Science and faith reading list for beginners

 

Are you wrestling with issues of Science and your faith, or perhaps a friend asks you a question about evolution and faith, and you don't know how to come up with an answer? In this Blog post, I'll list some book recommendations. Pick and choose which book you want to read, regardless of my point of view on this position. A great book to start with to get a layout of the land is Counterpoints: Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design it's fair to all sides of the debate, the most unbiased book to start with Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design presents the current "state of the conversation" about origins among evangelicals representing four key positions:

Young Earth Creationism - Ken Ham (Answers in Genesis)

Old Earth (Progressive) Creationism - Hugh Ross (Reasons to Believe)

Evolutionary Creation - Deborah B. Haarsma (BioLogos)

Intelligent Design - Stephen C. Meyer (The Discovery Institute)

(source Goodreads)

It's clear, it's readable, and it's only 240 pages, not the shortest book, but don't worry

Let's say you loved the Ken Ham-Bill Nye debate(Ken Ham, founder and chief executive officer of the Young Earth creationist (YEC) ministry Answers in Genesis (AiG), challenged Bill Nye (who wrote Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation, 309 pages )

, a science educator best known for hosting the 1990s television series Bill Nye the Science Guy, to the debate. Source Wikipedia and want more, but from a more Christian point of view, here's The Fool and the Heretic: How Two Scientists Moved beyond Labels to a Christian Dialogue about Creation and Evolution. The writing is clear and in a debate format, making it fun to read. It's around 191 pages.

There's also Old-Earth or Evolutionary Creation?: Discussing Origins with Reasons to Believe and BioLogos, slightly less bite, a bit longer, but still really good at 256 pages. 

Let's say you are curious not just about the age of the Earth, but also about the design and/or evolution of our world.

Let's define intelligent design. "The theory of intelligent design holds that certain features of the universe and living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection".

critics of ID say that it's creationism  and not science, but I want you to come to your own  conclusion  

Understanding Intelligent Design: Everything You Need to Know in Plain Language has 240 pages.

"This compact guide lays out the basics of Intelligent Design, popularly known as ID. William Dembski, the dean of the intelligent-design movement, and Sean McDowell especially target readers whose understanding may have been confused by educational bias and one-sided arguments and attacks."

I would read it alongside The Language of God, which comes in at 294 pages.

A 2006 book by Francis Collins in which he advocates theistic evolution and describes his conversion to Christianity. [1][2] Collins is an American physician-geneticist, noted for his discoveries of disease genes and his leadership of the Human Genome Project (HGP). He served as the director of the US National Institutes of Health from August 17, 2009, to December 19, 2021.[3]

Okay, what about Adam and Eve? Good Question. For a balanced view on Adam and Eve, five books plus one on science and God: Four Views on the Historical Adam, edited by Kenneth Keathley, at 240 pages

  for a deeper dive read The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2–3 and the Human Origins Debate, Defending Sin: A Response to the Challenges of Evolution and the Natural Science, at 368 pages (he also wrote Does Science make God Irrelevant?) ("In this concise book, author Hans Madueme offers a biblically informed perspective on science, helping readers embrace both faith and science in a responsible and God-glorifying way. Does Science Make God Irrelevant?  It is 96 pages. Addresses misconceptions, explains how Christian assumptions make science possible, clarifies the tension between science and miracles, and illustrates ways faith and science can coexist as allies. In turn, readers will see how good science glorifies God and helps us praise our Creator.")

Who Was Adam? A Creation Model Approach to the Origin of Humanity, 469 pages, and The Genealogical Adam and Eve: The Surprising Science of Universal Ancestry, 264 pages

If you're not convinced/want a challenge  to creationst ideas 

  I recommend "Baby Dinosaurs on the Ark: The Bible and Modern Science and the Trouble of Making It All Fit." it's a very enjoyable read.  227 pages 

 With this list,  you'll be on your way to understanding science and faith issues more