Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins – Cosmology, Geology, and Biology in Christian Perspective

Robert C. Bishop (PhD, University of Texas) is associate professor of physics and philosophy and the John and Madeleine McIntyre Endowed Professor of Philosophy and History of Science at Wheaton College. His research interests include the physical and social sciences, particularly the implications of science and its assumptions for theories of mind, free will and consciousness. Bishop is the author of The Philosophy of the Social Science and co-editor of Between Chance and Choice: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Determinism. Widely published in scientific and religious journals, Bishop is a member of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Scientific Affiliation and the Philosophy of Science Association. He is also the area editor for philosophy of science at the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Larry L. Funck (PhD, Lehigh University) is an emeritus professor at Wheaton College where he taught inorganic chemistry for over forty years. He continues to be engaged in Wheaton's chemistry department teaching the origin of life component in the Theories of Origins course. His reseach interests include transition metals, especially as they relate to bioinorganic model studies. Funck is a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Scientific Affiliation and the Midwest Association of Chemistry Teachers at Liberal Arts Colleges (MACTLAC). He was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Lesotho and served as the chief reader for College Board's Advanced Placement chemistry program. Raymond J. Lewis (PhD, University of California, Santa Barbara) is associate professor of biology at Wheaton College. His research interests include genetics and physiology of marine algae, environmental ethics and botany. He has published articles in many scientific journals and is a member of the American Scientific Affiliation, the International Phycological Society, and the Botanical Society of America. Stephen O. Moshier (PhD, Louisiana State University) is professor of geology and chair of the geology and environmental science department at Wheaton College, where he also serves as the director of the Black Hills Science Station. Besides his work in academia, he has also practiced geology as an oil company explorationist, with much of his early research describing and interpreting oil reservoir rocks. More recently, his research efforts are in the field of geoarchaeology, participating in expeditions to the Sinai coast, Egypt, and Israel. Moshier has served as past president of the Geological Society of Kentucky and the Affiliation of Christian Geologists and currently serves on the Executive Council of the American Scientific Affiliation. John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School. Previously he was professor of Old Testament at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago for twenty years. Some of Walton's books include The Lost World of Adam and Eve, The Lost World of Scripture, The Lost World of Genesis One, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament, The Essential Bible Companion, The NIV Application Commentary: Genesis, and The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament (with Victor Matthews and Mark Chavalas).

List of Figures

List of Tables

List of Sidebars

Abbreviations

Introduction



Part One: Getting Started on the Journey


1. Principles and Methods of Biblical Interpretation

2. A Comprehensive Doctrine of Creation and Implications for Scientific Study

3. Knowledge and Faith in Pursuing Origins Questions

4. Creation Through the Lenses of Science and Theology



Part Two: Cosmic Origins


5. Cosmic Origins: Genesis 1:1–2:4

6. Electromagnetic Radiation and the Scale of the Universe

7. The Expanding Universe

8. The Big Bang Model and Contemporary Cosmology

9. Lives and Deaths of Stars and Fine-Tuning

10. Biblical and Theological Perspectives on the Origins of the Universe



Part Three: Origin and Geologic History of Earth


11. Origin of the Earth and Solar System

12. Historical Roots of Geology: Catastrophism and Uniformitarianism

13. The Genesis Flood

14. The Rock Cycle and Timescales of Geologic Processes

15. Rocks of Ages: Measuring Geologic Time

16. Plate Tectonics: A Theory for How the Earth Works

17. Reading Earth’s History in Rocks and Fossils

18. Biblical and Theological Perspectives on Earth History



Part Four: Origin of Life on Earth


19. From Spontaneous Generation to Abiogenesis

20. Prebiotic Chemistry: Preparing the Primordial Soup

21. Biological Information: Proteins and Nucleic Acids

22. Alternative Scenarios for Life's Origin

23. Biblical and Theological Perspectives on the Origin of Life



Part Five: Origin of Species and Diversity of Life


24. Development of the Theory of Evolution

25. The Modern Synthesis of Evolution

26. Exploring the Evidence about Evolution: Phylogeny and Fossils

27. Development of an Extended Synthesis of Evolution

28. Biblical and Theological Perspectives on the Origin of the Diversity of Life



Part Six: Human Origins


29. Human Origins: Genesis 2–3

30. Human Origins: Evidence from Physical Anthropology

31. Human Origins: Genomic Evidence

32. Biblical and Theological Perspectives on the Image of God



Part Seven: Concluding Postscript


33. Biblical and Theological Perspectives on New Creation, Creation Care, and Science Education

Glossary

Image Credits

General Index

Scripture Index