When the first edition of Who Was Adam? was published in 2005, very few evangelicals and conservative Christians made any real attempt at integrating the scientific and biblical insights about humanity’s origin into a coherent model that treated both sets of data with integrity. Thankfully, today, a growing number of evangelical and conservative Christian scholars have taken on this project, including William Lane Craig with his latest work In Quest of the Historical Adam: A Biblical and Scientific Exploration.

This focus on the question of the historical Adam is much needed because, as Craig points out, the question of human origins is foundational to the Christian faith. Already an influential—and controversial—work, In Quest of the Historical Adam is an impressive, bold, interdisciplinary exploration into the historicity of Adam (and Eve). Craig analyzes key texts in the Old and New Testaments and concludes that Scripture indeed teaches that Adam was a historical person, who, along with Eve, served as humanity’s progenitors. 

Yet, Craig adopts an evolutionary perspective on humanity’s origin. To reconcile a human evolutionary history with the biblical account of humanity’s creation, Craig first makes the case that Genesis 1–11 belongs to a genre called mytho-history—a mythical account of our origins that is not to be understood literally. Still, according to Craig, this portion of Scripture references real historical figures, including Adam. Hence, Genesis 1–11 is a mytho-history.

Craig then turns his attention to the scientific evidence. He seeks to locate Adam in evolutionary history and provisionally concludes that Adam (and Eve) lived between 750,000 and 1,000,000 years ago as a member of the hominin species Homo heidelbergensis

At first glance, Craig’s conclusion is likely to startle many people and create a strong sense of unease in others. And rightfully so. Even though Craig carefully and methodically argues his case, the radical nature of his conclusion raises legitimate biblical and scientific red flags. 

I have detailed some of my most salient concerns about Craig’s ideas in an extensive critical review of In Quest of the Historical Adam, first published in the Christian Research Journal. A more detailed and expansive version of my critical review is now available on our website. Though I don’t agree with Craig and find significant scientific shortcomings with his model, I am glad that a scholar of Craig’s stature has taken on the question of humanity’s origins. 

It is critical to recognize that all models have strengths and limitations. My hope is that amid our differences—and our critiques of one another’s ideas—a collaborative spirit emerges in which we all work together to try to get it right instead of adopting a posture of insisting that we are right—and others are wrong. It is in this spirit that I have engaged Craig’s ideas on human origins.

Check out more from Reasons to Believe @Reasons.org

About The Author

Dr. Fazale Rana

I watched helplessly as my father died a Muslim. Though he and I would argue about my conversion, I was unable to convince him of the truth of the Christian faith. I became a Christian as a graduate student studying biochemistry. The cell's complexity, elegance, and sophistication coupled with the inadequacy of evolutionary scenarios to account for life's origin compelled me to conclude that life must stem from a Creator. Reading through the Sermon on the Mount convinced me that Jesus was who Christians claimed Him to be: Lord and Savior. Still, evangelism wasn't important to me - until my father died. His death helped me appreciate how vital evangelism is. It was at that point I dedicated myself to Christian apologetics and the use of science as a tool to build bridges with nonbelievers. In 1999, I left my position in R&D at a Fortune 500 company to join Reasons to Believe because I felt the most important thing I could do as a scientist is to communicate to skeptics and believers alike the powerful scientific evidence - evidence that is being uncovered day after day - for God's existence and the reliability of Scripture. [...] I dedicated myself to Christian apologetics and the use of science as a tool to build bridges with nonbelievers. Fazale "Fuz" Rana discovered the fascinating world of cells while taking chemistry and biology courses for the premed program at West Virginia State College (now University). As a presidential scholar there, he earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry with highest honors. He completed a PhD in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry at Ohio University, where he twice won the Donald Clippinger Research Award. Postdoctoral studies took him to the Universities of Virginia and Georgia. Fuz then worked seven years as a senior scientist in product development for Procter & Gamble.



Email Sign-up

Sign up for the TWR360 Newsletter

Access updates, news, Biblical teaching and inspirational messages from powerful Christian voices.

Thank you for signing up to receive updates from TWR360.

Required information missing

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy & Terms of Use apply.