Research fellow reflects on writing about origins
Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia
Dr Bryan Ball describes In The Beginning: Science and Scripture Confirm Creation, of which he is editor, as his most difficult publishing project. One of his writers submitted a poor-quality manuscript; another didn’t submit at all. But the rewards have tempered these initial frustrations.
What did you learn about science from this project? What surprised you?
Dr Bryan Ball is editor of In The Beginning, a new book about creation and science. Credit: Colin Chuang.
What surprised me most wasn’t necessarily the science but the number of scientists who question some of the basics of evolution. I knew there were some, but there’s actually quite a number.
What did you learn about Scripture?
An immense amount. I asked Dr Richard Davidson from Andrews University, who’s probably one of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s foremost Old Testament scholars, to give his interpretation of the first two verses of Genesis. His chapter is detailed and persuasive, and it leaves the door open for two interpretations of the age of the earth. And I like that because it doesn’t force us into a corner.
We’ve moved as a church on this?
Yes, that’s right. We’re still moving, still searching.
What role does faith play once we confirm, or prove, creation?
I don’t think we can prove creation any more than we can prove evolution. It’s a great leap of faith whether you opt for evolution or whether you opt for creation. My view is that there is far more evidence to substantiate faith in creation than there is in evolution.
So, why do we need another defence of creation?
It makes the point for Christians, and especially for Adventist Christians, that the basis for our understanding of origins is not science, it’s not the natural world, it’s the revealed word of God. There’s been a tendency to place the emphasis on science at the expense of biblical truth. But we have to put the Bible first and interpret science in the light of Scripture rather than Scripture in the light of science.
Can We Really Believe The Bible?. The Seventh-day Men. Now In The Beginning. You’re an influential defender of the faith. How do these titles challenge our faith?
They challenge us to think for ourselves and to not just accept what others say or even what the church says.
What does editing a book like this do to your devotional reading of the Bible?
It’s increased my understanding of the nature and of the significance of the book of Genesis. I’ve already got a couple of sermons out of the material. Genesis is a mine of information and of truth—through its stories, its prophecy, its symbolism, its allusions. People who read In The Beginning will be richly rewarded.
Links
New views
Launch reflects healthy state of origins discussion
Solid, significant discussion of origins
Dr Lynden Rogers reviews In The Beginning