The Genius of Ancient Man Edited by Don Landis
The Genius of Ancient Man: Evolution’s Nightmare. Don Landis, General Editor. Green Forest: Master Books, 2012. 112 pp. $16.99. Purchase at Amazon for less.
Introduction
Pastor Don Landis is the founding chairman of the board of Answers in Genesis as well as a graduate of Moody Bible Institute. More importantly, he serves as Pastor of Community Bible Church in Jackson Hole, Wyoming where he also is the president of Jackson Hole Bible College. More to the topic at hand, Pastor Landis has taught on ancient man for many years.
Summary
Rooted in presuppositional apologetics, this work is divided into 12 chapters that provide a mountain of evidence that what commonly think of as an unintelligent ancient man (ancestor of modern man) is actually surprisingly more intelligent than we could ever imagine. Chapter one offers various perspectives and makes the case that one’s worldview (presuppositions) will determine how one interprets the information presented. Here, the team from Jackson Hole Bible College make the case for holding to a biblical worldview. Chapter 2 offers a discussion on presuppostional apologetics as well as a few starting points from which to base the discussion.
Chapters 3-12 offer one piece of evidence after another culminating in a picture of ancient man being far more intelligent than modern man. Throughout these chapters, a case is made for a biblical understanding of God’s priority of sequence and time as well as a look at the various structures and their precision crafting without the convenience of modern tools and computers. They look at the music and art from the ancient past as well as their advanced technology and architecture in accordance with astronomy and the seasons of the Earth.
The final two chapters argue that Babel is alive and well today and if we are not careful, we are going to lapse back into forgetting that God exists completely. The last chapter whets one’s appetite for further study in the subject of ancient man from a biblical perspective.
Review
Not only does this resource show beyond a shadow of doubt that ancient man was, in fact, more intelligent than we care to admit, it shows explicitly how. Through pictures and scientific evidences, Landis has compiled many instances that have left the worldly scientist baffled. Consequently, he has also shown how sin has corrupted man’s ability to think and act and be creative. While not the main thrust of the work, the reader quickly can surmise that when sin came into the world, it’s impact was far more reaching than we thought. (I speak in general terms.)
I appreciated the timelines and the challenge the evolutionary premise has in trying to understand the evidence in order to fit into there presupposition. Ultimately, the case is made, successfully in my opinion, that if one were to look at the evidence without any preconceived notions, they would have to, at the very least, accept the truth of a Designer who created all things including man and that something went very wrong somewhere early in the history of this creation.
Recommendation
This is certainly a book to consider purchasing for your high school or college student. It is not only engaging because of all the information but also the photographs and the charts help in digesting the information being presented. Also, this work will provide a rudimentary education for the Christian to be able to have a conversation with the evolutionist to the point of showing the he is not a religious fanatic opposed to science. Rather, he will show that the evidence indeed points to a Creator and that presupposition ought not be jettisoned in light of science and should be considered in the discussion. I highly recommend this resource to all.














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