Sydney King CRST 290-003
Book Analysis: The Quest by Todd Wood
Book Summary
Creation and the origin of life remain topics that are yet to be fully uncovered by
scientists. From creationists to evolutionists, there are still many unanswered questions on how
old the planet and universe are, how life began on Earth, and what made the Earth so diverse
with all of its nature, humans, and animals. Although scientists continue to debate the answers
they have found to these questions, there is a consensus on the curiosity for the answers to the
many more unanswered questions. For Christian scientist and young-age creationist Todd Wood,
this curiosity sparked his quest to study and gain a better understanding of both creationism and
evolution. Throughout The Quest, Wood takes the reader through his personal quest to examine
and understand God’s creation by sharing his questions and research findings.
The book was separated into ten chapters with nine smaller chapters separated between
the others. Each of the smaller chapters were called Adoremus which means “let us worship” in
Latin, and Wood used these to take pauses between each chapter and appreciate different parts of
God’s creation (p. 9). As Wood went through his quest of understanding God’s creation, he
highlighted his own personal encounters as well as encounters that well-known scientists had
with God and scientific discoveries. One discovery in particular caused controversy as Wood
explained Lee Berger’s exploration of a fossil that had both human and non-human
characteristics (p. 21-22). This discovery caused both controversy and confusion because
creationists had mostly believed that there was no connection between humans and animals,
while evolutionists were trying to prove a connection. Wood took a deep dive into how to
continue through the quest without ignoring the truth of the Bible and science. Wood also took
the time to help the reader better understand creation in one chapter of the book and attempted to
Notable Quotes
“Would you trust your surgeon if he’d only ever read about surgery? Then why would
you trust the scientific opinions of people who who’ve only read about science? We
should value science education guided by established and competent scientists because
we value every other form of education guided by experts” (Wood p.71-72).
This quote was memorable for me because it emphasized how important it is to
make sure that we have valid scientific opinions. I liked the comparison that Wood made
to having an experienced surgeon, and I agree that this should be applied to science
education. It wouldn’t be very beneficial for a creationist to try to present theories based
on topics that they don’t have much knowledge about, so it’s important to study the right
fields and subjects to create valid opinions.
“The God who designed this world to run on a tiny, solar-powered enzyme is the good
shepherd who left the ninety-nine to come find that one lost sheep” (Wood p. 90).
In this quote, Wood was talking about the important role of the small enzyme
rubisco in plants and how it connects with our different roles within the body of
Christ. I chose this quote because it showed how God sees the potential and
Sydney King CRST 290-003
answer some of the hard questions within astronomy, biology, geology, and anthropology (p.
92).
Towards the end of the book, Wood continued to emphasize that not knowing everything
is alright and to be open to the uncertain. Finally, Wood encouraged the readers to prioritize love
(p. 115) and to be firm in their faith and beliefs (p.123) as they continue to quest for more
knowledge of God’s creation.
Sydney King CRST 290-003
purpose of everything He creates, and He never leaves out any part of His
creation.
“Be willing to admit when you got something wrong. Don’t hold onto arguments out of
obsession or stubbornness” (Wood p. 109).
This quote was talking about the importance of being honest with yourself and
others during your quest. I think it’s important to admit your mistakes and not
hold grudges because it will help you continue to move forward in your quest
rather than letting situations keep you from moving on.
“All of creation will undergo a metamorphosis from a fallen, sinful world into a glorious
city where God will dwell with his people. We see now dimly in the metamorphosis of
the butterfly a shadow of things to come when we will be like him, for we shall see him
as he is” (Wood p. 114).
I chose this quote because it compares the process of metamorphosis to when our
new creation begins. I really liked the way Wood made this comparison, and I
think it’s a great way to look at our lives. Even though we haven’t yet reached our
new creation, we are still reminded of what God intended for creation to be as we
look at nature.
“As long as I use my talents and abilities recklessly to divide and alienate believers, I
continue to be nothing” (Wood p. 116).
This was a memorable quote for me because it showed how our goal as Christians
is to show God’s love in everything that we do. Showing God’s love is important
because if we don’t, we’ll be nothing without it. Our lives and accomplishments
won’t mean much if we didn’t show love in the process.
Sydney King CRST 290-003
Reflection
One important thing that I learned from this book was to take more time to appreciate
God’s creation. Wood took time to appreciate God’s creation in the Adoremus chapters. These
chapters helped to expand my perspective of God’s creation. Before reading this book, I had
never really stepped back to look at the importance of the little details in nature. These chapters
helped me learn more about these little details and opened my eyes to the smaller details that I
had never seen before. I also enjoyed the way that Wood included the Bible into each Adoremus.
These verses from the Bible helped me see more of the intention that God had in His creation.
Overall, this book helped me to see that God wants us to know more about His creation
and will help us get closer to the answers to the questions that we have. This book also helped
me to see the importance in those questions that Wood had to ask during his quest. Without his
questions and the questions that other creationists ask, they wouldn’t be able to make discoveries
in their quests.
