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Q. In my dialogue with Bill Craig, I pressed him with the notion of Hebrews using myths. My own study of the matter shows that they were demythologizing if anything other familiar ANE ideas and sagas. They simply weren’t a myth making people, so I had problems with the notion that about one verse of Genesis 2-3 reflected some historical kernel, and I gather you would agree and he suggests all we can know is that there was a historical... Read more

Q. You and I both use the terminology of Adam being the federal head of the human race such that his behavior affected the whole race. I personally am not sure this has anything to do with the idea of seminal transmission of sin, guilt or a fatal flaw to all of Adam’s descendants. I think it has to do with Adam being the representative head of the race, whatever his relationship with all other humans such that his decision... Read more

Q. It appears that migration of humans is an important part of your argument for interbreeding, migration that had to have happened sometime well before we got to 1 A.D. so that one can claim everyone can have Adam and Eve as their genealogical ancestors. Explain please.   A. Turns out there has been massive amounts of mixing between different populations over the last 10,000 years. Almost everywhere we look, we find evidence of mixing. Two good books I recommend... Read more

Q. In several places you mention the so-called Persian Gulf Oasis. Please explain what this is for our readers?   A.  The Persian Gulf is a sea between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. But about 8,000 to 10,000 years ago, it was quite different. Sea levels were about 400 ft lower, and the Persian Gulf was not drowned by water. Instead, it was a thriving Oasis. The paper on which this is based is worth reading in full, along with the... Read more

Q. For my money one of the most important parts of the discussion of these topics is what exactly one should make of the phrase ‘in his image and after his likeness’ something predicated of humans and no one else. I may have missed it, but if you are pressed on this issue, what do you think the author of these Genesis texts is referring to? It seems clear to me that it must have something to do with humans... Read more

Q. One of the more interesting parts of your scientific discussion is the mention that scientists are not clear about how to define human. By “human,” scientists might mean anything from ancient homo sapiens to the homo genus. And these definitions may not line up well with how philosophers and theologians think about human. Explain for my audience what difference this sort of discussion makes and why it is important.   A. There is a great deal of uncertainty in... Read more

Q. Let’s talk about interbreeding between Adamites and those outside the garden for a moment. You seem to assume that over time, this interbreeding is so vast and successful that by the time we get to 1 A.D. all those outside the garden who didn’t interbreed but kept to themselves died out, or am I misreading your argument? Please clarify. And speaking of interbreeding, the majority opinion not only among Biblical scholars but also apparently in the eyes of the... Read more

Q. Is it enough to have peaceful dialogue with such folks, or do they need to be shown the error of their ways in a kinder gentler approach? A. Dialogue or show people the error of their ways? This is a false dichotomy. All of us, including me, need to be shown the error of our ways. It is only in true dialogue, across real disagreements, that we have any hope that any of us can do better. The most... Read more

Q. One of things I most appreciate about your book is that you take seriously the historical substance of the text of Genesis (and other Biblical texts) without compromising on the science. Science, in the first place was practiced all the way back to Galileo, Copernicus, Newton etc. by Christians. It is thus hard to understand to some degree the animus about science in general among many devout Christians, even to the point of rejecting helpful vaccines during a pandemic.... Read more