Dr. Lisle presents his objective from the start: To present the Ultimate Proof of Creation. He properly acknowledges that his ultimate proof won’t convince everyone, but argues that his proof will be “conclusive – one for which no rational refutation is possible…” I like this start. He sets his bar for proof explicitly so that there will be no moving goalposts. One flaw in his reasoning and the result is failure. I like this because he sets his challenge and plans to live up to it. Well done.

Lisle states that his proof can be stated in a single sentence, but he doesn’t present it just yet, because we need to “… lay a little groundwork…” Also a good idea. Agree on terms, set evidential standards, etc. He also, admirably, makes it clear that he is not defending a vague deist concept, but that he is defending the “… Christian faith – emphasizing the defense of the Genesis account of creation.” He explains that not only will he provide the ultimate proof, he will provide a method for refuting atheist or anti-Christian arguments.

Next, he prepares his readers for the tone and methods of the book. This is an appropriate use of an introduction, but I’m going to skip over it to keep things moving. Of course he’ll address all of those things again in the body of the text.

As I agreed was a good idea, he starts by defining some terms. “’Evolution’ will be used to indicate the natural method by which life allegedly came about and diversified into all the organisms we see today.” Some may argue that a strict definition of evolution does not include the origin of life, relegating that to the study of abiogenesis, but I’m okay working from this broader definition. “By ‘creation’ we mean the description of the origin of the universe and life on earth as described in the Book of Genesis and as reinforced and clarified in other scriptures.”

Next we have a summary outline of the book:

Chapter 1: Some evidences of creation, but not the Ultimate Proof yet. He says these are still useful to be familiar with. I’m actually going to skip over Chapter 1 and save it for last (or near last). The actual subject of the book is better described in Chapters 2 through 5, so I’m going to start there in order to address the author’s message before getting sidetracked. I’m unclear why he ordered the book this way. I think it would have been better to discuss such topics at the end.

Chapter 2: Describes the concept of worldviews and what makes a good one. Will introduce the ultimate proof.

Chapter 3: Explains why the Biblical account of creation “… must be true.”

Chapter 4: Presents ways to respond to arguments against the Biblical account of creation.

Chapter 5: Lisle will present a method for proving and defending the Biblical account of creation against objections.

Chapter 6: How to properly use scientific evidence to defend the Biblical account of creation.

Chapter 7: A discussion about logic and common logical fallacies.

Chapter 8: More logic discussion, especially deduction.

Chapter 9: Other topics, including, “… a discussion of the necessity of the infallible standard, the nature of circular reasoning, the nature of faith, and others.”

Chapter 10: The Bible: It’s guidance for defending Christianity and creation.

Appendices: Examples of the ultimate proof in action.

At the end is one endnote stating that the ultimate proof will not support a specific date of creation, but that the world’s age is somewhere in the four or five digits, rather than the age many believe to be held by the consensus of scientists in the relevant fields, which is in the billions.

For me, no arguments here. This is a fine description of the book other than the one minor argument that I’m happy to concede (the one about the definition of evolution). I’ll bring up the introduction later if it’s relevant to an argument presented in the body of the book, but those instances will probably be limited.

Next, I’ll dive into chapter 2, “The Nature of Evidence”. Note that above I mention why I’m skipping Chapter 1. I’ll address it later.

Until then!