3 Views of Creation
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3 Views of Creation

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Introduction

Bottom Line

I am agnostic when it comes to my belief about how God conducted creation. Honestly, this topic just doesn’t interest me as much as it does others. I am certain God did it. I am certain Genesis 1 is correct. Exactly how long it took? I’ll go with the plain reading of Scripture. Is it possible it was longer, sure? But I am unwilling to break fellowship with someone who disagrees. I will leave the deeper exegesis to others. Below are some resources for further study.

Thoughts

Imagine you have four great friends. Imagine you grew up together and love each other very much. Now, imagine all four of your friends get into an argument. All four have a crush on the same girl. All four are certain this girl likes them and think they can prove it. They say the others are wrong and nothing can be done to change their mind. Then, they all four look at you and say, “Which one of us to you agree with? You cannot be neutral.”

Ugh!! How crazy is that? I can see where two of you are coming from. One of you… no way. But the other two, maybe. Number three, you’re just messing with all of us. I’m so confused. Can we just all be friends and wait and see what she decides?

This is how I feel when my scholarly friends start debating the topic of creation theory. They are all Christians and they all love God and His Word. However, they all think they are right and cannot see anything else. In the Christian world, there are mainly four types of Creation theory: Young Earth Creationism, Old Earth (Progressive) Creationism, Evolution Creation, and Intelligent Design.

Two of the four have strong points to consider, one is interesting, and one I completely reject. This is something that should not separate sincere Christ-followers, but it often does.

Below are my quick thoughts about all four and some articles for you to make up our own mind.


Young Earth Creationism

Most Widely Recognized Scientist- Ken Ham
Ministry: Answers In Genesis
My Thoughts:

Likely. Because the most plain reading of the text speaks of “days” in Genesis 1, many in the creationist debate say this is the only way to interpret Scripture. I agree this is the safest, most straightforward way to read the text. This a strong view and a good stance to take. I deeply respect Ken Ham’s work on this and appreciate his commitment to Scripture. Ken would be easier to listen to if he spent a less time degrading his debate partners and more time on the topic. Don’t get me wrong. I think spirited debate is an important part of the learning process. However, Ken believes that disagreeing with his straightforward view means someone is not a Christian and cannot be saved. I didn’t realize creation theory was the basis for my salvation! I thought it was the finished work of the Cross. Anyway, this is a view I would highly recommend deep investigation.


Resources:

Young-Earth Creationist View Summarized And Defended
There is a great amount of controversy in the church today regarding evolution and the age of the earth. Many competing views attract the attention of Christians producing great confusion and leading
Creation
Biblical creation makes it clear that God created everything in six days around 6000 years ago, in stark contrast to evolution.
What is young earth creationism? | GotQuestions.org
What is young earth creationism? Does the Bible truly teach that the earth is young, only around 6-10,000 years old?
Young Earth creationism - Wikipedia
Young Earth Creationism | National Center for Science Education
When most people hear the word “creationism,” they probably think of the variety called Young Earth Creationism (YEC).

Old Earth (Progressive) Creationism

Most Widely Recognized Scientist: Hugh Ross
Ministry: Reasons to Believe
My Thoughts:

Second Most Likely. When I first heard Hugh Ross or my scholarly hero, John Lennox, talk about Progressive Creationism, I wasn’t interested. Then, I learned to read Hebrew. The word “yom” is where we get the word “day” in Genesis 1. This is where Young Earth Creationists get the division of 24 hour days for their interpretation. However, that is not the only way to read the word “yom.” In Hebrew, this can have multiple meanings and is used to measure various time frames, including within the first chapter. Because of this, Old Earth Creationists say God created the Heavens and the Earth just like He said in Genesis. The problem is our translation from Hebrew to English. It doesn’t have to be in 6 literal days but in 6 epochs of time. This doesn’t mean evolution was happening. John Lennox and Hugh Ross reject macro-evolution. Hugh Ross says he believes God would have created everything within a particular epoch as an explosion to give the most amount of life the highest chance for success. Those who hold this view have many compelling ideas worth exploring.

