On the (Divine) Origin of Our Species
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
The Bible’s opening chapter includes these words: “So God created humansin his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” We are created beings, with a unique status in creation. Nothing is more fundamental to Christian faith. Yet biologists present extensive data and provide a picture of how our species came to be, but there is no Creator in the intricate details of the painting they provide. If the scientific evidence for the evolution picture is reasonable—and, in general, it is—and if humans were indeed created from a common ancestor of the great apes, then what can be said about the Artist who Christians believe was at work? Vague answers are not satisfactory anymore—not in this scientific age. Recent mainstream data from paleoanthropology and genetics suggest that the basis of our species’ success was not that they were superior fighters. Rather, the reason our ancestors thrived was likely their ability to function cooperatively in groups—to respect each other and to get along. This reframes the question about the nature of the hovering Spirit’s activity in bringing our species into being. And that is the subject of this book.
- Reframes the question about the nature of the hovering Spirit’s activity in bringing humans into being
- Suggests ways in which the triune God has been working within the evolutionary process
- Challenges assumptions about what modern science and theology tell us about God’s activity in creating humanity
- The Origin of Our Species and the End of Christianity?
- The Origin of Our Genus, Homo
- The Origin of Our Species, Homo sapiens
- The Origin of Our Species and the Ability to Imagine
- The Origin of Our Species and the Cooperative Mindset
- The Origin of Our Species and Providence
- Alpha and Omega: The Beginning and the End
Through the years Darrel Falk and I have had our disagreements. Yet after every encounter with him I have come away with a better understanding of the issues involved and an awareness of his gentle Christian spirit. Those same traits come through in his latest book. Regardless of where one stands on the question of human origins, the reader will find On the (Divine) Origin of Our Species informative and edifying.
—Ken Keathley, senior professor of theology, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
On the (Divine) Origin of Our Species takes two areas—the modern sciences of human origins and Christian theology—as seriously as possible. Born out of both his own deep Christian experience and expertise, Darrel Falk has written a book that is humble yet challenges easy assumptions about what modern science and theology tell us about God’s activity in bringing the human species onto the scene. This is a must-read!
—Jeff Hardin, professor of integrative biology, University of Wisconsin
Darrel Falk has provided a theologically thick reflection on the evolution of Homo sapiens into the complex beings we are today. Drawing on his expertise in biology and genetics, while appealing to the contributions of biblical scholars and the church’s orthodox theological tradition, Falk suggests ways in which the triune God has been working within the evolutionary process to fit human beings for social interaction, ethics, and spirituality—thus attaining their telos as the image of God. This is a rich feast, indeed!
—J. Richard Middleton, professor of biblical worldview and exegesis, Northeastern Seminary at Roberts Wesleyan University