Controversy of the Ages: Why Christians Should Not Divide Over the Age of the Earth

Theodore J. Cabal (Ph.D., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is professor of philosophy and apologetics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the general editor of The Apologetics Study Bible and has written numerous journal articles, book chapters, and professional papers. He has done radio interviews on the subject, including on Reasons to Believe with Hugh Ross.

Peter J. Rasor II (Ph.D., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is a full-time faculty member at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, AZ, where he teaches worldview, philosophy, apologetics, and ethics. His research interests include topics in the areas of philosophy of religion, science, and theology. He has spoken at churches on various worldview, apologetic, and theological issues. He also writes a blog, The Blade, which focuses upon various cultural and theological issues that face the church.

“The time is long past when we have needed a very careful, thoroughly documented analysis and response to the claims of young earth creationists. But with this book, I am delighted to say that that time has come. Its same thoughtful handling of evolutionary creationism makes Controversy of the Ages a critical read for evangelicals wending their way through the confusion. I am very enthusiastic about the scholarship, careful treatment and irenic tone of this book and highly recommend it.”

In addition to a well-informed history of evangelical moves for relating Genesis to geology and then to Darwinism, the authors have given us much more. They have provided trenchant evaluation of the argumentative strategies—theological, scientific, and philosophical. They show that of the various groups known to us today—the young earth creationists, the (non-Darwinian) old earth creationists, and the evolutionary creationists—none can be exempted from critique, and none deserves the place of exclusive privilege. This book deserves a wide readership, for it is informative, fair, and incisive. I rejoice that God spared Dr. Cabal from a terminal cancer to help write this!

When people ask for a good book to read about the age of the earth, I have a new favorite to recommend: Cabal and Rasor's Controversy of the Ages. With remarkable clarity, this book provides historical and theological context to the young-earth/old-earth controversy. But Cabal and Rasor move beyond mere description and prescribe the way to move forward—the Galileo approach. This is an important book, and it needs to be read by pastors, college and seminary students, and all who care about science and faith issues.

Controversy of the Ages is a welcomed addition to the issues swirling around the creation-evolution debate. The book is encyclopedic in scope, and the footnotes alone are a treasure trove of information. I appreciated the argument of the book; I appreciated even more the spirit of the book. I will be recommending this work for a long time.

If I had the power to require every Christian parent, pastor, and professor to read two books on creation and evolution—ideally alongside their mature children, parishioners, and students—it would be 40 Questions about Creation and Evolution (by Kenneth Keathley and Mark Rooker) along with the book you are now holding in your hands, Controversy of the Ages: Why Christians Should Not Divide Over the Age of the Earth.

Neither book intends to answer all of the questions definitively, but together they are like maps for Christians in the complex and confusing intersection of the Bible and science. We cannot bury our head in the sand, or outsource study of these issues to others. Cabal and Rasor help us sort through the issues and the options, modeling for us how to use proportion and perspective in our rhetoric and strategies of disagreement within the body of Christ. We live in perplexing days, but clear and clarifying books like this are a tremendous gift to the church. If the arguments and tone of this book are taken to heart, we will all be sharper, wiser, and kinder. I pray it is widely read.

Controversy of the Ages provides a concise and carefully researched history of the tensions between science and theology through the years. While offering a helpful overview of matters related to Copernicus, Galileo, and Darwin, among others, the book focuses on questions related to the age of the earth. With an informed understanding of young earth and old earth theories, as well as BioLogos and Intelligent Design proposals, Cabal and Rasor provide insightful analysis of these various perspectives based on an unapologetic commitment to the truthfulness of scripture. As indicated by the subtitle, pastors, church leaders, and students will find an exemplary model of how to evaluate differing approaches to this important subject, doing so with conviction, kindness, and conciliatory civility. It is a privilege to recommend this rewarding volume.

Ted Cabal and Peter Rasor have provided an extraordinarily lucid and winsome guide to traversing the creation vs. evolution, and old-earth vs. young earth debates of our day. The authors endeavor to be fair, honest, and forthright in their description of the various views, and they practice what they preach, i.e., they present a charitable approach to assessing the issues and positions involved in the complex web of these current debates. Readers will find this book enlightening, engaging, and greatly informative. But even more importantly, they will see a model for dealing with controversial issues in a way that honors Christ, seeks to know and uphold the truth, and shows charity toward others with whom we might differ. I'm deeply grateful for the wisdom this book puts forth and encourage all interested in these issues to consider carefully its weighty arguments and timely admonitions.