What did the writer of Genesis mean by “the first day”? Is it a literal week or a series of time periods? If I believe that the earth is 4.5 billion years old, am I denying the authority of Scripture? In response to the continuing controversy over the interpretation of the creation narrative in Genesis, John Lennox proposes a succinct method of reading and interpreting the first chapters of Genesis without discounting either science or Scripture. With examples from history, a brief but thorough exploration of the major interpretations, and a look into the particular significance of the creation of human beings, Lennox suggests that Christians can heed modern scientific knowledge while staying faithful to the biblical narrative. He moves beyond a simple response to the controversy, insisting that Genesis teaches us far more about the God of Jesus Christ and about God’s intention for creation than it does about the age of the earth. With this book, Lennox offers a careful yet accessible introduction to a scientifically-savvy, theologically-astute, and Scripturally faithful interpretation of Genesis.

Foreword / Henry M. Morris -- Foreword / John MacArthur -- Prologue / Terry Mortenson, Thane Hutcherson Ury -- The Church Fathers on Genesis, the Flood, and the age of the Earth / James R. Mook -- A brief overview of the exegesis of Genesis 1-11 : Luther to Lyell / David W. Hall -- "Deep time" and the church's compromise : historical background / Terry Mortenson -- Is nature the 67th book of the Bible? / Richard L. Mayhue -- Contemporary hermeneutical approaches to Genesis 1-11 / Todd S. Beall -- The Genre of Genesis 1:1-2:3 : what means this text? / Steven W. Boyd -- Can deep time be embedded in Genesis? / Trevor Craigen -- A critique of the framework interpretation of the Creation Week / Robert V. McCabe -- Noah's Flood and its geological implications / William D. Barrick -- Do the Genesis 5 and 11 genealogies contain gaps? / Travis R. Freeman -- Jesus' view of the age of the Earth / Terry Mortenson -- Apostolic witness to Genesis Creation and the Flood / Ron Minton -- Whence cometh death? : a biblical theology of physical death and natural evil / James Stambaugh -- Luther, Calvin, and Wesley on the Genesis of natural evil : recovering lost rubrics for defending a "very good" creation / Thane H. Ury -- A biographical tribute to Dr. John C. Whitcomb Jr. / Paul J. Scharf -- Affirmations and denials essential to a consistent Christian (biblical) worldview