of Creation. He has documented the relationship between evolutionary teaching and a diminishing view of the trustworthiness of Scripture. His view, and mine, is that when we call into question the validity of the record of Creation found in Genesis, we also foster doubt and suspicion about other miraculous events recorded within the pages of the Bible. The concern being that, if we say we cannot trust the clear reading of the Creation record because so-called science has told us that it could not have happened that way, we place science in authority over the Bible. This is bad enough when it concerns the Creation event, but it is even worse when it comes to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What are we going to say when scientists tell us that resurrections do not happen? Too many have already decided to let science tell us what really happened in Genesis; will we also let science tell us that the resurrection, without which there is no Gospel, never happened because it is scientifically impossible for anyone to come back from the dead? Sunday schools teach the Bible as stories instead of teaching the Bible as history. Mr. Ham says that the way we typically teach young children in church has to change. We teach them the Bible as if the biblical record were merely a collection of fairy tales. We teach in a way that encourages children to place God, Jesus Christ, Santa Claus, and the Easter Bunny in the same categories. Then, when these children learn the truth about Santa and the Bunny, they also doubt the reality of God and Jesus Christ. Mr. Ham believes that the church must start teaching apologetics, tools to defend one's faith, instead of merely telling "Bible stories". This book is one of the best, clearest, calls to recover the clear biblical teaching of the Creation week. It tackles most of the arguments for naturalistic evolution, theistic evolution, progressive creation, and any other attempt to compromise the Word of God with humanity's fallible theories. Reading this book will strengthen the faith of the believer in the literal record of God's creative act and it will challenge the presuppositions of those who refuse to take the Bible in its clear, literal sense. Seeking to introduce people to Jesus Christ and to help them become "transformed by the renewing of their mind." Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |