The Creation Narrative and Modern Science ãWho cares? -Philosophically -Philosophically

ãMan must realize that a fundamental law of necessity reigns throughout the whole realm of Nature... there cannot be a separate law for mankind in a world in which planets and suns follow their orbits, where moons and planets trace their destined paths, where the strong are always the masters of the weak and where those subject to such laws must obey them or be destroyed. Man must also submit to the eternal principles of this supreme wisdom. He may try to understand them but he can never free himself from their sway.

Adolph Hitler, MeinKampf, James Murphy trans., (London: Hurst and Blackett Ltd., 1939) p. 140

The Creation Narrative and Modern Science ãWho cares? -Philosophically -Philosophically -Theologically -Theologically -Apologetically -Apologetically

Three Models ãTheistic Evolution ãProgressive Creation ãMature Creationism ãAtheistic Evolution

Theistic Evolution All creation is via God’s ordinary means of action (natural Law) 4.5 Billion Years

Critique: Theistic Evolution ãThis theory will not harmonize with the Bible ãBiblical words in Genesis: ãBara = creation out of nothing ãYatzar = to form or make ãYom = “day” “time” “life” “season “space” cf. Gen. 1:5 with 2:4 ãStill have problems with certain areas like biogenesis and the fossil record ãCould argue that God started it

Progressive Creationism Progressive Creation Creation is via a combination of God’s ordinary and extraordinary means of action (natural Law) 4.5 Billion Years

Critique: Progressive Creationism ãGen 1: “after their own kind” ãFossil record supports this view ãThe picture of smooth transition from primitive to complex life forms is not borne out by the fossil record ãNew orders appear abruptly and remain relatively unchanged ãSee current theories of Punctuated equilibrium/ emergent evolution--

Mammals Primates Fish Amphibians Protozoans Birds Reptiles Mollusca Green plants Fungi Segmented Worms Unsegmented Worms Insects

Mammals Primates Fish Amphibians Protozoans Birds Reptiles Mollusca Green plants Fungi Unsegmented Worms Insects Blue-green Algas Segmented Worms

ãDr. Grassi, President of the French Academy of Science, Editor of a 30 volume series on paleontology ã“There is almost a total absence of fossil evidence relative to the origin of the phyla. The lack of direct evidence leads to the formation of pure conjecture as to the genesis of phyla. We don’t even have a basis to determine the extent to which these opinions are correct.” Critique: Progressive Creationism

ãGeorge Gaylord Simpson - Prominent evolutionary paleontologists in Types of Evolution, cited in Gish, Evolution, The Fossils Say ‘No’ p.168 ã"[The absence of transitional forms in the fossil record] is true of all the thirty-two orders of mammals...The earliest and most primitive known members of every order already have the basic ordinal characters, and in no case is an approximately continuous sequence from one order to another known. In most cases the break is so sharp and the gap so large that the origin of the order is speculative and much disputed." Critique: Progressive Creationism

ã"This regular absence of transitional forms... is an almost universal phenomenon, as has long been noted by paleontologists. It is true of almost all orders of all classes of animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate...and it is apparently also true of analogous categories of plants." Critique: Progressive Creationism

ã[wonders] “whether such major events take place instantaneously, by some process essentially unlike those involved in lesser or more gradual evolutionary change...” ãThese findings in the fossil record fit perfectly with the idea of progressive creation Critique: Progressive Creationism

Progressive Creation Creation is via a combination of God’s ordinary and extraordinary means of action (natural Law) 4.5 Billion Years

ãProgressive Creationism is compatible with the Genesis account: -The day-age theory -The day-age theory -“Days literal but not sequential” theory -“Days literal but not sequential” theory -Gap theory -Gap theory ãDays of creation do not easily correlate with episodes of emergent evolution in the fossil record ãBut, See Hugh Ross, Creation & Time Critique: Progressive Creationism

Mature Creationism The creation account in Genesis is referring to a literal 6 day period when all things on earth were created-- All were by extraordinary, not ordinary means 10,000 years

Critique-Mature Creationism ãThe Days in Genesis 1 are literal 24- hour days, and happened only <10,000 years ago. The world flood created the impression of old age for the earth. ãThis is the dominant view in modern fundamentalist “creationism” ãA discredited and unfortunate theory ãMethodology is wrong ãUnresponsive to falsifying data

ãCoral atolls, light from distant stars, slow forming sediment ã Henry Morris. “Real creation necessarily involves creation of ‘apparent age.’” ãSee critique of Creation Science Movement by Robert Snow in Portraits of Creation Van Til ed. or- Hugh Ross, Creation and Time, Navpress Critique-Mature Creationism

Atheistic Evolution ãNext Week

Conclusions ãTheists who believe the Bible are able to harmonize their views with the findings of modern science. ãHuman spirituality is dependent on special creation. ãGenesis uniquely accounts for the nature of the human race. ãGod has created this world, and you can come to know him personally

Next Week ãGuest lecturer Doug Rudy will expand on the subject of the Bible and macro- evolution

ãComments? ãQuestions? The Creation Narrative and Modern Science