More on "Evolutionary Creation" ... and yes I will read the book ...

Regular readers will note that I don't have much use for "theistic evolution." I see it as a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

If the problem was that the universe showed no evidence of design but we wanted to believe in God anyway, then theistic evolution might make sense. (= We know by faith that there is a God even though there is no evidence for Him.)

The universe, however, apparently began in a Big Bang (that's creationism, basically) and shows massive evidence of very fine tuning. So theists are not betting against the evidence, but with it.

Of course God could use Darwinian evolution if he wanted to, but he has actually been remarkably sparing in his use of it - probably because Darwinian natural selection is a very conservative tendency. Pretending otherwise merely caters to the atheists who need it to be their creation story.

Anyway, one of theistic evolutionist Denis Lamoureux's students thinks I was unfair to da big guy, as I haven't read his latest book, "Evolutionary Creation."

Very well, I said I will read and review it.

The student then wrote to worry that I wouldn't give it a fair review. I replied,

As for Denis's book, my usual rule with books is this: I review books as a public service (book reviewing pays poorly at best).

If I thought Denis's book was likely to be rubbish, I wouldn't bother. I assume it will meet the intellectual standard one would expect from a prof.

I don't claim to be objective, obut respect for my reader's time requires me to consider: Who would find this book useful? Why? How? To what extent does the book meet those readers' needs? Are those needs - in my view - needs worth meeting?

It's that last point where personal judgement comes in - but that is true of all reviewers, whether they admit it or not.