Creationism in The Books Store

In his fascinating and informative account, Jennings shows how and why fundamentalists and modernists, Catholics and Protestants, feminists and the old guard all have been drawn to Genesis and wrestled with its meaning, legacy, and relevance today. Focusing on four key controversies - the critical account of the creation stories, the challenges from and to feminists, the critique of Genesis by environmentalists, and the claims of creationists - Jennings reveals not only the many facets of this archimedean text but also the unique light it continues to throw on American religious life.

By looking at the changing motivations and backgrounds of the stakeholders in the creation-evolution debate--clergy, scientists, lawmakers, educators, and others--Larson promotes a more nuanced view of the question than most of us have. This is no incidental benefit for Larson's readers; it is one of the book's driving purposes. If we cede the debate to those who would frame it simplistically rather than embrace its complexity, warns Larson, we will not advance beyond the naive regard of organized religion as the enemy of intellectual freedom or the equally myopic myth of the scientist as courageous loner willing to die for the truth.

A vital answer to the contemporary "crisis of meaning," this book sheds startling new light on the mysteries of our origin. The Divine vision of the ancient Fathers opens up unforeseen dimensions of the creation: deeper levels of reality that cannot be reached through rational or scientific means.