Discussion of Peter Enns, The Evolution of Adam

I read Peter Enns' interesting and provocative The Evolution of Adam a couple months ago. It has a lot of interesting things to say about the important issue of how the science-and-religion dialogues (and the related issue of the rise of critical biblical scholarship) of the past century and a half (and beyond) come to an interesting head in the discussion of the historicity of Adam and Eve. Really, in my opinion, this is one of the key points at which, with regard to the larger science-and-theology dialogue, the rubber meets the road, so to speak. I found his book interesting, though not all-together satisfying. But others are engaging Enns as well.

Jamie K. A. Smith has recently published a review of Enns focused largely on methodology, specifically pressing him on what he sees as a "flattening" of Scripture by functionally excluding divine authorship. J. R. Daniel Kirk responds to Smith's review, and in the comments of his critique, Jamie Smith and also Alan Jacobs enter with some push-back. It makes for an informative conversation about the role divine authorship plays as we look at difficult interpretive issues in Scripture. Do read, and do read Enns's book, critically.