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Joel Edmund Anderson
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The Heresy of Ham: What Every Evangelical Needs to Know About the Creation-Evolution Controversy Kindle Edition

by Joel Edmund Anderson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 35 ratings
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This book examines the claims of the Young Earth Creationist movement. In particular, the work of Ken Ham is scrutinized and compared with creedal Christianity.

The reason why the creation/evolution debate has become so heated and controversial is because it tends to get really complicated and confusing. What I try to do in this book is to clearly lay out some of the basic issues concerning the proper role of science, the proper interpretation of the Bible, and the history of interpretation of Genesis 1-11 in the Church. Such a focus will hopefully put the whole creation/evolution debate in a clearer light, enabling one to make better sense of it all.

This book is written primarily for Christians, particularly those within Evangelicalism. However, I think anyone with questions regarding the creation/evolution debate will profit from this book. With that in mind, I want to make a few things clear. First, the Christian faith and the reliability and truthfulness of the Bible do not depend on the outcome of the creation/evolution debate. Evolution is a scientific theory that does not threaten Christianity, even though many people think it does. If you allow me a bit of hyperbole, the theory of evolution is no more a threat to the Bible than photosynthesis. It only is seen as a threat when certain people (both atheists and young earth creationists alike) try to claim that evolution is more than it actually is.
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  1. Print length
    281 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    July 3, 2016
  5. Grade level
    12 and up
  6. File size
    698 KB
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01HYM15RS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Archdeacon Books (July 3, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 3, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 698 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 281 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0692756841
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 35 ratings

About the author

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Joel Edmund Anderson

Joel Edmund Anderson

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Joel Edmund Anderson grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, and teaching has taken him to places across the country and around the globe. He spent 16 years teaching English and Bible in various high schools, and is now an adjunct professor in college. He has a BS.Ed. in English, a M.A. in Theological Studies, a M.A. in the Old Testament, and a PhD in the Old Testament.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
35 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Photographer, Mac user
5.0 out of 5 stars It's not about evolution or the age of the Earth. It's much more.
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2017
Verified Purchase
The book is well written and engaging. Yes, the title will be off-putting to many readers, but the arguments are sound. The heresy, as Anderson says, is not that YEC is taught, but rather that it is taught as foundational to the faith. The distinction is critical, and not just the ramblings of a minority viewpoint in a culture war. It's very important, more important than the topic of evolution or the age of the earth or anything else you might think this is about. And for those who will immediately claim that Ham nowhere says that you have to be YEC to be saved, read this book. The author gives many examples of Ham speaking out of both sides of his mouth.

To understand this phenomenon, also check out Mark Noll's "The Scandal of the Evalgelical Mind". His book was written in 1994! You would think it would be dated, given how much has happened in the science/faith dialogue since then (think about what has happened since that time). But the message is more important than ever. Again, this is not some minority viewpoint of a liberal Christian, as you might think from the title. No. Noll is an evangelical and he rightly cries out "like a scorned lover" in the first few pages of his book, much as Anderson does, before getting on to the task at hand, which is to explain the mindset that leads to using the Bible as a pseudoscientific weapon in a culture war. Both authors feel a deep sense of loss for what evangelicalism has become, with 20 years between them. These books are written out of love, not spite.

If you want a fair and dispassionate, painstakingly detailed account of the history of the modern creationist movement with a wealth of references, read Ronald Numbers' 600-page tome, "The Creationists". Numbers' book is referenced positively by the Institute for Creation Research because it is simply the best objective historical account of this movement.
4 people found this helpful
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Lisa C Curry
5.0 out of 5 stars This is one of the best books I have read in a long time
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2016
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This is one of the best books I have read in a long time! Joel Edmund Anderson is an excellent writer and does a great job of presenting his case in a very coherent manner. This book really resonated with me as I can see the negative affects of Ham's movement being played out among Evangelical churches. It is a heresy that needs to be called for what it is, and Joel presents real life events to show how harmful YECism is. This is not your typical book that goes into the meaning of yom and spends an inordinate amount of time documenting the rise of this movement from Ellen White and the Seventh Day Adventist church, What I found most interesting was the argument that Martin Luther did some good things but the Evangelistic Protestant Churches went overboard looking to the Bible for all our answers without consideration of our church history.YECism also ties in closely with the age of enlightenment and the need to make everything written in the Bible literal and scientific.
7 people found this helpful
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Sara P
4.0 out of 5 stars Genre counts, worldview counts, truth counts
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2020
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I enjoyed the relaxed but informative voice of the author. The author speaks from an orthodox background and brings important perspective on the value of scripture, church history, and church tradition to our understanding of the story of God and the development of Christian faith and worldview.

