Review – The Manifold Beauty of Genesis One

Davidson, Gregg, and Turner, Kenneth. The Manifold Beauty of Genesis One: A Multi-Layered Approach. Kregel Academic, 2021, 210 p. There are many Bible-believing Christians who see no conflict between the opening chapters of Genesis and acceptance of an ancient Earth and universe. There are also many ways in which these old-Earth Christians interpret Genesis. A …

Continue reading Review – The Manifold Beauty of Genesis One

Analysis of an Answers in Genesis Cartoon

My young-Earth creationist (YEC) friends often have misconceptions about how old-Earth Christians (OECs) such as myself interpret the book of Genesis. Sometimes they are simply a bit bewildered, wondering how any Christian could interpret Genesis in any other way than how they do. Some YECs, on the other hand, are much more blunt, accusing OECs …

Continue reading Analysis of an Answers in Genesis Cartoon

What does Mt St Helens teach us about Noah’s flood? Almost nothing.

All I got from Mt St Helens (MSH) in the days following its May 18, 1980 eruption was a few pretty sunsets. I was an undergraduate student in my first year at the University of Utah, and most of the ash cloud passed far north of Salt Lake City. MSH became more significant for me …

Continue reading What does Mt St Helens teach us about Noah’s flood? Almost nothing.

Review – The Fool and the Heretic

The Fool and the Heretic by Todd Charles Wood & Darrel R. Falk, Zondervan, 2019. Are young-Earth creationists intellectual fools? Are theistic evolutionists heretics? More fundamentally, can two Christians, one who is an ardent young-Earth creationist, and the other a committed theistic evolutionist, learn to respectfully dialogue and even love one another deeply as brothers …

Continue reading Review – The Fool and the Heretic

A catastrophic video

This five-minute "Noah's Flood and Catastrophic Plate Tectonics" video was recently released by Genesis Apologetics. It has as shown up in my Facebook feed several times this week, so I decided to watch it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V68p75xhrSk I have no doubt that the producer(s) of this video mean well. They believe the Bible, and want to provide …

Continue reading A catastrophic video

Six Geological Reasons Why I am Not a Young-Earth Creationist Part 1 — Igneous Rocks

This is the first in a planned six-part series of Six Geological Reasons Why I am Not a Young-Earth Creationist. I am a Christian who holds to the inerrancy and authority of the Bible, and who also has a master’s degree in geology. I have previously given my biblical and theological reasons why I believe …

Continue reading Six Geological Reasons Why I am Not a Young-Earth Creationist Part 1 — Igneous Rocks

Review — The Genealogical Adam and Eve

Swamidass, S. Joshua, 2019, The Genealogical Adam and Eve: The Surprising Science of Universal Ancestry, IVP Academic, 246 p. There have been many books written on origins, most of which don’t have anything new to say. The Genealogical Adam and Eve by S. Joshua Swamidass is a book that has some new things to say …

Continue reading Review — The Genealogical Adam and Eve

Book review — Friend of Science, Friend of Faith

Davidson, Gregg, 2019, Friend of Science, Friend of Faith: Listening to God in His Works and Word, Kregel Academic, 297 p. Gregg Davidson, a Christian, is Chair of Geology and Geological Engineering at the University of Mississippi. Friend of Science, Friend of Faith opens with the story of Riley, a Christian college student working toward …

Continue reading Book review — Friend of Science, Friend of Faith

Five reasons young-Earth creationism is not biblically necessary

I was a young-Earth creationist (YEC) during my first few years as an undergraduate geology major, believing that the Bible required that the universe is no older than about 10,000 years, and that geology, properly understood, supported that position. I was a student member of the Creation Research Society, and looked forward to the day …

Continue reading Five reasons young-Earth creationism is not biblically necessary

Review – Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins

Bishop, R.C., Funck, L.L., Lewis, R.J., Moshier, S.O., and Walton, J.H, 2018, Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins: Cosmology, Geology, and Biology in Christian Perspective, Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 659 p. https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Scientific-Theories-Origins-Christianity/dp/0830852913/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547601156&sr=8-1&keywords=understanding+scientific+theories+of+origins Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins is authored by five professors from Wheaton College. Wheaton is an Evangelical institution with rigorous admissions standards, and therefore …

Continue reading Review – Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins

Book Review – Two young-Earth creationist books about Yellowstone expose how YECs cannot explain Yellowstone geology

