Seven Days that Divide the World

The author, John C. Lennox, is a professor of mathematics at Oxford University.  I read this book for the Christian Reading Challenge based on a recommendation from a friend.  My friend stated that the author would  be able to prove through science that God created the world in 7 days.  While I disagree with the author's ability to provide proof, he certainly shot holes in the arguments of the New Atheists against creationism as well as coming up with quite a few interesting points about the Genesis Chapter 1 story. This was such a fascinating book that I read its 184 pages in an hour and a half and then reread it a week later and a third time one month later.

The author begins by stating he is a scientist who believes in both science and in the Bible. He says that you can draw scientific implications from the Bible but that does not mean that the Bible is a scientific treatise from which you can deduce Isaac Newton's laws or Einstein's equations.  The Bible was not intended to explain the origins of the universe in a detailed scientific language. It was intended to teach people about God.

A discussion over young earth and ancient earth creationist views is expanded on to point out that the definition of the word "creationist" has changed over the centuries. Originally it referred to someone who believed in a creator with no implication for how the creating was done. Today, a creationist is usually referred to someone who believes in a young earth. Also, these viewpoints are not new. They have been debated since times before Christ by Jewish scholars. Whether the 6 days in which God performed his creation were 24 hour cycles or epochs of unspecified lengths changes the age of the earth. See Psalm 90:4 "For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past..." Then there is the question of what is meant by "earth." Is it a planet, dry ground, or something else? Consider whether you are interpreting the Bible from the era it was written in or the era you are currently living in. That changes everything too. In addition, there is a grammatical point to be made about English versions of the Bible where the creation days are rendered "the first day," "the second day." Genesis was written in Hebrew. While the Hebrew language has a definitive article (ha) it is not used in the original for days one through five.  Thus the beginning of time is "one day" rather than "the first day. "  It makes a difference in how you interpret the chapter.

Another interesting discussion in the book concerned the word "literal." What does it mean to literally interpret the Bible? The definition of this word has also changed over the centuries and the author shows how there are different levels of literality.

All of these discussions were further expanded upon in the book. In addition, there are five appendices that dispute several theories of the New Atheists concerning the Genesis text. The book gets extremely technical here. I won't go into detail about these issues even though the book appears to have been written to debunk the theories of the New Atheists.  That was not the reason that I read the book.

The main thrust of the author's argument is that there is a way to understand Genesis 1 that doesn't compromise the authority of Scripture and at the same time take into account our increased knowledge of the universe.  I thought this was fabulous! Many of his discussions were above my ability to understand. I am not a mathematician or a scientist. I was impressed though with what he had to say.

I cannot remember a time when I was excited to read Genesis but John Lennox has made it seem important to study.  He has highlighted the creation story for me in such a fascinating manner.  I highly recommend this book!