I've had another 24 hours to think about the Ham vs. Nye debate, and I have a few additional thoughts: I'm struck by how little evidence Ken Ham presented in his main presentation or in his rebuttals. He briefly mentioned a few standard YEC arguments for a young Earth, such as woody material dated at …
Category: Old-Earth creationism
Many top advocates of Biblical authority accept an old Earth as completely compatible with Scripture
Can one believe in the authority of the Bible and also believe that Earth is on the order of a few billion years old? Are Christians who accept an old Earth "compromisers" who deny obvious truths of Scripture? Many young-Earth creationist (YEC) leaders insist that acceptance of an old age for the Earth---billions of years …
GeoScriptures — Genesis 2:2-3 — God’s rest and the age of the Earth
And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. -- Genesis …
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PCA 2013 General Assembly — The YECs get their turn
In 2012, two old-Earth Christian geologists gave a presentation at the General Assembly (annual meeting) of the Presbyterian Church in America. Gregg Davidson is a professor of geology at the University of Mississippi, and Ken Wolgemuth is an oil industry consultant, and their presentation was entitled "The PCA Creation Study Committee a Dozen Years Later: …
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Dinosaur quiz — part 3
Yesterday on the Answers in Genesis website, Ken Ham encouraged people to take "the dinosaur quiz" and to let him know on his Facebook page how we have used this quiz to help "rescue our kids." I guess I took him seriously, so I posted a comment on his Facebook page: This morning, my comment …
An Answers in Genesis chat about the ice age(s)
Answers in Genesis had its first ever live chat on Facebook today, where people could discuss the article When Was the Ice Age in Biblical History with one of the authors. Unfortunately, the author who chatted was the editor of Answers magazine, Mike Matthews, not Andrew Snelling, AiG's geologist. The basic idea of the article …
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J.P. Moreland’s advice to young-Earth creationists
Many leading Christian apologists---an apologist is one who makes a reasoned defense for the faith---are old-Earth Christians. They hold firmly to the truthfulness and reliability of the Scriptures, but reject the hyperliteralism of the young-Earth creationist movement. One such scholar is J.P. Moreland, professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology. In the book Three …
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GeoScriptures — Genesis 3:17-18 — Thorns, thistles, cats, dogs, and hyperliteralism
And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles …
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A Christian geologist tells his story
Many Christian geologists I know began their undergraduate geological training as young-Earth creationists (YECs). They entered their studies having been equipped by reading YEC classics such as The Genesis Flood and Scientific Creationism, had a whole stack of Institute for Creation Research Acts & Facts "Impact" articles, and were certain that they would set the …
The age of the Earth is a quinary issue
For most Christian traditions and denominations, the age of the Earth is not a primary issue. It is not even a secondary issue. Nor is it a tertiary issue. In fact it is not even a quaternary issue. For most Christian traditions and denominations, the age of the Earth is a quinary issue! That's three …
My way or the highway — adultery edition
The age of the Earth is and should be a secondary doctrinal issue within Christianity. It is not up there with central Biblical teachings such as the Trinity, the deity of Christ, or justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Nor is it up there with doctrines such as baptism, the Lord's …
GeoScriptures — Genesis 1:1 — “In the beginning God” vs Carl Sagan
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. -- Genesis 1:1 (ESV) "The cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be." -- Carl Sagan, from Cosmos. Which of these two quotes is a scientific statement, and which is a religious statement? The initial reaction most people---including Christians--- have had …
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Six bad answers from Answers in Genesis are still six bad answers
Back in 2009, I posted a six-part review of a series of young-Earth creationist (YEC) articles on "Six main geologic evidences for the Genesis Flood." The YEC articles appeared in "Answers" magazine, which is published by Answers in Genesis. As part of my "blog recycling program," I am providing links to my posts: Six bad …
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What the Bible says directly about biological evolution
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Best of the GeoChristian — updated
I have updated the "Best of the GeoChristian" link up at the top of the page. There is a good variety: posts on Christianity, geology, creationism, the environment, atheism, apologetics, and more. I would be interested to hear if there is a post that has been especially meaningful or helpful to you, or one that …
Creation Creeds
The following item was originally posted in October 2010. I have added it to my blog recycling program. Because I have new readers of The GeoChristian, I will occasionally go back and re-use some of my favorite blog entries (sometimes with a little editing). This "Creation Creeds" post is a statement of what I, as …
GeoScriptures — Genesis 1:1 — When did “In the beginning” occur?
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." -- Genesis 1:1 One thing that young-Earth creationists and the New Atheists agree on is that if one were to believe the Bible, one would have to believe that the universe, including planet Earth, is only 6000 years old. Of course, both the YECs and the …
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GeoScriptures — Ephesians 4:15 — Speaking the truth in love
"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." -- Ephesians 4:15 (NIV 1984) In Ephesians 4:15, Paul calls on Christians to do two things at once. The first of these is that we are to speak the truth. The second is that we …
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I do have an advocate before the Father
I was visiting with a young-Earth creationist (a dear brother in Christ whom I did not know) during a break at the Nathaniel Jeanson presentation earlier this month. In the course of the conversation, I mentioned that there are a good number of prominent, conservative Evangelical scholars and pastors who advocate acceptance of an old …
PCA General Assembly includes a seminar on the age of the Earth
One of the seminars at the Presbyterian Church of America's 2012 General Assembly (their annual national meeting, held June 19-22 this year) is a presentation of the geological evidence for an old Earth, given by two geologists from Solid Rock Lectures. Here is the description from the General Assembly seminar brochure: The PCA Creation Study …
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