Synopses & Reviews
Intelligent design, creationism, and evolution have always been hot topics for debate in America. Creationism and intelligent design are usually seen as the province of religious people, while evolution belongs to the scientists. More often than not, both camps see the other as the enemy. But what about committed Christians who find something lacking in the ideas of both creationism and intelligent design? Can you still be a Christian and support the idea of evolution?
Scientist Karl Giberson believes you can. Raised a fundamentalist and influenced as a boy by Henry Morris's creationist classic The Genesis Flood, Giberson firmly believed in creationism through his college years. But while working on his Ph.D. in physics, he began to doubt that science could have gotten everything as thoroughly wrong as the creationists suggested, and he gradually abandoned his creationist beliefs--but not his belief in Christianity. Through careful research, Giberson concluded that Christianity and evolution do not have to be incompatible. In Saving Darwin, Giberson paints a clear picture of the creation/evolution controversy and explores its intricate history, from Darwin to the current culture wars, carefully showing why--and how--it is possible to believe in God and evolution at the same time.
Review
"A poignant account of [Giberson's] Christian pilgrimage from Creationist to Evolutionist. He offers a sympathetic historical analysis laced with trenchant criticism of both misguided intelligent design advocates and hard core atheists." Kenneth R. Miller, Professor of Biology, Brown University, and author of Finding Darwin's God
Review
"One of the best books of 2008" The Washington Post Book World, 2008 Holiday Guide
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“Sensitively written and convincingly argued. . . . [A] truly courageous work.” Library Journal
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"Giberson . . . provides an edifying summary of the tenets and the flaws of modern creationism . . . and raises a valuable alarm about the dangers facing American science and culture." New Republic
Review
"Karl Giberson here presents a poignant account of his Christian pilgrimage from Creationist to Evolutionist. He offers a sympathetic historical analysis laced with trenchant criticism of both misguided intelligent design advocates and hard core atheists." Owen Gingerich, author of God's Universe, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy & History of Science, Harvard University
Review
Giberson attacks the conundrum [of evolution] with eloquence and clarity. Washington Post
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"An intensely personal account of [Giberson's] intellectual journey from creationism to the acceptance of evolution . . . By situating his own story in the context of larger social and scientific developments, Giberson's book can serve as a guide for other Christians on a similar trek." Edward J. Larson, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and the American Controversy over Creation and Evolution.
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"Giberson makes the case, persuasively and with considerable wit, that there's no irreconcilable conflict between robust Christian faith and evolutionary biology, rightly understood. This is a wonderfully readable book: humane, modest, and wise." John Wilson, Editor, Books & Culture
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Giberson posesses a boundless inquisitiveness typical of many scientiests, but also displays the wry wit of a seasoned polemicist. He seems to know how to counteract your best arguments before you have even made them. Salon.com
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"A much-needed book . . . a powerful contribution." Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
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“Karl Giberson skillfully unravels the tangled skein of argument about creation and evolution, showing that there need be no incompatibility between Christianity and Darwinism. His writing is lively, in a style that is both informal and informed. This is a book that many will find helpful.” John Polkinghorne, author of Belief in God in an Age of Science
Review
"Giberson has a native understanding of how conservative Christians feel and think about evolution . . . he sketches an engaging historical narrative. Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Evolution Is Not the Bible's Enemy
Saving Darwin explores the history of the controversy that swirls around evolution science, from Darwin to current challenges, and shows why and how it is possible to believe in God and evolution at the same time."
Synopsis
The origin of life on Earth has always been a topic for debate in America. Creationism and intelligent design are usually seen as the province of the religious, while evolution belongs to the scientists and secular thinkers. But is it possible to be a Christian and still support the idea of evolution?
Scientist Karl Giberson thinks so. Raised to believe in creationism, he eventually abandoned that doctrine while still embracing Christianity. Saving Darwin explores the history of the controversy that swirls around the theory of evolution, from Darwin's groundbreaking book to court battles of today, and shows why, and how, it is possible to believe in God and evolution at the same time.
Karl Giberson runs the Forum on Faith and Science at Gordon College, and has been on the faculty of Eastern Nazarene College since 1984. He was the founding editor of Science & Theology News, and editor-in-chief of Science & Spirit. His books include Worlds Apart: The Unholy War Between Science and Religion, Species of Origins: America's Search for a Creation Story (with Don Yerxa), and Oracles of Science: Celebrity Scientists Versus God and Religion (with Mariano Artigas).
"Giberson attacks the conundrum of evolution] with eloquence and clarity. Saving Darwin offers readers two gifts: a cultural history of the anti-Darwin movement that details how its tenets, far from being the traditional doctrine of any church, were developed by a few cranks and fueled by larger, populist fears of secular culture; and an empathetic, comprehensible account of how the world looks if you believe in scientific creationism, as he once did."--Washington Post
--New Republic
Synopsis
Is it possible to still be a Christian and support the idea of evolution? Giberson explores the history of the controversy that swirls around evolution and shows why--and how--it is possible to believe in God and evolution at the same time.
Synopsis
Evolution Is Not the Bible's Enemy
Saving Darwin explores the history of the controversy that swirls around evolution science, from Darwin to current challenges, and shows why—and how—it is possible to believe in God and evolution at the same time.
About the Author
Karl W. Giberson is director of the Forum on Faith and Science at Gordon College, the executive vice-president of the BioLogos Foundation, and a science professor at Eastern Nazarene College. His books include Worlds Apart, Species of Origins (with Donald A. Yerxa), and Oracles of Science (with Mariano Artigas). He is a contributing editor to Books & Culture.