How old is the earth? Some background... - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

How old is the earth?Slide2

Some background...

A literal reading of Genesis 1 leads to a conclusion that the earth was created in six days. If genealogies (lists of names and descendants) are added up, this took place about 6,000 years ago (4,000 BC)Slide3

Many, but not all Christians, read Genesis literally in the past. Some read it figuratively or symbolically.

Starting in the 1700’s and continued in the 1800’s, science showed evidence for a much older earth: fossils, rates of erosion, extinct species, differences in species from place to place.Slide4

The age of the beginning was pushed back millions of years.

At first most Christians aware of the new science accepted the findings of science and started to re-think how they read Genesis.

Charles Darwin’s key book was welcomed and evolution was incorporated into the thinking of Christians.Slide5

How did Christians reinterpret Genesis?

Some read the days as long periods of time. This allowed for an indefinite length of time for creation, perhaps billions of years. The order of creation was kept intact. [THE DAY-AGE THEORY]

Other Christians speculated that there was a long break between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Slide6

This allowed for all of the fossils and rock layers to have been laid down in the unknown period of time after verse 1 and before verse 2, when God recreated the earth after some disaster. The recreation happened 6,000 years ago. This allowed for an ongoing literal reading of Genesis while allowing for an old earth. [THE GAP THEORY]

Another option was to read Genesis 1 symbolically. By looking at how other cultures in the Ancient Near East wrote their creation stories, they learned that Genesis was a special kind of literature requiring careful analysis. One way to make sense of it was to see the days as an answer to the

formlessness

and

emptiness

of verse 2.Slide7
Slide8

This approach allowed them to embrace the findings of science without seeing conflict with the creation account. The creation account was not a scientific text. It was a schematic representation of God’s rule and power over everything, including chaos (formlessness and emptiness).

Only from the 1920’s onwards did a movement now called

Young Earth Creationism

arise in opposition to a belief in an old earth and biological diversity (many species) through evolution. This movement gained real momentum in the 1960’s with the publication of

THE GENESIS FLOOD

.Slide9

This book stated that the earth was created in 6 literal 24 hour days, 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. The rock layers and fossils were laid down during the great flood in Noah’s days about 4,500 years ago.

Attempts have been made to provide scientific evidence for this view, but few scientists accept such a young earth.Slide10

So where are we now?

We can summarize the viewpoints of

Christians who believe the Bible to be God’s Word

as follows:

YOUNG EARTH CREATIONISTS

OLD EARTH CREATIONISTS

INTELLIGENT DESIGN

EVOLUTIONARY CREATIONISTSSlide11

YOUNG EARTH CREATIONISM

A response to what was seen as growing unbelief and worldliness amongst Christians.

Particularly strong in North America.

Believes in a six day creation about 6,000 years ago as described in Genesis 1.

Noah’s Flood accounts for fossils and rock layers.

Initial perfect earth ravished by sin and God’s judgement brought death and destruction.

Rejects evidence for an old earth.Slide12

Strengths and weaknesses

Makes reading Bible easy – literal.

Good in a pre-scientific setting.

By rejecting most of geology and biology, it creates tension for Christian scientists in these fields.

It is harder to become a Christian in a scientific world if YEC is required as a belief.

Despite many attempts by its adherents, most scientists reject a young earth hypothesis.

Leaves us with an either-or approach to science and creation issues. Fuels the conflict/war model of relations.Slide13

OLD EARTH CREATIONISM

Accepts evidence of geology for an old earth of 4.5 billion years. (13 billion year universe)

Argues for a creation account on a day-age basis or gap theory.

Rejects evolution as explanation for life.

Like YEC, believes God created each kind (species?) in its turn.Slide14

Strengths and weaknesses

Far less conflict with geology and other sciences.

Still at odds with biology. Rejects a widely accepted theory.

Has more respect in scientific community.By departing from literal reading of days as 24 hours, requires a re-think on other aspects of Scripture reading.Slide15

INTELLIGENT DESIGN

All Christians would say an intelligence is behind the creation (God!)

This approach is old earth, but emphasizes that certain biological structures (the human eye, the flagellum motor etc.) cannot be explained by science and so they show evidence of an intelligent designer behind their presence.

It is an attempt to become scientifically acceptable; develop a theory about recognizing intelligence in scientific work.Slide16

Strengths and weaknesses

Attempts to put God back in creation, but only to explain the unexplainable.

In danger of “making God disappear” once science can explain things it cannot explain now. Some call it a “God of the gaps” explanation.

Attempt at being scientific in approach.

By accepting that earth is old, it creates fewer problems for Christians in science.

By allowing for many things to arise without intelligent intervention, it implies God is not involved in all of creation and the present universe.Slide17

EVOLUTIONARY CREATIONISM

Also known as theistic evolution or

Biologos

.

Accepts geology and biology and believes earth is 4.5 billion years old and life has developed by process of evolution.

Reads Genesis in a non-literal way.Slide18

Strengths and weaknesses

No deep conflicts with science.

Allows for scientific theories to explain creation and does not read Bible as a science textbook.

Does produce problems of Bible interpretation: Adam and Eve, the Flood, etc.

Restores God to working in and behind creation at all times, not just in certain situations, e.g. In the “difficult” bits.Slide19

REMEMBER...

These views are held by Christians, not atheists.

Creation is not the central teaching: salvation in Christ is the central focus. The kingdom of God on earth.

We are growing in our understanding of both the creation/world AND how to understand the Bible.

At least once before Christians have been at odds with science: Galileo and position of the earth in space. Let us learn from that lesson.Slide20

Useful websites

www.intelligentdesign.org

www.answersingenesis.org

www.biologos.org

www.reasons.org