When Watertree Press released Beyond the Firmament last summer, we were counting on finding some favor with sympathetic audiences, but we were also bracing for the possibility of harsh criticism from some conservative evangelicals.  So far, this hasn’t happened.  In fact, all 6 of my Amazon.com reviews are “5-stars” which is quite surprising given how contentious the creation/evolution controversy can be.

A few excerpts from evangelicals Christians who bought BTF…

“He [Glover] recognizes that God divinely inspired the writing of Genesis. From there, Glover guides the reader through the authorial intent of Genesis 1 and evaluates the text as a theological response. His intriguing presentation is persuasive.”

“Reading Beyond the Firmament  challenged me to think more deeply about how I view science in light of my faith. It challenged me to think more deeply than I ever have before about the things of creation and what might science have to say in regard to the details of how it came about. It challenged my mind and enlarged my view of God as the Creator.”

“I like others have been brought up in a very conservative theological environment. I have accepted certain ideas about interpretation because these have come from trusted sources. I am open to truth since I believe all truth is Gods truth. This book will help you to stretch your thinking while at the same time encourage you to continue to study to ‘the glory of God’.”

“I walked away from this book with a better understanding of the nature of scientific inquiry, and what it can and can’t do, and with an entirely new (or better yet, old) perspective on the Creation account, and the questions it was and was not intended to address. Above all else, however, my appreciation for the centrality and the mystery of God’s Sovereignty was deepened.”

“Every believer who struggles with early Genesis and Inspiration should read this book. Glover, a committed Bible believer, makes a strong case that those who would defend the Scriptures must do so with an understanding of the world in which they were written. His approach brings clarity to many of the riddles of Biblical interpretation, especially as they relate to modern science.”

“There are loads of books on all sides of the Bible/science controversy, but I can say without exaggeration that Beyond the Firmament ought to be at the top of the required reading list. It is down to earth and easy to grasp, giving a good summary of the scientific evidences for the antiquity of the universe and biological evolution, and why Christians ought to care about these things, while maintaining a faith-affirming interpretation of the Bible.”

Given such an overwhelmingly positive response, I should be selling lots of copies right?  Not exactly.  In fact, sales have been dreadful over the past two weeks.  That is where my loyal readers can help!  If you purchased a copy of BTF and enjoyed it, and if you have friends or family members who could use a “disarming” approach to science/faith challenges that stays true to the scientific method and respects the original intent of the Biblical authors who wrote without error under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, please pass along a personal recommendation.  If your church congregation, small group, or Bible study wants multiple copies, contact Watertree Press directly from their website and get volume discounts.

As many have probably already guessed, Watertree is small press that just started up last summer.  They do not yet have the adverstising and promotional budget of a Zondervan or IVP.  If BTF is ever going to obtain a wider audience, it will happen primarily by word of mouth.  Thank you in advance for your support!

Sincerely — GJG

This entry was posted on Friday, January 25th, 2008 at 11:19 am and is filed under Book Discussion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.