The Adam Quest
A Scientific Assessment of William Lane Craig’s In the Quest of the Historical Adam
Did Adam and Eve really exist?
Did all humanity come from a single couple?
Is there any scientific evidence that supports the biblical narratives of human origins?
Already an influential—and controversial—work, In the Quest of the Historical Adam is an impressive—and bold—interdisciplinary exploration into the historicity of Adam (and Eve). William Lane Craig argues that Scripture, indeed, teaches that Adam was a historical person, who, along with Eve, served as humanity’s progenitors. Yet, Craig adopts an evolutionary perspective on humanity’s origin. To reconcile a human evolutionary history with the biblical account of humanity’s creation, Craig makes the case that Genesis 1 to 11 belongs to a genre, called mytho-history—a mythical account of our origins that is not to be understood literally. Yet, as mytho-history this passage of Scripture references real historical figures, including Adam. Craig makes use of scientific evidence from paleoanthropology and archeology to locate Adam in evolutionary history, provisionally concluding that Adam (and Eve) lived between 750,000 and 1,000,000 years ago as a member of the hominin species Homo heidelbergensis.
For many evangelical and conservative Christians, Craig’s conclusions may be shocking. But is Craig’s model valid? Will it convince the Christian community? The scientific community? What are it strengths? Its limitations?
The goals in this presentation are to summarize and engage the ideas found in Craig’s In the Quest of the Historical Adam. Towards that end, Dr. Rana will offer a brief biblical and theological assessment of his ideas about Genesis 1-11 followed by a detailed scientific critique of Craig’s human origins model.
In the process, we hope to shed light on the question: Who was Adam?
Fazale ‘Fuz’ Rana, Ph.D.
Biochemist Fazale “Fuz” Rana is Executive Vice President of Research and Apologetics at Reasons to Believe (RTB), an international science-based Christian apologetics organization dedicated to demonstrating the compatibility of science and Christianity.
Dr. Rana holds a PhD in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry from Ohio University where his studies of cellular systems convinced him of a Creator’s existence and set him on a journey to faith in Christ. After receiving his PhD, Dr. Rana pursued postdoctoral studies at the Universities of Virginia and Georgia. He then worked seven years as a senior scientist in product development for Procter & Gamble before leaving his position in 1999 to join RTB.
Dr. Rana is author or co-author of several books including
- The Cell’s Design: How Chemistry Reveals the Creator’s Artistry (2008);
- Origins of Life (2014);
- Who Was Adam? (2015);
- Humans 2.0: Scientific, Philosophical and Theological Perspectives on Transhumanism (2019);
- Fit for a Purpose: Does the Anthropic Principle Include Biochemistry? (2021).
Additionally, he has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has made presentations at numerous international scientific meetings. Dr. Rana travels widely, speaking on science-and-faith related issues in churches, business firms and universities and addressing the evidence for divine creation from biochemistry, genetics, and human origins. He also participates in RTB’s podcasts and daily blog, “Today’s New Reason to Believe,” and has made guest appearances on various TV and radio programs. He also lectures for the Master of Science and Religion program in Christian Apologetics at Biola University and Southern Evangelical Seminary.
7:00 PM EST