NEW BOOK RELEASE
CREATION IS FALLEN
Step into a profound exploration of one of Christianity’s most challenging questions with Creation is Fallen: The Curse, Animal Suffering, and the Problem of Natural Evil by Ken P. Coulson. In this compelling and meticulously researched work, Coulson tackles the age-old dilemma: How can a good and omnipotent God allow such widespread suffering and death in the natural world?
Forward
One of the distinctive claims of young-age creationists is that animal suffering and death are consequences of Adam’s fall. In the world as it was before Genesis 3, animals lived peacefully with each other and with humans (let’s call this view original goodness). In our post-Darwinian era, people tend to ridicule this traditional position, but creationists come by their convictions honestly through a careful reading of the Old and New Testaments – and they are hardly the first to think this way. Going all the way back to the church fathers, Christians like Theophilus, Irenaeus, and many others held the same basic position. But here’s the problem: despite being a centerpiece of creationism, the doctrine of original goodness is surprisingly vague. The biblical texts are clear enough, and the theological basis makes good sense, yet many questions don’t seem to have obvious answers. Were all animals free from suffering and death? What about ants and microbes – or worms and jellyfish? Did Adam experience any pain before he sinned? And what role did blood-sucking mosquitoes play in an unfallen world, or (as I’m tempted to think on hot, humid summer evenings) did those wretched things only come into existence after the fall prompted God’s curse?
Meanwhile, the stakes are even higher for Christian evolutionists who think Adam has nothing to do with animal suffering and death. How can God be a good God, how can He be holy and just, if He allowed millions of years of gruesome violence and death to innocent animals?
We sometimes forget that old-earth creationists are in the same boat since they agree that the endless cycles of animal pain, violence, and death predated Adam and Eve by eons. Most scientists believe that over 99 percent of all species that have ever existed are now extinct. Think about that for a second. If all this animal suffering and death was objectively evil, and if Adam was not to blame – how is the creator not evil as well?
Much ink has been spilled to resolve these weighty theological questions, but Ken Coulson’s new book ranks among the best. I first came across Coulson’s work years ago when I read his earlier work Creation Unfolding: A New Perspective on ex nihilo. I still recall the thrill I felt reading this fresh voice in creationism. Here was a book with none of the stereotypes and tired clichés we normally associate with the creationist movement. Rather, Creation Unfolding shows that creationism at its best is not an apologetic sideshow, nor the domain of eccentric Christians prone to weird beliefs. Creationism, in fact, is a faithful expression of classical, orthodox biblical Christianity.
Coulson’s latest book, Creation is Fallen, is equally thrilling, but this time he tackles the problem of natural evil. The book defends a stimulating thesis and never suffers from mere abstraction. Indeed, quite the opposite: concrete empirical examples enrich his masterful argument throughout. Coulson often dishes out surprising and uncomfortable details of animal behavior, like parasitic cuckoo birds and hungry (but oh-so-deadly) ichneumon wasps. Such examples left me squirming as I turned the pages.
Many books dealing with the interface between science and theology are competent on the science but treat God’s Word superficially. Not so with Creation is Fallen. Scientists like Coulson leave me speechless; he is obviously an expert in nitty-gritty science, but this brother is no slouch in theology! In my experience, Bible scholars and theologians are intimidated by the scientific details; they feel out of their depth and often have only a cursory grasp of the issues. By contrast, Coulson puts them to shame. He’s fully at home with Scripture and comfortable interpreting difficult biblical texts. His exegetical instincts are impeccable.
Let me end with a note of appreciation. I have wrestled in my own work with the complex theological questions surrounding a fallen creation, and I’ve read most of the related literature. My overwhelming reaction to reading Creation is Fallen is gratitude to the Lord for equipping Coulson to write such a fantastic work. We creationists need writing of this high caliber. This book is indispensable because it showcases creationism’s dynamic energy as an integral piece of Christianity. If Coulson’s book represents a new breed of creationist scientists, I can safely say the movement is in good hands.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Hans Madueme, MD, PhD
Professor of Theological Studies
Covenant College
Author Bio
Dr. Ken Coulson is an assistant professor of science at San Diego Christian College in San Diego, California. He has an earned Ph.D. in Earth Science from Loma Linda University and has published several journal articles in both secular and Christian scientific publications. He is married and has 3 children.
Endorsements
“This book helps those of us who long to take our faith seriously grasp a creationist model that is thoroughly equipped to deal with the available scientific evidence. The church has long needed such a tool.” — Dr. Craig Lloyd, pastor of Grace Bible Church, Brisbane, Australia.
“This book provides a much-needed reanalysis of creationism, creation apologetics, and Christian philosophy of science. Readers will find their thinking challenged in a thoroughly Biblical way.” — Dr. Matt McLain, Assistant Professor of Biology and Geology, The Master’s University, California.