Resources:

7 Common Myths about Old-Earth Creationism
Sometimes being an apologist isn’t just about defending the faith to unbelievers; sometimes it also includes explaining our doctrinal positions to other Christians. When I was homeschooling our children, church friends would often express concern over our family’s belief that the earth was billions—…
The Major Biblical Creation Texts/Creation Accounts
The Major Biblical Creation Texts/Creation Accounts
What is old earth creationism? | GotQuestions.org
What is old earth creationism? Does mainstream science have the age of the universe correctly estimated?
Old Earth creationism - Wikipedia
Old-Earth (Progressive) Creationism: History and Beliefs - Article - BioLogos
Ted Davis offers an overview of four core tenets of Concordism, discusses the conclusions that follow from these assumptions, and presents a short history of Concordism.
Old-Earth Creationism
Many evangelical leaders today, unfortunately, have capitulated to the evolutionary timescale of modern unbelieving geologists and astronomers. They feel that they must somehow reinterpret the Genesis record of creation to allow for billions of prehistoric years, which the evolutionists must have in…
Old Earth Creationism | National Center for Science Education
Old Earth Creationism (OEC), is a variety of creationism which has existed for hundreds of years; it encompasses a wide range of beliefs.

Intelligent Design

Most Widely Recognized Scientist: Stephen C. Meyer
Ministry: The Discovery Institute
My Thoughts:

Well, yeah. The “politicians view” of creation theory. Simply stated, intelligent design is the theory that creation features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. So, I think all of these views would say the people who hold to this view is spending more time trying to agree with everyone than make a statement.

Resources:

What Is Intelligent Design?
Intelligent design refers to a scientific research program as well as a community of scientists, philosophers and other scholars who seek evidence of design in nature. The theory of intelligent design…
How is Intelligent Design any different from belief in a Flying Spaghetti Monster? | GotQuestions.org
How is Intelligent Design any different from belief in a Flying Spaghetti Monster? What is a Pastafarian? What is Pastafarianism? What is the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster / Spaghedeity all about?
Intelligent design | History & Facts
intelligent design (ID), argument intended to demonstrate that living organisms were created in more or less their present forms by an “intelligent designer.” Intelligent design was formulated in the 1990s, primarily in the United States, as an explicit refutation of the theory of biological evolut…
Intelligent Design
Intelligent design is a theory that the universe was designed by an intelligent higher power. Teaching the theory blurs the lines between church and state.
What is “Intelligent Design” Creationism? | National Center for Science Education
en español
Creationism vs. Intelligent Design.
Critics who argue that evolution should not be taught as scientific fact presented their case to the State Board of Education in Topeka, Kansas, last...

Evolutionary Creation

Most Widely Recognized Scientist: Deborah B. Haarsma
Ministry: BioLogos
My Thoughts:

No way.

Resources:

The Christian Man’s Evolution: How Darwinism and Faith Can Coexist
A geneticist ordained as a Dominican priest, Francisco J. Ayala sees no conflict between Darwinism and faith. Convincing most of the American public of that remains the challenge
Ten Theses on Creation and Evolution That (Most) Evangelicals Can Support
We won’t achieve perfect unanimity on every contested topic.
Theistic Evolution
Theistic evolution, the idea that God used evolution to create life, poses great danger to the gospel, the Bible’s authority, and the character of the Creator.
What is evolutionary creationism? | GotQuestions.org
What is evolutionary creationism? How is evolutionary creationism different from other versions of creationism?
Confessions of a Failed Young-Earth Creationist - Personal Story - BioLogos
I once nodded vigorously when Ken Ham said that even if science was completely against him, he would still believe in Genesis as it was written by God.
What are the various Christian views of creation?
FacebookTwitterAmong Bible-believing Christians there are currently at least four primary interpretations of the creation account in Genesis 1 and 2. Personally, we find the first view to be the most persuasive biblically. But, as Paul says, we now see only… Read More