The New Answers Book series, with four volumes numbered 1 through 4, has been updated with the latest scientific information for new editions published in 2023 and 2024. The four books are designed to reinforce a biblical worldview from a Protestant perspective that supports belief in creationism, a young earth, and a worldwide flood. These books present questions and answers for controversial topics, such as, “Couldn’t God have used evolution? What really happened to the dinosaurs? Does archaeology support the Bible? Were dragons real? Are there transitional forms in the fossil record?” and “What about distant starlight models? (regarding the age of the universe).”
To make these books usable as courses, Master Books has created two course guides titled Cultural Issues, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, each of which provides lesson plans for two of The New Answers Books. The first two The New Answers Books (NAB) are used with Cultural Issues, Vol. 1, and the last two with Vol. 2. These two Cultural Issues courses are designed for high school students and should each take a year to complete. Courses might be designated apologetics or worldview, and they might be used for partial credit toward science.
Cultural Issues, Vol. 2 presents an excellent summary of the goals of both courses:
Our culture is increasingly giving in to secular beliefs and claiming that ultimate truth comes from science and man. Using a strong biblical foundation, this course helps equip students with knowledge and logical thinking so to refute the false teaching of man and evangelize to those who are lost. With rigorous reading and worksheets covering subjects from eugenics to abortion, Noah’s Flood to genetics, and cosmology to bacteria, students will grow in knowledge and faith, standing firm in the Word of God. (p.4).
The New Answers Books
The New Answers Books each address 25 to 35 questions that relate primarily to creation, evolution, and the Bible. A few other “hot button” questions are included, such as “What about environmentalism?” (NAB4), which discusses the delicate balance between the need to protect the environment and the desire for economic development. Almost all these questions are important for students to consider as they develop their worldview.
These books are available in print or as digital books directly from the publisher—both PDF and ePub formats are included with the purchase of a digital book. All four books have an index, and the first book also has a glossary.
While series editors Ken Ham and Bodie Hodge contribute some articles, many other experts have authored the others. For instance, prominent geologist Dr. Andrew Snelling answers the question “Could the flood cataclysm deposit uniform sedimentary rock layers?” and astrophysicist Dr. Jason Lisle addresses, “Does the Big Bang Fit with the Bible?” (from Books 4 and 2, respectively). Most articles were written for adult audiences but should be understandable for teens. However, because of some sensitive topics and the depth of some articles, I recommend these books for students in grades 11 and 12.
Each book has from 378 to 414 pages, and every question is answered with a lengthy article and illustrations. NAB1 is the best starting place because, as the original book in the series, it addresses some of the most common and most critical questions. The other volumes address important questions, especially topics that arose in the intervening years, such as climate change.
Homeschoolers can work through articles in order or selectively. The first two books work particularly well for reading the articles in order (or following the lesson plans, which do this), while the readings from the third and fourth books might work as well or better used out of order or selectively. For instance, a warning at the beginning of Cultural Issues Vol. 1 alerts parents that chapter 15 of NAB 2 addresses gay marriage, and parents might want to delay or skip that topic.
The articles delve into science at varying levels depending on the article’s author(s), but they usually address topics likely to be of great interest, such as genetic similarities between organisms, and why the high percentage of human-chimp similarities can be both puzzling and misleading (NAB3, pp. 100-109).
Cultural Issues Teacher Guides
The Cultural Issues teacher guides are available in print and PDF formats, each with more than 200 pages. Pages are printed in black and white and can be copied for immediate family members. If you purchase printed books, the worksheets, quizzes, and tests are perforated and three-hole punched for easy removal and storage in a binder.
Each teacher guide has weekly schedules for five days per week, student worksheets, quizzes, a test, and an answer key. Charts showing a suggested schedule for each book have space to fill in dates. This is especially helpful for those who want to work through the articles in a different order. Those same charts serve as easy-to-use lesson plans that show which elements of the courses to use each day.
The bulk of each volume consists of student worksheets with questions to answer, topics to research, and items for prayer. Questions range from simple to challenging. For example, pages 23-24 of Cultural Issues, Vol. 2 ask six questions based on the reading assignment, among which are two that ask, “Can hybrid animals reproduce?” and “What fallacy had taken place in the change of definition of species? How did this impact the Church?” A few open-ended questions ask students to come up with their own responses to moral dilemmas, thoughts about how to communicate with others, thoughts about apologetic approaches, etc. Students will need to use a Bible to answer many questions. Some articles explain ways philosophical ideas are shaped by worldviews, and questions in the teacher guides direct students to think more deeply about them. For instance, a question on page 37 of Cultural Issues, Vol. 2 has students reflect on an article’s content by asking, “Through an evolutionary perspective, death is a permanent part of history. Through a biblical perspective, death is a temporary part of history. How do these two perspectives affect society and the choices people make?”
Vol. 1 has eight “Practical Faith Tests,” while Vol. 2 has eight “Practical Reviews.” Rather than reviewing details as you would expect with tests and reviews, these pages pose questions for students to answer using what they have learned, through personal reflection, by reading the Bible, and through research. Vol. 2 prefaces each Practical Review with the caution: “Many of these topics can be sensitive or difficult. Discuss them with a parent before completing the review.” Answer keys are included for these in both volumes, but they often say, “Answers will vary.”
Both volumes have two end-of-semester tests, and Vol. 2 also has four “quarterly” tests that are staggered between the semester tests, so there are always at least a few weeks between them. All these tests pose only essay questions.
Answer keys for worksheets and tests are at the back of each volume.
Summary
The New Answer Books provide strong support for teens (and adults) who want to learn how to defend a biblical worldview based on a literalist approach, and the Cultural Issues volumes turn the use of those books into practical courses for homeschoolers.
