What do you think?
Rate this book
The Characters of Creation: The Men, Women, Creatures, and Serpent Present at the Beginning of the World
Most Christians are familiar with the opening words of “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” But push beyond those iconic words, and sometimes the details get a little hazy. And strange. God walked around in a garden? Eve was made from Adam’s rib? A talking serpent? And what the in the world were the “Nephilim”? In The Characters of Creation , Daniel Darling re-introduces readers to the story they thought they knew. He explains the Bible’s story of how we got here and how things got messed up, and gives fresh insights into the first people in God’s unfolding plan of redemption—from Adam and Eve, The Serpent, Cain and Abel, and Noah.
192 pages, Paperback
Published June 7, 2022
About the author
Daniel Darling
20 books66 followersDaniel Darling is an author, pastor and Christian leader. He currently serves as the Director of The Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Assistant Professor of Faith and Culture at Texas Baptist College.
Prior to his leadership of the Land Center, Darling served as the Senior Vice President for Communications of the National Religious Broadcasters. He also has served the Southern Baptist Convention as the Vice President of Communications at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He has also pastored churches in Illinois and Tennessee.
Prior to his leadership of the Land Center, Darling served as the Senior Vice President for Communications of the National Religious Broadcasters. He also has served the Southern Baptist Convention as the Vice President of Communications at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He has also pastored churches in Illinois and Tennessee.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 11, 2022
Great book! Would be very good for a devotional time. Lots of great info. Highly recommend!
September 11, 2022
I love books that help me learn more about characters in the Bible or make see them in a new light. The Characters of Creation covers more than the actual act of creation, but also gives us a deeper look at the people in the beginning, their relationships with God, and more importantly, the relationship God has with us.
I’m in awe of Creation and love reading about it in Genesis. This investigates the lives of Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Noah, and more. It shows how these people who were present during the first days affect our lives now and how precious God’s redeeming power is.
Disclosure: #CoverLoverBookReview received a complimentary copy of this book.
I’m in awe of Creation and love reading about it in Genesis. This investigates the lives of Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Noah, and more. It shows how these people who were present during the first days affect our lives now and how precious God’s redeeming power is.
Disclosure: #CoverLoverBookReview received a complimentary copy of this book.
January 25, 2024
I found this book after enjoying the author’s book on the Characters of Christmas. I found this one to be more intense than the first book so at times I needed to re-read sections to truly appreciate the insights. I would definitely recommend this book for both personal reading but also a group bible study.
August 28, 2022
Of all the books of the Bible, Genesis is one I return to again and again. No matter how many times I've read it, I'm in awe every time. Try to wrap your head around it, especially "In the beginning..." and you'll be left in a perpetual state of wonder.
Daniel Darling's "Characters of Creation" goes beyond the book of Genesis, illuminating how God's promises transition from the beginning through the Old Testament and the New Testament, ultimately culminating in the book of Revelation. Through the journey the reader gets an up close look at Adam and Eve, the fall in the Garden, Cain and Abel, Seth, Noah and his sons, and even this Nephilim. Over all is the covenant God made with man.
Whether a student of the Bible, or someone who is merely curious about the origins of mankind and the world, I highly recommend this book as a riveting and illuminating read.
Daniel Darling's "Characters of Creation" goes beyond the book of Genesis, illuminating how God's promises transition from the beginning through the Old Testament and the New Testament, ultimately culminating in the book of Revelation. Through the journey the reader gets an up close look at Adam and Eve, the fall in the Garden, Cain and Abel, Seth, Noah and his sons, and even this Nephilim. Over all is the covenant God made with man.
Whether a student of the Bible, or someone who is merely curious about the origins of mankind and the world, I highly recommend this book as a riveting and illuminating read.
November 24, 2022
I received this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review.
The book of Genesis isn’t considered the most complicated part of the Bible by any means. However I learned so much from this book. I thought I understood it but I didn’t in many cases. It’s so true when it says the author “reintroduces readers to the story they thought they knew.”
The book helps interpret what you read in the Bible and make sense of it. It also goes over what your takeaway should be from it. I found this the most helpful. Understanding the Bible is one thing. Learning from it is another.
As with all Moody Publishers books, it is short and sweet and to the point. I really appreciate that as I prefer reading many, shorter books to fewer, longer books.
The book of Genesis isn’t considered the most complicated part of the Bible by any means. However I learned so much from this book. I thought I understood it but I didn’t in many cases. It’s so true when it says the author “reintroduces readers to the story they thought they knew.”
The book helps interpret what you read in the Bible and make sense of it. It also goes over what your takeaway should be from it. I found this the most helpful. Understanding the Bible is one thing. Learning from it is another.
As with all Moody Publishers books, it is short and sweet and to the point. I really appreciate that as I prefer reading many, shorter books to fewer, longer books.
June 24, 2024
This was an interesting book for discussion at book club, but on its own it wasn’t as impactful as his other “characters” books were. The other ones included helpful discussion questions at the end of each chapter, and this one did not. The font was too small and some of the lettering was this faint green color that was hard to read. Many of the best quotes in the book were from other authors. There were far too many typos, and this lack of attention to detail was distracting to me and took away from the message of the book.
May 30, 2023
This is my second “Characters” book by Dan Darling, and I thought it was great. His books are written in a really understandable, easy to read way, and he is great at pointing out things I’ve never thought about before. This book is solid theologically and would be a great book to have with you as you study the first several chapters of Genesis. I hope to read his The Characters of Easter book soon!
June 9, 2024
This book is a commentary on Genesis. The vast majority of the material in the book will be familiar to the Christian reader, although he does have some discussion of the mysterious giants or Nephilim referenced before the time of the flood. It is well-written, but I thought most of the material would be familiar to most of its readers already. Also, the author often would only present one side of a controversy in certain circumstances.
May 2, 2024
We read this for our Bible study mostly because we read this author’s other “character” books and liked them - this one not so much. The author’s conservative opinions come through too much and it reads more like an academic book because of numerous quotes from other authors. However, we did learn a lot and had some good discussions.
January 3, 2023
An excellent read especially since I'm currently reading through genesis in my Bible plan. I enjoyed Daniel's deep dive into different characters, very interesting!
February 1, 2023
Love Daniel Darlings writing. While this is about the “characters” of creation, everything points towards Christ and the gospel message. Excellent read and highly recommend.
February 11, 2023
Darling helps us understand the people in Genesis and relates them to Jesus. Very interesting and well written. I used it for Bible study but it can also be read just for individual study.
April 5, 2023
Such a great book! Opened my eyes to many things I have never thought of before. The intro alone is worth it. Definitely will be reading it again.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews