Guest Author - Diana Pederson

Dean W. Hobbensiefken. Not of This World – Man: Intelligent Design by a Creator or Evolution? Inkwater Press. 2005.

Dean was the type of youth that loved taking things apart just to see how they were put together. This knack and curiosity earned him a prize in a competition run by General Motors Fisher Body Craftsman Guild in 1950. He spent his high school years modifying Hot Rods while he also attended evening classes to feed his interest in automotive fuel and electrical systems. This drive to learn even more about automobile systems landed him in the Army’s proving grounds for military vehicles. He spent much of his career working around automobiles and trucks including their design.

I gave you this history so you could understand the background Hobbensiefken brings to this book, “Not of This World”. His goal is that we will look at evolution and creationism from using scientific reasoning. Science is supposed to be the pursuit of truth. He states:

The thrust of this book is to present evidence of an orderly brilliant design in the foundation of man which would indicate the involvement of a super-intelligent being in the origin of man, as opposed to man being the product of pure, blind random chance, or natural selection throughout the eons of time from lowly creatures with little or no intelligence.

Armed with enough information, man can make informed decisions and conclusions. This is one decision each person must make for himself or herself. Evolution? Or Creation? What is the true origin of man? [Page xxi]

The first five chapters cover Charles Darwin, The Theory of Evolution, God and the Creation Account, Genetics and Evolution, and The Laws of probability. You can expect to find similar chapters in any book on this very controversial subject.

This book is distinguished from the rest because the author discusses the major body components and systems in man: brain, spinal cord and nerve system, eyesight, our five senses, circulatory system, temperature control, and finally, the engineering of our body. He compares each of these components to some man-made object.

Example: He compares our brain to computers. The brain controls every function of our body. The other parts only exist to protect our brains. The very essence of who we are is found in our brain – not in our body parts. Scientists are still discovering things about our brain. It is pointed out that man is at the top of the intelligence pile when you consider all forms of life. We aren’t capable of creating anything more intelligent than ourselves.

The chapter ends with this: “Where did man get his superior brain and intelligence? Did some chimpanzee or lower life form figure it out? Was it just some freak accident? Or, was the brain of the very first man on earth the product of a Superior Intelligence?

Every chapter continues in this manner of presentation. The author is careful to show the facts, make a comparison between our body and some manmade object. Then he leaves it to us to make a decision.

Recommendation

Man has made a god of science. Our students are being taught falsehoods in the name of scientific even though the theories seem outrageous to those of us believing in Creationism. Every Christian family should work through this book with their children from the time they first get exposed to science in school.

We have failed as Christians in our efforts to stop the teaching of evolution in our school systems. Because of this failure, our own children may laugh at our old fashioned belief that, in the Beginning God created. … Perhaps this book will help students make an intelligent decision about the real evidence for where man came from, and return to the God of the Bible for the true explanation.