WHAT IS MAN?: Adam, Alien or Ape?

342 Pages·2018·2.49 MB·English

by  Edgar Andrews

What is Man?
Adam, alien or ape?
Edgar Andrews
BSc, PhD, DSc, FInstP, FIMMM, CEng, CPhys.
© 2018 Edgar Andrews
What is Man?
Adam, alien or ape?
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic,
mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations
in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Elm Hill, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Elm
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Publishing, Inc.
Elm Hill titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising,
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All Bible quotations are taken from the New King James Version, Copyright © 1988
by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018930396
Prelaunch edition ISBN: 978-1-595556844
ISBN 978-1-595542991 (Paperback)
ISBN 978-1-595558466 (Hardbound)
ISBN 978-1-595543035 (eBook)
OTHER BOOKS BY THE AUTHOR
From Nothing to Nature
God, Science and Evolution
Christ and the Cosmos
The Spirit Has Come
Free in Christ (Galatians)
A Glorious High Throne (Hebrews)
Preaching Christ
Who Made God? Searching for a Theory of Everything
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ENDORSEMENTS
WHAT IS MAN? ADAM, ALIEN OR APE?
Edgar Andrews has a way of making the profound accessible. His scholarship
informs the reader about key questions of our time, offering wise guidance
and illumination.
- Paul Copan, Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy
and Ethics, Palm Beach Atlantic University, USA.
This winsome new work by Professor Andrews sets forth a cogent answer
to one of the most pressing questions of our day: “What is Man?” It demon-
strates the utter failure of the pervasive worldview of Darwinian naturalism
to provide a satisfying answer to this question, and why we must turn to an
ancient source, namely the Bible, to find the ultimate answer. Based on solid
scholarship both scientific and theological, and robustly argued, I highly
recommend it!
- Michael A.G. Haykin, Professor of Church History, The
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY.
I found What Is Man? informative and hard to put down. Understanding
the biblical teaching on this subject is essential for developing a Christian
worldview. Dr. Andrews’ reader-friendly writing style, combined with his
scientific and theological expertise, make this book unique. I would highly
recommend it for pastors and laymen alike. If you are a Christian, it will
stretch your mind, bless you and aid you in defending your faith in a world
that is increasingly hostile to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Robert L. Dickie, Author and Senior Pastor, Berean
Baptist Church, Grand Blanc, Michigan, USA.
What Is Man? brings together insights from the many current philosophical
views of man, detailing for the layperson their meaning and ramifications.
The reader will be uplifted by Dr. Andrews’ deep knowledge of faith and
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science, and believer and seeker alike will enjoy this book. While some of the
topics are complex, the writing style makes this book accessible, informative,
and educational. I highly recommend it to anyone, regardless of their faith
or education, because the issues discussed will become more and more rel-
evant in an age that is questioning the very meaning of reality.
- Scott Schroeder, Graduate, Michgan State University, USA.
It’s a really great read. Edgar Andrews’ work is both deeply informed
and very enjoyable—a wonderful combination of virtues for an author.
We will happily promote What Is Man? on Books At a Glance with high
recommendations.
- Fred Zaspel, pastor at Reformed Baptist Church of
Franconia; associate professor of theology at
the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary;
executive editor at “Books at a Glance,” USA.
Dr Andrews combines humor, wit, and convincing arguments in What Is
Man?—an articulate masterpiece that defends the biblical worldview while
competently refuting the evolutionary perspective.
- Nate Herbst, Master Plan Student Ministries
and The God Solution radio show, USA.
Down the centuries, a galaxy of thinkers have given their answers to the
Psalmist’s deceptively simple question, What is Man? asked three millennia
ago. Most have fallen wide of the mark; a few have come nearer the target.
Here, with honesty, erudition, and a sure but light touch, Edgar Andrews
leads his readers, through the maze of conflicting ideas, to the answer that
surely captivates the intellect and satisfies the spirit.
- Roger W. Fay, pastor and editor of Evangelical Times, UK.
This engaging book, written by an accomplished scientist and easily digest-
ible by a general readership, succeeds splendidly in breaking down into
“bite-sized” pieces complex ideas about the origin, constitution, signifi-
cance, and final destiny of mankind—offering a sometimes humorous but
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still profound critique of the claims of secularists. Apt analogies taken from
everyday life are an outstanding features of the book.
- Martin Erdmann, theologian, author, and
director of the Verax Institute.
In What Is Man? Dr Andrews, boldly addresses one of the preeminent
questions of our generation. The debates regarding the nature of man are
scientific, theological, philosophical and cultural, just as starters. The
implications are legion. Andrews’ treatment is pointed, comprehensive,
humorous, sound and (most critically) thoroughly informed from a biblical
worldview centered on the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Joe Fleener, husband, father, pastor, Bible College
lecturer, conference speaker, New Zealand.
It was both delightful and edifying to read Professor Andrews’ earlier book
Who Made God? on the evidences for the existence of God. An excitement in
the staid ranks of Christians greeted its publication. Everyone was reading it.
