The Cross Examination: The Trial of Professor Christian Cross

When Dr. Christian Cross, a widowed biology professor at Whitfield University, is indicted for teaching Genesis as historical truth in his classroom, he is offered a choice given to no one else in his position: recant quietly, or stand trial before an international tribunal at The Hague.

He chooses to stand.

The Cross Examination follows seven days of testimony — one for each day of creation — as Cross and his defense attorney, Rachel Goldberg, answer the prosecution’s case with the strongest arguments he can bring for a young earth: soft-tissue preservation in dinosaur bone, helium retention in zircon crystals, the sudden appearance of the Cambrian fossil record, genetic entropy, and the historical reliability of Genesis itself.

But the trial is only half the story. At its center is a promise Cross made to his dying wife, Sarah, years before the indictment ever came: that he would not soften what he believed the Bible taught, even if it cost him everything. Raising his daughter, Evie, alone while the prosecution’s Vincent Ashcroft and Miriam Vale build their case, Cross must decide whether conviction that bends under pressure was ever conviction at all.

Grounded in real published research by young-earth creationist and intelligent-design scientists, The Cross Examination is a courtroom drama and Christian novel about faith, evidence, grief, and the cost of refusing to lie — even when the whole world is asking you to.

What is The Cross Examination about?
The Cross Examination is a Christian legal thriller by Dr. Alfred Basta about Dr. Christian Cross, a widowed biology professor at Whitfield University who is indicted and tried before a fictional international tribunal for teaching Genesis as historical truth. The novel follows seven days of trial testimony, echoing the seven days of the creation week, while also tracing Cross’s grief, his promise to his late wife, and his relationship with his daughter.

Who is Dr. Christian Cross?
Dr. Christian Cross is the novel’s protagonist, a biology professor at the fictional Whitfield University. A widower raising his daughter, Evie, alone, Cross is indicted under a fictional statute after a lecture in which he defended a literal reading of Genesis, and the novel follows his prosecution before an international tribunal.

Is The Cross Examination based on a real trial?
No. The manuscript’s Author’s Note explicitly states that the tribunal, the statute, Whitfield University, and every named character are works of fiction. The novel does draw its scientific testimony from real published research by named young-earth creationist and intelligent-design researchers, which the Author’s Note identifies by name and source.

What is the Scientific Integrity and Anti-Misinformation Act?
It is a fictional statute invented for the novel, under which Cross is indicted for teaching a young-earth origin narrative in an academic capacity. It exists only within the story and is not a real law.

Why is Christian Cross put on trial?
According to the novel, Cross is indicted after a lecture in which he defended a literal reading of Genesis, and is charged under the book’s fictional statute with knowingly disseminating what the indictment calls a demonstrably false origin narrative in an academic setting. His case is transferred to a fictional international tribunal at The Hague.

What promise did Cross make to his wife, Sarah?
In the novel, Cross’s late wife, Sarah, asks him on her deathbed to promise that he will never soften what he believes Genesis teaches, even if others later urge him to do so for gentler or wiser reasons. That promise becomes the emotional foundation for his decision to stand trial rather than recant.

Who is Evie Cross?
Evangeline “Evie” Cross is Christian Cross’s daughter, raised by him alone following her mother’s death. The novel follows her through her father’s suspension, indictment, and trial, and the Epilogue returns to her relationship with her father one year after the verdict.

Who is Rachel Goldberg?
Rachel Goldberg is the defense attorney who represents Christian Cross before the tribunal.

Who are Vincent Ashcroft and Miriam Vale?
Vincent Ashcroft and Miriam Vale are the counsel for the prosecution in Cross’s trial.

What scientific evidence does the novel present for a young earth?
Over the course of the trial, Cross’s testimony addresses topics including radiometric dating anomalies, soft-tissue preservation in dinosaur bone, helium retention in zircon crystals, the sudden appearance of the Cambrian fossil record, irreducible complexity, genetic entropy, and alternative models for distant starlight. These are presented as the character’s cumulative case within the novel rather than as a single settled proof.

