3.5 stars

"This book is about the decline of the Church's view of Genesis 1-11, which has led to a catastrophic decline in believing in the absolute authority of the Word of God in the Church." p 120

The first half was quite good. Ham explains why incorrect interpretations of Genesis lead to a compromise of all Scripture, including the gospel and argues the Bible is to be the "starting point" for all our beliefs.

If God is good, Genesis has to be literal.

If you accept millions of years, then you have to say, "Isn't God good? He calls death, suffering, and disease very good." That is because…the idea of millions of years comes from the belief that most of the fossil layers (containing dead creatures with evidence of diseases) were laid down millions of years before man. p 31

I appreciated the distinction made between observational and historical science. Science and Christianity are not at odds!

I was surprised to see that some theologians whom I otherwise respect, such as Tim Keller, hold to compromised views of Genesis.

Unfortunately, the book is quite repetitive, especially in the second half. A good thirty percent could have been eliminated with better editing.

I think his arguments are worth reading, but try to have patience with his repetitious writing!

If the Scripture is unreliable, can we offer the world a reliable gospel? How can we be sure of truth on any issue if we are suspicious of errors anywhere in the Bible? A pilot will ground his aircraft even on suspicion of the most minor fault, because he is aware that one fault destroys confidence in the complete machine. If the history contained in the Bible is wrong, how can we be sure the doctrine or moral teaching is correct? p 245

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