Book Review: Dr. Donald Arlo Jennings' "Genesis Revisited: The Creation"

Dr. Donald Arlo Jennings, Genesis Revisited: The Creation, Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2013.

Review by Clark Bates M.Div.
                   Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary

            Having authored many articles and contributed to multiple works on healthcare technology, Dr. Donald Arlo Jennings seeks to apply his knowledge and writing ability toward the biblical book of Genesis in his newest volume, Genesis Revisited: The Creation.  Consistently affirming his strong Christian faith and commitment to a literal rendering of the creation epic in Genesis 1 and 2, the author states that his main purpose is to present a new way to look at the creation.  In his own words, Dr. Jennings believes, "we are not alone in this vastness called space," and is convinced that this belief directly affects how one should interpret the Genesis narrative.[1]

            Heading each chapter with a particular Bible verse that the author feels was given to him during prayer for this writing, Dr. Jennings proceeds to approach the opening chapters of Genesis with an expository flair, opening with the order of creation and carefully moving to the building of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11.  As he moves through each section of Scripture, the author muses about various difficulties that the text presents.  Pondering on such dilemmas as Cain's wife, the creation of something from nothing, and the statistical difficulty of populating the earth, Jennings attempts to piqué the interest of his readers for his predetermined resolution, aliens.

            By the fifth chapter of his work, the author feels that he has presented enough textual dilemma to present his theory of alien colonization of the planet earth.  Dr. Jennings reaffirms that his belief in God as Creator of all things includes His creation of human-like alien beings  on other planets.  Seeing this as a desirable and plausible solution to the aforementioned difficulties of Cain's wife, and post-diluvian repopulation, he even suggests that the aliens in question were possibly criminals sent to earth, meaning that, "Earth might have been a penal colony, a forced encampment of criminals from other worlds."[2]  This postulation resolves, for the author, the source for sin and death in the world, citing Cain's murder of Abel in Genesis 4 as a key premise.

            Moving from this thesis, Dr. Jennings seeks to find evidence for alien encounters within other biblical texts, happily falling upon the first chapter of Ezekiel.  Citing Erich von Daniken's earlier work, Chariots of the Gods and recognizing that he is not alone in this interpretation, the author recites the prophet's encounter with the heavenly, mobile-throne chariot, as seen through the lens of a UFO occurrence.  Jennings finds great support through various internet resources on UFO sightings even seeing fit to reinterpret Psalms 79 and 146 as indicative of his alien penal colony theory.  He then closes his writing with a call to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, reaffirming his orthodox belief in Scripture, satisfied that his hypothesis has intrigued and challenged his readership. 

            It would seem that Dr. Jenning's writing style is an attempted homage to the introspective works of C.S. Lewis, but his grammatically challenged prose reads more like the ramblings of a community college student's wandering mind than of an accomplished, PhD-holding author.  There is no consistent, logical or thematic flow to each chapter.  Information affirmed in Chapter 1 regarding the potential survival of others outside the Ark during the flood of Genesis 6, is later contradicted by an affirmation that no one could have survived the flood  apart from the Ark in chapter 11.  The author expends an excessive amount of thought to conjectures admittedly developed from science fiction television rather than utilizing that time to engage in an educated manner with the existing cosmology surrounding his theory.

            The author continues to affirm his premise alongside opposing factual hypotheses on the basis of it being "two separate opinions," leaving the reader to assume that the author is unaware that all opinions are not created equal.  Dr. Jennings uses the word "probably" 75 times in this writing in relation to his own suggestions, while also using the  word "assume" 125 times, even in relation to biblical texts in which clear positions are stated without room for assumption.  This, coupled with the author's reliance on wikipedia and answers.com as bibliographic sources for his position leave very little reason for any reader to take this work seriously.

            His desire to demonstrate a reasonable comingling of cosmology and faith is respectable, as is his desire to deliver the gospel at the close of his book, however even these moments of positivity cannot substantiate the poor scholarship fraught throughout this text.  Citing the dilemma of Cain's wife, which has persisted for generations, the author foregoes any discussion on possible solutions in the hope that his "alien seeding" theory will become more believable.  In regards to this dilemma, a common response is Adam's 930 year lifespan and the potential for multiple offspring as a result.[3]  Regardless, of the validity of even this response, an author writing under the auspices of a PhD should avail himself of contemporary research before forming and presenting a position.

            A similar biblical slip comes in chapter 11 in which the author, speaking of God meting out divine punishment, states that Sarah was Lot's wife, infamously turned into a pillar of salt for looking back at the wicked city of Sodom and Gomorrah.[4]  Given that the following chapter of Genesis details the account of Abraham and Sarah with Abimilech, one is left awestruck as to how such a mistake could be made initially as well as make it to print.  While many other gaffs in Scriptural citation and cosmological speculation abound within this volume, there is not adequate space to dissect them all.  It is unfortunate that so little of value exists within this work when such a wealth of scholarship is available for engaging and educational discussion regarding the biblical creation account.

            The orthodox interpretations of the opening chapters of the book of Genesis are diverse.  Whether one approaches the epic from a young earth perspective, the day-age view, the Schofield restoration view or a literary framework view, an abundance of literature awaits for those seeking a deeper study on the matter.[5]  It is always difficult to critique the writing of a fellow believer in such a negative manner, but it is equally important that writing such as this, long on speculation and short on verification, be revealed as they are.  Dr. Jennings work leaves the reader feeling as though they sat through a discussion with a new believer postulating every fanciful theory that came to mind.  What makes this even more difficult to embrace is the author's ambivalence to the Scriptures he cites and the scholarship available outside of an internet search engine.  Because of these egregious errors this book cannot be recommended for any reader, or for any purpose.  It serves as a lesson of the dangers of open speculation without clear biblical foundation, and the worst of what is available on the writings of the book of Genesis.

Clark Bates is a graduate of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and manages an apologetics and theology blog at http://www.exejesushermeneutics.blogspot.com.

I received this book free from WestBow Publishers as part of their BookLookBloggers.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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[1] Donald Arlo Jennings, Genesis Revisited: The Creation, (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2013), Section 162.

[2] Jennings, Genesis, 1225.

[3] Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe, When Critics Ask? (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1999), 37.

[4] Jennings, Genesis, 2325.

[5] For a summary of each view it is recommended that you seek out works like Gregory Boyd and Paul Eddy's Across the Spectrum, Hugh Ross' Creation and Time: A Biblical and Scientific Perspective on the Creation-Date Controversy, and J.P. Moreland's Three Views on Creation and Evolution.