Your Guide to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks: A Different Perspective, by John Hergenrather, Tom Vail, Mike Oard, and Dennis Bokovoy The Geology of Yellowstone: A Biblical Guide, by Patrick Nurre Young-Earth creationists (YECs) believe that the Bible requires that almost all features of Earth’s crust are the result of Noah’s Flood about 4300 …

Continue reading Book Review – Two young-Earth creationist books about Yellowstone expose how YECs cannot explain Yellowstone geology

Review – A Reformed Approach to Science and Scripture

A Reformed Approach to Science and Scripture is largely a summary of the insights of the late theologian R.C. Sproul on the topic of the relationship between science and Christian faith. The author is Keith Mathison, professor of systematic theology at Reformation Bible College in Florida, and the book is available as a free Kindle …

Continue reading Review – A Reformed Approach to Science and Scripture

Yellowstone National Park — Another bad answer from Answers in Genesis

This brief article on Yellowstone National Park from Answers in Genesis is exceptionally bad. https://answersingenesis.org/creation-vacations/yellowstone-national-park/ Answers in Genesis -- "The volcano that left the enormous crater at Yellowstone was far greater than anything we observe today. While modern craters measure barely 20 square miles (52 km2), the crater at Yellowstone covers about 1,500 square miles …

Continue reading Yellowstone National Park — Another bad answer from Answers in Genesis

Six Books to Understand Genesis — Old-Earth Edition (updated: eleven books)

The web site of the young-Earth creationist documentary Is Genesis History has listed "Six Books to Understand Genesis," all written from a young-Earth perspective. As a counterweight, here are six old-Earth books written by highly-qualified, Bible-believing, inerrancy-affirming, theologically-conservative scholars. As old-Earth Christians, these academics believe in the truthfulness of Scripture just as much as any …

Continue reading Six Books to Understand Genesis — Old-Earth Edition (updated: eleven books)

Earth Day 2018 — My guest editorial

There is a perception among conservative Reformation and Evangelical Christians that placing a high priority on Earth care is for theological and political liberals, new age pantheists, and "tree huggers," and has little to do with Christian discipleship. In response, environmentalists often view Evangelicals as being opposed to many environmental causes, and therefore as enemies. …

Continue reading Earth Day 2018 — My guest editorial

Three Young-Earth Students

The web site for the young-Earth documentary Is Genesis History? has posted a video following three young-Earth creationist (YEC) students from Wheaton College as they tour the Ark Encounter replica of Noah's Ark in Kentucky (see How did Theistic Evolution Bring 3 Wheaton College Students to the Ark?). These students had formed a YEC group …

Continue reading Three Young-Earth Students

Short Answer — Mt St Helens and young-Earth creationism

Here is my standard short answer to the young-Earth creationist claim that the deposits formed by the 1980s eruptions of Mt St Helens demonstrate that Noah's flood could be responsible for the sedimentary rock record. The deposits of Mt St Helens (MSH) demonstrate that volcanoes can do a lot of geologic work in a short …

Continue reading Short Answer — Mt St Helens and young-Earth creationism

Six theological reasons why Christians do not have to embrace six-day young-Earth creationism

A vocal set of Christians believes that the book of Genesis requires the age of the universe and Earth to be something like 6000 years. This belief is being reinforced by the release last year (2017) of the documentary Is Genesis History?, which was narrated by Del Tackett, and produced by Thomas Purifoy. The film …

Continue reading Six theological reasons why Christians do not have to embrace six-day young-Earth creationism

“Genesis: Paradise Lost” — A film review by an old-Earth Christian

On two nights this past week (Nov 13 and 16, 2017), the young-Earth creationist (YEC) documentary Genesis: Paradise Lost was shown in select movie theaters across America. I spent $15 (the most I have ever spent for a movie) and sat in the upper corner of the theater where there was a little light that …

Continue reading “Genesis: Paradise Lost” — A film review by an old-Earth Christian

Attempting to respond to hostility with grace

I get called all sorts of names by some of my young-Earth brothers and sisters in Christ: Liar, Compromiser, Rabid Theistic Evolutionist, So-Called Christian. I am accused of listening to the hissing of the serpent, of following Baal rather than Yahweh, and of denying the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am sorry that …

Continue reading Attempting to respond to hostility with grace