WHERE D ARWIN M EETS THE BIBLE: C REATIONISTS AND EVOLUTIONISTS IN A MERICA

Oxford University Press, 2002 352 pages, $30 Available in retail and online bookstores

A longtime religion reporter for the Washington Times, Larry Witham has here written a beefy primer mapping out the state of a heated and complicated debate. Since it's an ongoing one, we ought to be familiar with the players — and what the arguments are actually about. Setting out to introduce us to the key players and their thoughts, he succeeds in getting us to appreciate why any of this discussion should matter to non-scientists.

Since the infamous Scopes “Monkey Trial” in 1925 between William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, Witham writes, “the evolution-creation debate has become America's IQ test. Where you stand can be an instant pass or fail on being modern or backward, faithful or apostate.”

Some people haven't moved much beyond the stereotypes coming from that trial; on the 75th anniversary of the Scopes trial in the summer of 2000, the People for the American Way held a mock Scopes trial making Bryan look the fool.

The debate, of course, is more complex than simply being “for” or “against” evolution. People of faith, like Roman Catholic biochemist Michael Behe, a tenured professor at Lehigh University and author of Darwin's Black Box, have helped challenge both the Darwinists and believers in a divine hand. Thus, Witham writes, “the debate has switched from defending religious scripture to making scientists explain the holes in evolutionary theory. The debate has switched, what is more, to asking why, if Darwinian science is not a philosophy, does it so often lead to disbelief?”

Where Darwin Meets the Bible could easily be adapted in classrooms, public as well as religious. It's a definitive introduction for parents, teachers, even reporters. In fact, don't we all have a stake in this debate?

Witham's successful execution of Where Darwin Meets the Bible bodes well for his more-recently released By Design: Science and the Search for God (Encounter Books). Neither book is likely to settle the controversy over evolution once and for all, but Witham's reporting and analysis opens a door into what is really being discussed, discovered and debated — beyond the usual monkey business. Those for whom Darwinism is a kind of religion will have to reckon with his rationale, which in many points is unassailable.

Christians should come away from Where Darwin Meets the Bible with some peace of mind. Witham, who must have interviewed every last expert on evolution, creationism and intelligent design, tells us: “Slowly, almost imperceptibly, science may be giving believers more ways to argue that God's existence is a better explanation of the cosmos than atheistic materialism.”

Don't expect his forceful, well-thought-out primer to end the debate. But it just might reframe its parameters.

Kathryn Jean Lopez is editor of

National Review Online.