Baptizing the devil

“But it’s science!”

In the broadest reading possible, the Genesis creation account is a supernatural phenomenon that leaves nothing to chance. Darwinian evolution, in the broadest reading possible, is a natural phenomenon that leaves most everything to chance.

Thus, it’s hard to imagine two views of creation more at odds with each other.

Why, then, this irresistible urge to “baptize the devil” by seeking to harmonize evolution with Genesis? Though we can’t know individual motives, the overarching answer is tied to the contemporary belief that evolution must be true because, after all, “It’s science!”

But if science is so good at finding truth, why does the truth change so often? Why are scientific certitudes of one generation often mocked as myths by the next one? Why do the findings of science, the result of the “scientific method,” often contradict each other? When scientific explanations about present reality, about what can be handled, heard, seen, tested and retested, are filled with debate and controversy—why do so many people unquestionably accept every scientific proclamation about supposed events millions or billions of years ago?

Baptizing the Devil seeks to show that this capitulation is not only unnecessary but misguided, another unfortunate example of well-meaning Christians compromising their faith to the prevailing culture. Baptizing the Devil hopes to free believers from the knee-jerk reaction that the only logical and rational response to the phrase “But it’s science!” is to surrender one’s beliefs, even religious ones, to it. Goldstein shows that Christians shouldn’t compromise so crucial a doctrine as origins to the prevailing culture, even when that culture’s wrapped in the authoritative garb of science.