The unexpected story of an unbeliever's journey to understand why people accept creationism and how, though he continued to reject creation, also came away asking hard questions about himself and his relationship to God.
Approaching Christianity from a decidedly non-Christian, but not unsympathetic perspective, author Jason Rosenhouse has hard questions for American Christianity.
Why do so many Americans reject the modern theory of evolution? Why does creationism, rejected by most scientists, retain such popularity among the public? Is the perceived conflict between evolution and Christianity genuine, or is it merely an illusion peculiar to fundamentalism?
Jason Rosenhouse became a regular attendee at creationist conferences and other gatherings because he wanted to understand creationism and why people believe it. After ten years, and after hundreds of surprisingly friendly conversations with creationists of varying stripes, he emerged with a story to tell. It is a story that goes well beyond the usual stereotypes used to caricature Christians as being irrational. Using anecdotes, personal reflections, and scientific and philosophical discussion, Rosenhouse presents a more down-to-earth, reasonable picture of modern creationism and the people who espouse it. Eschewing polemic and insult he nonetheless doesn't pullback when he spots an error in the logical or scientific reasoning.
Yet, along the way, he also tells the fascinating story of his own nonbeliever's attempt to understand a major aspect of American religion. Forced to wrestle with his views about God and evolution, Rosenhouse found himself drawn into a new world of ideas previously unknown to him and in doing so arriving at a sharper understanding of the reality of science-versus-religion disputes, and how these debates look to those beyond the ivory tower. A personal memoir of one scientist's attempt to come to grips with this controversy by immersing himself in the culture of creationists. Among the Creationists is a fair, fresh, and insightful account of the modern American debate over Darwinism.
