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The Afro-American Jeremiad: Appeals for Justice in America . By David Howardpitney. Philadelphia, Pa.: Temple University Press, 1990. viii + 237 pp.$16.95.

Creationism and its various predecessors have never been accepted by the general scientific community nor have its adherents and proponents, for the most part, been among leading scientists. The scientific credentials of creationists have been seriously challenged. But supporters in the general Christian population have been numerous and are growing for the reason which, I think, Ronald Numbers clearly asserts in concluding his account: creationists do not attempt to accommodate religion to science or interpret Scripture in terms of scientific findings. They directly attempt to make scientific sense of the Bible, taking the initial position that the Genesis account is fairly literally correct and finding evidence to support that framework. The detailed history of the hundreds of individuals, churches, and organizations discussed in this volume is fascinating. As a history of ideas, however, it is more biographical and nearly journalistic in quality: reportage on the opposition between creation science and "orthodox" science more than analysis. Quotations from even key thinkers in the movement and its forerunners are slight, and quotes are generally more illustrative of the fact that someone held or opposed a certain view without explanation of the view or its implications. The reader will need to draw upon background in theology, history of American religion, and concepts of biology and geology. This is particularly evident in chapters before scientific creationism—the majority of the main text before the notes and index. While a history is not a sourcebook, in a work of slightly over three hundred pages of main text, the inclusion of more explanatory material would be feasible. Technical differences between theories of "orthodox" science and ideas of religious groups are introduced without clarifying conceptually the meaning of these differences. The story of the movement in long view, however, is rewarding to any reader.