Title: It Couldn’t Just Happen
Author: Lawrence O. Richards
Category: Christian, non-fiction, science
Publisher: Thomas Nelson; August 2, 2011
Page count: 234
Source: ARC from the publisher
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Originally published in 1987 and now updated with new text and all-new photos, It Couldn’t Just Happen is a little book packed with lots of information proving Creation of the Bible over the theory of evolution. Richards starts with the Creation event itself and follows with amazing facts about the human body, animal and plant life, fossil records, weather events, and nature’s impossible-to-ignore reflection of its Creator. Throughout, he uses Scripture proofs and without hesitation says the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God, and that there is no room for doubting its validity when it comes to Creation, historical Adam and Eve, and the proof of God’s handiwork in humans and nature.
If the book falls short for me, it’s that it doesn’t state definitively how long Creation took. Richards leaves the door open for the day-age theory, which states we cannot know how long a “day” in the Creation story is. Perhaps it is a strict 24-hour period, as we know a day to be, or perhaps a “day” could have been millions of years long, which would allow for gradual changes we collectively call evolution. Myself, I’m a strict six-day Creationist. The word for “day” in Genesis, in the Creation story, is the same Hebrew word used for a 24-hour period elsewhere in the Old Testament. God is not a god of confusion or doubt, leaving us stranded without critical pieces of information. We know all we need to know in this life on Earth about Jesus, heaven, miracles, prophecies, and so forth, so why would He keep from us the full truth of our very origins?
Despite this personal quibble, which is easily a teachable moment for my son once it’s time to teach him in-depth about these things, It Couldn’t Just Happen is an invaluable resource for Christian parents. The Scripture texts used throughout are appropriate for the topic at hand, and each chapter ends with a “Just for Fun” page of questions and activities designed to challenge thinking and look at Creation in a fun and imaginative way. I would not use this as the primary text for teaching my son or a class about Creation, but I will certainly keep it around and use it as a supporting text.
This book was given to me for free by BookSneeze, Thomas Nelson’s program for book bloggers, in exchange for an honest review. The publisher did not influence my review, and all thoughts and opinions stated here are my own.
