Science, Creation and the Bible: Reconciling Rival Theories of Origins

Many Christians are torn between their belief in the Bible and the conclusions of science. This is especially the case concerning the creation narratives of Scripture and the rather different stories that science tells. Physicist Richard Carlson and biblical scholar Tremper Longman address the longstanding problem of how to relate scientific description of the beginnings of the universe with the biblical creation passages found in Genesis chapters 1 and 2. Experts in their respective fields, these two authors provide a way to resolve the seeming conflicting descriptions by showing the meaning of the biblical texts as well as the meaning of scientific description. In the process they will uncover

• how theology and science differ, and what they both contribute
• what the key biblical passages actually say
• how the ancient Hebrews themselves understood the meaning of Genesis 1--2
• how the rest of Scripture helps us understand these passages
• what we can gain from science and what its limits are

Properly interpreting the biblical texts and clearly identifying the nature of scientific claims are key. With those in hand we can see how Christian revelation and scientific findings about the origin of the universe are not in opposition but rather work in partnership with each other.

Richard F. Carlson (Ph.D., University of Minnesota) is research professor of physics at the University of Redlands in Redlands, California, and formerly a visiting scientist in the department of radiation sciences at Uppsala University in Sweden. Carlson has published more than fifty articles in physics research journals and is the general editor of Science Christianity: Four Views.

Tremper Longman III (Ph.D., Yale University) is Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. Longman is the author or coauthor of over twenty books, including How to Read Genesis, and coeditor of A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible.