52 Books in 52 Weeks: Book 21: "Dinosaurs!" by Michael and Caroline Carroll

If you are a Christian parent who wants your children to read books from a Christian perspective that are neutral on the question of the age of the earth, you're going to have a hard time.  Especially when it comes to specific topics, like dinosaurs.  Since our 6 yr old son has become obsessed with dinosaurs, I have been looking for a dinosaur book that will affirm God's glory and be scientifically and intellectually honest.  It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Thanks to Theology Mom, I finally found it.

The authors begin by listing many of the questions about dinosaurs, which they will deal with in the book.  When did the dinosaurs live? How did they become extinct?  Were they like lizards, or more like birds?  But they set up the expectation at the beginning that these questions may not be definitively answered.  And that scientists can reasonably hold different theories and disagree with one another.

In addition to all kinds of fascinating facts about dinosaurs, and stories of the earliest discoveries of dinosaur fossils, they include photos from dig sites, and interviews with Christian paleontologists. They have a section on the science of geology and a very balanced presentation of the theories of the age of the earth. There is also a balanced presentation different extinction theories.

How the dinosaurs disappeared is still a mystery. What is not a mystery is that it was part of God's plan.  Whether God chose to take dinosaurs away before people-or later-is something Christians must try to figure out. We must first figure it out in light of Scripture, and where Scripture is not clear, we look to science to help us fill in the holes. What do you think happened to all those beasties? Devout people sometimes don't agree how old the earth is. The important thing to remember is that God is in control.  He is the Creator and designer of everything. Our God is great - powerful enough to make the world in six days-and vast enough to make it over billions of years.

The book ends with a section on addressing apparent conflicts between Scripture and science.  And it encourages:

Don't be afraid of science! Science is simply our way of trying to figure out how God put the world together. 

Published in the year 2000, the book is surely outdated in some of its scientific information.  But the principals it promotes: respect for differing viewpoints and seeking to glorify God through scientific discovery are timeless.

Sojourner