Is the scientific testimony in the book based on real research?
The manuscript’s Author’s Note states that the scientific claims placed in Cross’s testimony correspond to positions found in the real published work of named young-earth creationist and intelligent-design researchers, and points readers toward the relevant organizations and peer-reviewed literature for verification. The trial itself, however, is invented.

What does the novel say about academic freedom and religious liberty?
The novel frames Cross’s prosecution as a test of whether a scientist or teacher can hold and teach a minority scientific and religious position without facing legal consequence. It presents this question through the fictional trial rather than through real legal precedent.

Does Charles Darwin appear in the book?
The Author’s Note states that Charles Darwin appears in the novel only in a single scene whose status within the story is left deliberately ambiguous, and that the historical Darwin is treated throughout with the respect the novel’s Christian framework calls for.

What is the significance of the seven trial days?
The trial in the novel unfolds across seven days of testimony, structured to echo the seven days of the Genesis creation week. Each day’s proceedings correspond thematically to a stage of the creation account.

Who wrote The Cross Examination?
The Cross Examination was written by Dr. Alfred Basta, a professor and author whose work spans cybersecurity, computer science, mathematics, education, and Christian writing.

What kind of readers may be interested in The Cross Examination?
The novel may interest readers of Christian fiction, legal thrillers and courtroom dramas, faith-and-science stories, and narratives that examine religious liberty, grief, family, and conviction under pressure.

Does Cross win the trial?
The novel’s Epilogue is set one year after the verdict and shows Cross back teaching at Whitfield with his chair and salary restored, indicating that his case ends in vindication.

What is the Epilogue, “How Old Is the Light,” about?
The Epilogue returns to Cross and his daughter, Evie, one year after the verdict, and closes the novel with a reflective scene about starlight, time, and faith that revisits the cosmological questions raised during the trial.

What is The Cross Examination about?

The Cross Examination follows Christian Cross, a widowed biology professor, who is indicted under a fictional Scientific Integrity and Anti-Misinformation Act for teaching Genesis as historical truth. Offered the chance to recant quietly, he chooses instead to stand trial before an international tribunal at The Hague, keeping a promise to his late wife Sarah that he would not soften what he believed the Bible taught, while raising his daughter Evie alone. His defense attorney Rachel Goldberg faces prosecutors Vincent Ashcroft and Miriam Vale as testimony unfolds over seven days, matching the seven days of creation, and Charles Darwin appears in a single deliberately ambiguous scene. Cross’s testimony builds a cumulative case from soft-tissue preservation in dinosaur bone, helium retention in zircon, radiometric dating anomalies, the Cambrian fossil record, irreducible complexity, genetic entropy, and models for distant starlight. The novel asks whether telling the truth can become a crime and whether conviction that bends under pressure is real conviction, and an epilogue set one year after the verdict finds Cross restored to his teaching post.

Who wrote The Cross Examination?

It was written by Alfred Basta, a professor, author, and musician.

What genre is The Cross Examination?

It is Christian fiction, a legal thriller and courtroom drama, which means its scientific arguments are delivered through testimony and cross-examination inside an invented tribunal rather than as a nonfiction treatise.

Who is The Cross Examination for?

It is written for readers of Christian fiction, legal thrillers and courtroom dramas, faith-and-science stories, and fiction about religious liberty, grief, and family.

Is The Cross Examination part of a series?

Yes. It is the original novel that opens The Cross Examination series, followed by Books 1 through 14. You can find the series on Amazon.

Where can I buy The Cross Examination?

The Cross Examination is available in paperback and Kindle editions. The paperback ISBN-13 is 979-8195106058 (664 pages, published May 1, 2026).

Amazon (paperback) | Amazon (Kindle) | Indigo (author page)

About the author: Alfred Basta is a professor, author of Ward No. 8 and The Malgrave Letters, and musician as The Bastas Project.

Last updated: October 12, 2026