Carefully researched and organized, God, Science and the Bible tackles head-on hard questions that relate to some of the most debated aspects of creation and the Christian faith. Along with new insights into the argument of design for the existence of God and the viability of the theory of evolution, Page adds his own compelling experiences of God’s reality. Anyone who wants to know how the Bible’s teaching stands up to questions about the age of the earth, the flood, fossils, carbon dating, ancient trees, etc., will find all the answers here! The author is a professional member of the Institute of Wood Science and of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.
God, Science and the Bible presents in a straightforward way the truth about:
· the big bang theory · the theory of evolution · the age of the universe · Noah's flood · the fossil record · the age of trees; and answers the questions:
· Does God exist? · Is the Bible true? · Did Jesus really live, die and return to life? · Can we live forever, and if so, how?
The clear aim of this latest book from Arnold Page is to present a Christian apologetic that will persuade the reader to look closely into the claim that God exists and to challenge the reader as to what that may mean for them personally. He does this by addressing in a clear and accessible way the evidence from, not just the Bible, but also by re-examining scientific evidence in a light which supports a creationist rather than an evolutionary belief system.
Having been a Christian for 55 years and also trained in physics, I have at times been challenged by people on these questions and many of the arguments are not new. However, a new book in this field can always bring a fresh perspective. The book is quite short and yet packed with condensed insight.
From a biblical perspective, there are chapters considering the question “Is there a God?”, “Evidence for the Resurrection”, the author’s own personal experience of God in his life, the “Bible as the Word of God” and “The Ultimate Good News” – giving a challenge that calls for a response to what has been written. All of this based on a solid Biblical understanding of the gospel and the message that God gives to the world.
From the scientific perspective, he looks closely at “The evidence of design” in the Universe, “The fossil record”, “The Ages of rocks and trees” and discusses the thorny issues around a six day creation and the universal flood. He argues his case very well, although I personally would have liked to have seen him use some stronger arguments in the chapter on evidence for design. I did, however, learn from the book much more information on the fossil record and tree dating methods. His discussion about the origin of the moon, caused me to want to think more about the conservation of angular momentum and I was particularly impressed by his arguments on the origin of life.
I’m not sure how much value was added to the book by Annex 1 “Seven Days of Expanding Time” – a somewhat speculative theory which would perhaps allow for the traditional 6 days of creation to expand into billions of years. However, our knowledge of these matters will always be partial, and I have read elsewhere about evidence for the slowing down of the speed of light, which could fit in with such speculation.
Mr Page writes in an informative and easy style, constantly challenging the reader with direct questions, prompting them to think deeply about what is being said. Some might consider the style a little confrontational, but I think he gets away with it well.
I would highly recommend the book to anyone interested in finding answers to perhaps the biggest question of all: “Who is God and what difference does that make to me?”, but who also finds the evolutionary world-view a barrier to belief in God. Questions are definitely answered. Whether to the readers’ satisfaction – you have to decide!
Phil Barnett BSc ARCS
