Seven Days that Divide the World: The Beginning according to Genesis and Science

by John C. Lennox

Publisher:

Zondervan

, 2011

Overview

What did the writer of Genesis mean by “the first day”? Is it a literal week or a series of time periods? If someone believes that the earth is 4.5 billion years old, is that person denying the authority of Scripture?

In response to the continuing controversy over the interpretation of the creation narrative in Genesis, John Lennox proposes a succinct method of reading and interpreting the first chapters of Genesis without discounting either science or Scripture. With examples from history, a brief but thorough exploration of the major interpretations, and a look into the particular significance of the creation of human beings, Lennox suggests that Christians can heed modern scientific knowledge while staying faithful to the biblical narrative.

He moves beyond a simple response to the controversy, insisting that Genesis teaches us far more about the God of Jesus Christ and about God’s intention for creation than it does about the age of the earth. With this book, Lennox offers a careful yet accessible introduction to a scientifically-savvy, theologically-astute, and scripturally-faithful interpretation of Genesis.

Key Features

• Discussion of the challenge which the scientific theory that the earth was moving in space posed to generally accepted biblical interpretation in the sixteenth-century
• Principles of biblical interpretation and application to the controversy
• Interpretation of the Genesis days
• Biblical account of the origin of human beings, their antiquity, and related theological questions about death

Contents

Top Highlights

“What we are now suggesting in addition is that the individual days might well have been separated from one another by unspecified periods of time.” (Page 54)

“The presence of the article indicates that the final two days are special: on the sixth day human beings are made in the image of God, and on the seventh God rests, his work complete.” (Pages 53–54)

“We cannot keep science and Scripture completely separate, for the simple reason that the Bible talks about some of the things that science talks about.” (Page 28)

“Firstly, there can be more than one natural reading of a word or phrase” (Page 23)

“Therefore Genesis affirms that (human) life has a chemical base, but Genesis denies the reductionist addendum of the materialist—that life is nothing but chemistry.” (Page 69)

Praise for the Print Edition

This book is a delight to read: it is thoughtful, perceptive, friendly, and bold when it needs to be.

—C. John Collins, professor of Old Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary

Accessible, wide-ranging, balanced, and irenic. A wise, well-informed work, and it deserves the widest readership possible.

—Paul Copan, professor and pledger family chair of philosophy and ethics, Palm Beach Atlantic University

Addresses a passionate controversy with charity, humor, and humility. I enthusiastically endorse this unique and insightful book.

—Ravi Zacharias, founder and chairman of the board, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries

Careful and well-documented study. Every careful reader will come away more knowledgeable, wiser, and better able to defend the truth of the Bible before a skeptical world.

—Doug Groothuis, professor of philosophy, Denver Seminary

What a fine book! This book is as good as it gets in the religion/science area.

—Alvin Plantinga, John A. O’Brien Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame

Worthy of a careful reading by those interested in the ongoing science/religion discussion.

—Henry F. Schaefer III, Graham Perdue Professor of Chemistry, University of Georgia

Product Details

• Title: Seven Days that Divide the World: The Beginning according to Genesis and Science
• Author: John C. Lennox
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Print Publication Date: 2011
• Logos Release Date: 2012
• Pages: 192
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Bible and science
• ISBNs: 9780310497165, 9780310492177, 0310497167, 0310492173
• Resource ID: LLS:7DAYSDVDWRLD
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-28T20:50:56Z

About John C. Lennox

John Lennox is a mathematician, author, apologist, and philosopher of science. He is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and a Fellow in Mathematics and Philosophy of Science at Green Templeton College. He is the author of numerous books on the relationship between science and religion. He is also well known for his debates on the same subject.