The Creation Answer Book | Book Review Jan 31, 2019

One of my favourite book stores is in Burlington, Ontario called, Family Christian Bookstore. With a main floor and basement, the selection is incredible. I seem to always find books at a major discounted price. One of the books I purchased recently was The Creation Answer Book, by Hank Hanegraaff.

I only recently discovered Hanegraaff a few years ago from the radio program,The Bible Answer Man. As the host, he helps answer questions from callers on anything about Christianity. From doctrinal issues to Biblical interpretations, he helps seekers understand the Christian faith. Hanegraaff was born in 1950 in the Netherlands, but his nationality is American. In 1989, he became the President of the Christian Research Institute and has been there ever since. He is a father of 12 children. In 2017, at 67 years of age Hanegraaff revealed that he was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma and is currently battling this disease. As of this review being published in 2019, he continues to receive treatment.

The cover uses the same design style as The Case for Christianity Answer Book. This led to discovering a whole batch of these answer books all from different authors. They each make contributions to each respective topic. Hanegraaffs contribution is providing answers toover 80 common questions revolving around creation. Topics such as first things, the garden of Eden, the Flood, age of the Earth, dinosaurs, and evolution. Hanegraaff's answers all come from a biblical worldview. The hope is to establish clear concise answers to questions given both by seekers and skeptics.

When it comes to concise answers, this book does exactly that. Answers are no more than two small pages. Hanegraaff does a remarkable job giving credible reasons for the answers that he provides. Of course there are extra resources provided for further study. Hanegraaff approaches each question with an open mind. He embraces extensive research to show that science and scripture can work together.

When dealing with a topic such as creation, it is obvious that many of the answers are not given with complete certainty. This is understandable since no human was alive to record the beginning. Faith and reasonable probability is the root of many answers. This will intrigue seekers but may not satisfy skeptics. Hanegraaff gives well thought out biblical explanations to these difficult questions. A large issue with this book is that not all questions provided full answers. I would say this is more suited as an explanation book rather than an answer book.

There are sections that fall under the title, advanced readings. That is exactly what they are. Many of these advanced readings went way over my head. They are full of complex phrases and terminology I have never heard before. Hanegraaff does provide a glossary to explain many of these words. Readers with no scientific background will likely have a challenging time. There are several answers with complex information to process and comprehend.

There is a clear trend with these answer books. They are great for cutting right down to the point in many of these difficult questions. These are answers from a scientific and biblical worldview. This means seekers and skeptics need to explore these answers with an open mind if they are going to gain anything from this book. Those who love science and discovery will appreciate this book more than the average reader. Creation is one of the most difficult topics humanity continues to search answers for. For example, the age of the earth continues to be a topic that may never reach a consensus. While Hanegraaff sees evidence that points to an old earth, Christians like Ken Ham sees evidence that points to a young earth. Regardless, Hanegraaff handles these questions in a way that lets the reader do their own research without leaving them in the dark. But with several explanations rather than answers, The Creation Answer Book only serves half its purpose. The suggested reading resources are a major element in searching for answers. This results in a counter-intuitive publication that calls itself an answer book.