Faith, Reason & Earth History: A Paradigm of Earth and Biological Origins by Intelligent Design

Rating:
Summary: The best yet
Review: Brand is to be congratulated for a sane presentation of the biblical creationist case, certainly the best general presentation so far. With appealing candour he seems to take care to point out evidence that fits with his paradigm only with more difficulty. He believes in micro- and some macro-evolution, which he distinguishes from mega-evolution. The boundary is still vague needing more research. The book may seem to take a while to get going because initial sections are taken up with important discussions of history and philosophy of science. These sections could have been better introduced as illustrations of a particular empirical problem introduced up front. This would have had the advantage of illustrating the necessity of these philosophical sections. But if you're empirically minded be patient and you will be rewarded. I hope that the tone of Brand's discussion and the seeming quality of his citation and interaction with the work of others, serve as a model to other creationist writers.

Rating:
Summary: Faith: A Reason for Misinterpreting Earth History
Review: Dr. Leonard R. Brand obtained a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University in 1970 and currently teaches at Loma Linda University.
The book's main purpose is to present an II (Informed or Intelligent Intervention) paradigm of earth history composed of an ID (Intelligent Design) model to explain life science issues and a YEC+FG (Young Earth Creationist + Flood Geology) model to explain earth science issues. Chapters 1-6 deal mostly with issues of the history and philosophy of science. Chapters 7-12 deal mostly with biological issues. Chapters 13-16 deal with geological matters. Chapter 17 is a brief concluding summary. To his credit, Brand presents his II paradigm with refreshing honesty and civility.

For the sake of brevity and because I am a Christian geologist (B.A., M..S., Ph.D.) with an OEC (Old Earth Creationist) point of view, I have written this review primarily with the geological issues in mind.

A secondary purpose of this book is to show that .."a creationist can indeed be an effective scientist..". If the ultimate purpose of science is to increase man's understanding of the universe, a scientist's effectiveness can be evaluated by his contributions to that understanding. Designing testable hypotheses for theories is only the beginning of that process. How a scientist uses the results of hypothesis testing to improve the ability of theories to accurately explain and predict observations largely determines the magnitude of the contribution and thus his/her effectiveness as a scientist.

Brand's research history lends support to his secondary contention, because he is a creationist and has indeed carried out peer-reviewed scientific research. However, in chapters 13-16, Brand candidly enumerates many difficulties with the YEC+FG model that he admits are resolved by mainstream naturalistic explanations. Instead of using these naturalistic explanations to refine the YEC+FG model, he rejects them and hopes that the difficulties will someday/somehow be overcome by future scientific discoveries. Faith has predetermined which facts are admissable. By selectively rejecting facts that contradict the YEC+FG model, Brand indefinitely postpones any contribution to a more accurate YEC+FG model and thus short-circuits his own effectiveness as a scientist for improving that model. Brand's peer-reviewed publications suggest that he is probably more effective as a scientist in the areas of life and earth science that are NOT influenced by a YEC+FG model.

Some readers might not be aware that the YEC+FG model has been around for a long time and was widely believed prior to the rise of the earth sciences in the early 1800's. Ironically, it was the "flood" of data from these sciences that eventually caused most Christian and non-Christian geologists to reject Flood Geology and a young (<10,000 yr) age for the earth.

Rating:
Summary: What a disappointment
Review: I find it hard to beleive that this book is taken at all seriously. It is billed as a "balanced" review of evolution versus intelligent design concepts; in reality it is biased and full of incomplete half-baked partially scientific data. I was hoping to find some credibility in the creationist perspecitve, but after reading this book I'm not sure I can. One of the most annoying things about the book is the thinly veiled message that scientists who believe in evolution must be athiests, whereas scientists of "faith" must continue to look for new data to support the creationist perspective. Almost equally annoying is the fact that (apparently) the only world religion that has a creation story worth using to bias otherwise scientific data is that of the Judeo/Christion tradition. The book is a waste of money unless you are a fundamentalist Christian pseudo-scientist looking to pick up discussion ideas for your next chruch meeting.

Rating:
Summary: The current Best-in-Class
Review: Texts by creationists range from excellent books by acclaimed scientists to downright awful offerings from overenthusiastic laymen. Dr. Brand's work is among the very best. After reading it I see why Dr. Kurt Wise recommended it above all others.
This book is something seasoned warriors of the creation/evolution controversy can sink their teeth into, yet it can be readily understood by anyone with a decent education. Brand is extremely fair and patient in his handling of topics and careful not to make unwarranted claims. Anti-creationists expecting to score easy points against this book may find themselves learning a few things and rethinking their positions instead. Likewise, overenthusiastic creationists who have been a little too fast and loose with facts will hopefully mature a little by reading this book.
The only significant shortcoming I see is that Brand has apparently little awareness of creationist thinking and research found in two peer-reviewed journals; the Creation Research Society Quarterly and Creation Ex Nihilo Technical Journal. However, this does not detract from the quality of what *is* covered. Two thumbs up!

Rating:
Summary: An extremely well-written book on earth history.
Review: This is unquestionably the best book I have ever read on earth history. Believers in the literal Biblical creation story and followers of the evolutionary theory have for decades been miles apart, with no seeming common ground for civil discussion. "Believers" in either theory will be equally pleased with this incredibly informative book written in a very lucid style which can be appreciated by scientist and non-scientist alike. Although personally a "believer" in the Biblical story of creation and the catastrophic flood, I have always been disappointed and embarrassed by the frequent lack of respect shown by other creationists toward scientists working within the framework of the "naturalistic paradigm", or evolutionary theory. I have also always desired more "data" in an understandable form that I could judge for myself. Leonard Brand has very effectively bridged this "respect gap" and "data gap". He promotes the notion that each camp is looking for understanding just as earnestly as the other, although with their own unavoidable inherent biases, and there is no reason for lack of respect for the other. He explains in extraordinary clarity the scientific process, it's usefulness, and it's weaknesses and the history of present theories of earth origins. The chapter on the relationship between "faith" and science has long been needed to put both in their proper perspective. He goes on to present in extremely lucid terms the major available data on microbiology, cell biology, speciation, microevolution, and geologic record and fossil data, pertinent to the earth history, supplemented with excellent and understandable charts and illustrations. In this context he goes on to explain the evolutionary theory, both past and present, including the newer ideas originating from this camp. He then explains an alternative paradigm which he calls "informed intervention", which is a theory that the geological record can be interpreted in a way consistent with the literal Biblical story of Genesis, including special creation and a catastrophic flood. He fairly points out the problems and strengths of both theories with areas suggested for potential future research. Throughout, he appeals to both camps for equal fairness and mutual respect as they work side by side in the field as scientists to understand this incredible planet we live on.