Now he has produced a sequel answering the next most fundamental ques-
tion people are asking: What is Man? Who am I? Where did I come from?
What is my purpose in my brief and uncertain life? Begin your search here!
- Geoff Thomas, Pastor and Conference Speaker, UK.
In What Is Man? (a sequel to his excellent book Who Made God?), Prof
Andrews tackles another great question we all ask. Next to a true knowl-
edge of God, a true knowledge of ourselves remains critical. With his usual
combination of reliable and helpfully explained science, biblical knowledge,
cultural awareness, good humor and rapier-sharp reasoning, the author cov-
ers virtually every important aspect of the question. Would that every young
person could read this book, which offers such clear direction amidst the
many voices calling for their attention.
- Steven Bowers, director, European Mission
Fellowship and former pastor.
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Two of life’s most important questions are, “Who is God?” and “What is
Man?” Our answers to these two questions shape our worldview and how we
live our lives. In his previous book, Who Made God ? Dr. Andrews gave us
answers to the first question; in this follow-up book, he answers the latter—
in a poignant, accessible, and often humorous manner. As a scientist and
theologian, Dr. Andrews has a unique way of presenting complex scientific
and philosophical ideas in a way that laymen such as myself can understand.
In our increasingly secularized Western world of thought, What Is Man?
offers thought-provoking reasons, to both skeptics and believers, as to why
this trend should be rejected.
- Gregory S. West, Ratio Christi Campus Apologetics
Alliance; founder and editor of the Poached Egg
Christian Worldview & Apologetics Network.
The question of human identity is one of the most pressing issues facing this
generation. Edgar Andrews employs his scientific understanding to respond
to some of the key humanistic and evolutionary answers provided to that
question, and then sets out the biblical case for humanity as made in the
image of God, with Jesus Christ as the perfect exemplar. Professor Andrews
has a rare ability to make complex scientific issues plain to nonspecialists
without dumbing down his explanations, and that ability is on full display
in this book.
- Robert Strivens, formerly principal of
the London Theological Seminary.
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Author’s Preface
In 1906, American humorist Mark Twain published a sixty-page essay
entitled “What Is Man?” Consisting of a tedious dialogue between a
senior citizen (who believes that man is just a machine) and a young
man (who believes nothing in particular but is open to persuasion), it
wasn’t one of his finest books. But at least he tried. Authors since then
seem to have avoided the subject like the plague. Jewish theologian
Abraham Heschel published a collection of lectures in 1965 under the
title Who Is Man? while Waller Newell (2001) and Joaquin Molina
(2013) wrote books bearing the title What Is a Man? But that’s about
all I could find, and these books1,2,3 address what it means to be male
rather than what it means to be human. When the psalmist asked,
“What is man?” (Psalm 8:4) he was, I think, seeking an altogether
more profound answer.
The avoidance of the subject is all the more strange because there
has never been a time like our own, when curiosity about man’s ori-
gin and destiny has been greater, or the answers on offer more hotly
disputed. It’s a safe bet that any attempt to give the “big picture” on
the origin, nature, and “specialness” of mankind will be contentious,
and that might explain why writers have generally fought shy of it. Yet
at heart it is the question most of us really do want answered, because
the answer defines that precious thing we call our identity, both per-
sonally and as a race.
The Psalmist did, of course, offer his own answer three millennia
ago. Man, he claimed, was created by God for a clearly defined pur-
pose—to exercise dominion over planet Earth and (by implication) to
ultimately share something of the glory of the divine nature. The rest,
as they say, is history, but it’s not a happy tale. As Mark Twain says in
another essay, “I can’t help being disappointed with Adam and Eve.”
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Not surprisingly, then, a large proportion of humanity today
is looking for alternative solutions, accepting the challenge of the
Psalmist’s question without embracing the optimism of his answer. In
this book we are going to consider the alternative solutions on offer by
considering man in the contexts of cosmology, biology, and psychol-
ogy—before returning to the biblical context and discovering that,
after all, the Psalmist got it right. Don’t let the science-sounding stuff
put you off. I’m writing in a reader-friendly and often humorous style,
specifically for the nonexpert.
Acknowledgements
No book of this nature would see the light of day without the encour-
agement and advice of others. I therefore want to extend my warmest
thanks to the many friends who have read the draft manuscript and
made helpful suggestions for its improvement. I am not going to list
their names lest I inadvertently omit some of them, but I must men-
tion just one person, Eddy Maatkamp, who translated my earlier book
Who Made God? into Dutch and has now published a Dutch version
of What Is Man? He has supported the present project with unfail-
ing wisdom, care and enthusiasm and I owe him a special debt of
gratitude.
References
Each chapter has numerous endnotes. In the past I have tried to avoid
using internet websites in references because they often lack per-
manence and many links disappear over a period of time. However,
situations change and much original work is now published on the
internet and is not available in hard copy forms. Even when it is
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