a book review on The News Answers Book

The New Answers Book is a compilation of over 25 questions on creation, evolution and the Bible. The general editor is Ken Ham from the apologetics ministry, Answers in Genesis. While a few of the chapters and explanations were too scientific for my brain, others were fascinating and enlightening. The book dealt with issues such as Genesis, the days of creation (six literal days), dinosaurs, carbon dating UFOs, the global flood, fossils, the Ice Age, death and suffering and more. One topic I enjoyed a lot dealt with the "races" of mankind. I didn't realize this understanding of races was rooted in evolution which believes the Caucasoid "race" was the most superior (sounds kind of like Hitler and proponents of enslaving black people, eh?). Ken Ham said we should get rid of that evolutionized term because all people are equal in God's eyes. The only race is the human race. God did not make us all look exactly alike.

I also appreciated the chapter on defense-attack structures on animals and plants. Was this part of the original creation which God declared "very good" or was this a result of the Fall? Indeed Romans 8:22 reminds us that "the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs until now" as a result of sin and death entering the world. Not only was the serpent, men and women cursed, but all of creation. Before the Fall, animals did not attack and eat one another, but suffering and death are a result of sin entering the world. This is one reason the evolutionary theory of dinosaurs living millions of years prior to man is wrong. For dinosaurs to have killed one another and die from natural causes would have meant there was suffering and death in the world prior to sin, and simply the Bible teaches this to not be the case.

A favorite thought from the book concerning chemical evolution is that "the evolutionist is asking us to believe that a tornado can pass through a junk yard and assemble a jumbo jet." :-) Yes, evolution is that ludicrous! And they say we are foolish for having faith in a Creator who brought about all this order, creativity and goodness!

Another favorite chapter dealt with archaeology and how it supports the Bible. Psalm 85:11 says, "Truth springs from the earth." Over the years people have ridiculed the Bible for mentioning something that was later found to be true. In fact even many secular archaeologists use the Bible because it has proven to be so accurate in its mentioning of customs of the day, languages used, prophecy, specific incidents and people, nations and so forth. That was an incredibly encouraging chapter because it is further assurance that the God Who gave us His Word can certainly preserve it in order that men and women today can know His plan of salvation.