Importantly he clarifies problems with the modern YEC movement philosophically and theologically- the least of which is putting secondary things first and positioning a YEC interpretation of early Genesis as foundational to Christian theology when in fact many important historical and contemporary theologians have strongly disagreed with both the basic premise and conclusions of Ken Ham.
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Paul R. Bruggink
5.0 out of 5 stars A detailed look at Ken Ham’s "Answers in Genesis" ministry
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2016
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Joel Edmund Anderson’s book was written primarily for evangelical Christians and anyone else with questions regarding the creation-evolution debate. It is as much about Young Earth Creationism (YEC) as it is about Ken Ham, who is mentioned only in passing until Chapters 8-10 (of eleven chapters).

The heresy that Anderson warns about is not merely believing in a young earth and a historical Adam and Eve. It is “the claim of young earth creationists like Ken Ham that a literal/historical interpretation of Genesis 1-11 is the foundation of the Gospel itself.” (p. v)

Ken Ham and his Answers in Genesis ministry “routinely accuse any Christian who doesn’t agree with YEC of both rejecting the authority of the Bible and putting the “traditions of men” in a place of authority over the Bible,” thereby equating his interpretation of Genesis 1-11 with biblical authority itself. (p. 48)

He spends the first six chapters on theological issues, clearly demonstrating that “the claims young earth creationism makes regarding Genesis 1-11 are provably unscientific, provably unbiblical, and provably without any basis in the history of the church” (p. 11). He begins with a definition and discussion of heresy, focusing on the heresy of Arius in the early Church as an example. He then discusses the history of the interpretation of Genesis 1-11 from the early Church to today, pointing out that “the YEC interpretation of Genesis 1-11 has never been universally held by the Church, and has never been seen as a creedal fundamental of the Christian faith” (p. 53).

Anderson goes on to discuss biblical exegesis, inspiration, inerrancy and interpretation. Anderson’s own understanding of Genesis 1 relies heavily on Prof. John Walton’s book “The Lost World of Genesis 1.” He argues that the theory of evolution doesn’t threaten Genesis 1 because they are addressing two different things. He suggests that the truth being conveyed in Genesis 1-11 is not dependent on whether or not the stories refer to historical events and that “Genesis 3 isn’t so much an account of a “fall” back then, as it is a description of humanity here and now” (p. 112)

In Chapter 7, Anderson discusses the scientific issues around the YEC interpretation of Genesis 1-11. He begins by pointing out that evolution is nothing more than a biological theory. It is not a worldview, despite what both Richard Dawkins and Ken Ham say. He focuses on issues brought up by Bill Nye in his February 2014 debate with Ken Ham, including tree rings, ice cores, the fossil record, starlight, “kinds” of animals on Noah’s ark, and humans, primates, and chromosome #2.

Anderson then shifts his focus, in Chapter 8, to Ken Ham’s five talking points: (1) There are two kinds of science, observational and historical, (2) Evolution is the anti-God religion of atheism, (3) All geology/biology can be traced back to Noah’s ark, (4) If you doubt Ken Ham, you’re a compromised Christian, and (5) It’s ultimately a biblical authority issue. Anderson briefly discusses each of these claims, then points out that Ken Ham rejects actual modern science while at the same time trying to pass off his misinterpretation of Genesis 1-11 as science.

In Chapter 9, he looks at the specifics of what Ken Ham’s writings in Ham’s own words, in quotations from two of his recent books: “The Lie: Evolution” (2012 [1987]) and “Already Gone” (2009). In Chapter 10, Anderson discusses quotations from ten of Ken Ham’s recent (2014-2015) blogs. Chapter 11 is primarily a discussion of Irenaeus of Lyons’ view of the “fall.”

I heartily recommend this book for Christians with questions about the creation-evolution debate and/or Ken Ham’s interpretation of Genesis 1-11.
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Top reviews from other countries

Mr Richard diplacito
5.0 out of 5 stars WOW
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 6, 2023
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Informative resource against heresy and some strange notions the aig team and Ndn very non the church with a must readbiblical and YEC is not only non scientific and certainly not the heresy the serpent is infiltrating
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