Three books worth taking the time to read

Over the past two months I have read a few excellent books, which I recommend to you. Of the three, my top choice read is Jerry Bergman’s book “Hitler and  the Nazi Darwinian Worldview” (Joshua Press)

How the Nazi eugenic crusade for a superior race caused the greatest Holocaust in world history.

This book takes a fresh look at Germany’s most influential Nazi leaders, examining their backgrounds, education and convictions. It provides compelling evidence that the rising influence of Darwinism, eugenics and race theory in early twentieth-century society set the foundation for the Nazi pursuit of engineering a German “master race”—and exterminating European Jews, Gypsies, Blacks, most Slavs and the Christian religion in the ensuing madness of the Holocaust of World War II.

The effect of social Darwinism, eugenics and anti-Semitism, and their relative acceptance in the scientific and medical communities of Germany and many other countries worldwide, opened the door to mass murder, medical experimentation and military conquest. This title examines the roots of Nazi ideology and unmasks the Darwinian “survival of the fittest” theory behind it.

A review is found here

Genetic research indicates the possibility that Hitler had Jewish background, which makes his inferiority concerns somewhat ironic. … Geneticists identified groups of genes called haplogroups that define populations. Hitler’s dominant haplogroup, E1b1b, is relatively rare in Western Europe, but between 50 to 80 per cent of North Africans share Hitler’s dominant group, which is especially prevalent among in (sic) the Berber tribes of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Somalia. Hitler’s second most dominant haplogroup is the most common in Ashkenazi Jews.  “The findings are fascinating if you look at them in terms of the Nazi worldview, which ascribed such an extreme priority to notions of blood and race. This pure type of ‘superman’ and the [Nazi] breeding programs to perfect ‘purity’ were sheer fabrications.” (The author cites Haaretz Service, “DNA test reveal Hitler’s Jewish and African roots,” Jewish World (August 4, 2010): 1.) (emphasis added)

Another very excellent read is Richard Barns’ book “The Dawkins Proof for the existence of God.” (www.thedawkinsproof.com) Free PDF available here.

This is not just another book critiquing infamous criticiser of God and religion, Richard Dawkins. Rather, the author, an ex-atheist himself, demonstrates that the arguments used by Dawkins in his writing, especially The God Delusion, actually confirm the existence of God; that is Dawkins himself unwittingly provides clear evidence for God’s existence!

My third excellent read is “Should Christians Embrace Evolution?” (InterVarsity Press) edited by Norman C. Nevin but each chapter written by a different author including Alistair Donald (Church of Scotland), Alistair McKitterick (Moorlands College), Michael Reeves (UCCF), Greg Haslam (Westminster Chapel), R. T. Kendall, Steve Fuller (Warwick University), Andy McIntosh (Leeds University), Geoff Barnard (Cambridge University) and John Walton (St Andrews University).

The twenty-first century is witnessing an aggressive attack on the credibility of Christian faith by the ‘new atheists’, who argue essentially that evolution has made religious faith utterly redundant.

In the past, Christians held to a variety of approaches to reconciling their theology with scientific understanding, and were accorded respect. However, with the attack from the new atheists, any view that does not fully accept evolution is now being denigrated by those Christians in the scientific community who do accept it. There have been calls for Christians to celebrate Darwin—and to embrace Darwinian evolution or acknowledge that they are opposed to science.

For the contributors to this volume, this is a false premise. In response, they set out a clear framework for the relevant issues and confront key questions to which this gives rise. They are committed to the authority of Scripture, the need for careful exegesis, and the importance of rigorous scientific investigation. They offer valuable perspectives on a contentious and complex area of debate. The first half deals with biblical arguments against evolution and therefore theistic evolution. The second half deals with scientific issues in relation to evolution.

The concluding chapter and summary of book answers the question of the title this way: “Our answer is a resounding ‘no’–absolutely not. Theistic evolutionists have failed to demonstrate a theology consistent with the supremacy of Scripture.“