In Essentials Unity, in Non-Essentials Liberty, in all things Charity Biological Apologetic s 2015 George Tadros

Biblical Interpretation Scientific Interpretation

Creation vs. Evolution Creationists Young Earth Creationist Old Earth/progressive Creationist Intelligent DesignTheistic EvolutionEvolutionist Belief in Neo-Darwinist Evolution Belief in Biblical literalism

Biblical LiteralismHistorical Literal Young Earth Creationist Old Earth/progressive Creationist Historical Figurative ID/Theistic Evolution Mythical Belief in Evolution Belief in Biblical literalism

 What is the Genre?  The use of Metaphors, similes and figurative speech.  What was the original audience’s understanding of the text?

 Concordism: The Good and Bad. “the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out” (Isa 42:5)  Is this the Big Bang???

Pre- suppositions Fact finding & acceptance Beliefs

Biblical Inerrancy Literal Calendar Day View Historical/ Context Gap Theory Day Gap Theory Day Age Theory Framework Theory Figurative

Theism/literal Biblical Revelation Scientific evidence for ancient earth/evolution Young Earth Creationists

Challenge Calendar-Day View Days of Creation Six 24 hour days Sequence of Creation As literally mentioned in Genesis 1 Age of Universe/earth years Creation of Adam Special Creation, Ex-nihilo, instantaneous, of age. Can be tracked using the genealogies. Did death exist prior to fall? No for all living beings Interpretation of fall? Physical and Spiritual death, expulsion from God’s presence, evil entering into the world What does Salvation achieve Through one man (Jesus Christ), the sin of the one man (Adam) was corrected

 Most direct and easily understood meaning of the text.  Why would text say “So the evening and the morning of…”  Most uses of the Hebrew word “yom” refer to a 24 hour period.

 “ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day” (Exodus 20:11)

 Jesus “Are there not twelve hours in the day” (John 11:9)  Not dependent on any changing scientific theory: “A theology wed to the science of one age is a widow in the next!”  Creation as is “according to its kind”

 How can there be days when there is no sun until the 4 th day Gen 1:11 ““Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind” in 24 hours! How can you fit the events of the sixth day in Genesis 2 in a 24 hour period?

 Not all the use of “yom” in Genesis 1-2 refers to a literal 24 hour period (Gen 2:4)  How would you reconcile the seventh day (whether in Genesis or Exodus) with a 24 hour period when it has no evening or morning? Is it days of week or a pattern to be followed?

 The theological validity of creation of “appearance of age”

Theism/Conte xt Biblical Revelation Scientific challenges for guided design Progressive Creationist/Old Earth Creationist

Historical/Context Gap TheoryDay Gap TheoryDay Age Theory Framework Theory

Genesis 1:1 All Creation was made Genesis 1:2 There is a Gap. The earth was without form and void Genesis 1:3 Creation was restored to good in 6 days Beginning of time Billions of years 6 Days Gap Theory

Challenge Gap Theory Days of CreationSix 24 hour days after a Gap between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 Sequence of Creation As literally mentioned in Genesis 1 Age of Universe/earth Billion(s) of years Creation of Adam Special Creation, Ex-nihilo, instantaneous, of age Did death exist prior to fall? Yes (Through Satan’s work) Interpretation of fall? Physical and Spiritual death, expulsion from God’s presence, evil entering into the world What does Salvation achieve Through one man (Jesus Christ), the sin of the one man (Adam) was corrected

 The tense of the verb in Gen 1:1-2 is perfect tense, while in Gen 1:3 and onwards is narrative tense.

Genesis 1:1 Beginning of Creation Genesis 1:2-27 Creation on 6 undefined periods of time which could be overlapping Genesis 2:2,3 God rested on the 7 th day Beginning of time Billions of years Day Age Theory

Challenge Day Age Theory Days of CreationSix periods of prolonged time not limited to 24 hours. Sequence of Creation Not necessarily literal sequence but does not exclude it. Days could overlap as well. Age of Universe/earth Billion(s) of years Creation of Adam Special Creation, Ex-nihilo, instantaneous, of age Did death exist prior to fall? Yes for animals. No for Man Interpretation of fall? Spiritual death, expulsion from God’s presence, evil entering into the world What does Salvation achieve Through one man (Jesus Christ), the sin of the one man (Adam) was corrected

 Even if the days represent ages, a non- overlapping sequence does not match our understanding of the Universe: Earth (2) before Sun (4), Vegetation (3) before marine creatures (5), birds and marine creature together (5). An overlapping sequence, though makes sense with Biological evolution, it does not make sense with “So the evening and morning of…”

Genesis 1:1 Beginning of Creation Genesis 1:2-27 Creation on 6 “24-hour” periods with prolonged gaps in between Genesis 2:2,3 God rested on the 7 th day Beginning of time Billions of years Day Gap Theory

Challenge Day Gap Theory Days of CreationSix 24 hour days with unidentified gaps of prolonged periods of time in between Sequence of Creation literal sequence with no overlap. Age of Universe/earth Billion(s) of years Creation of AdamSpecial Creation, Ex-nihilo, instantaneous, of age Did death exist prior to fall? Yes for animals. No for Man Interpretation of fall? Spiritual death, expulsion from God’s presence, evil entering into the world What does Salvation achieve Through one man (Jesus Christ), the sin of the one man (Adam) was corrected

 Preserves the integrity of the 24-hour period  Preserves the theological concept of “creation by fiat”  The first 5 days are labeled in Hebrew as Day “One”, “Two”, “Three”,…

Belief in God/Naturalis m Biblical Revelation of creation Theistic Evolution

Challenge Framework Theory Days of Creation Six periods of unidentified time not limited to 24 hours (but not excluding 24 hours). The concept of the week is more crucial to the understanding Sequence of Creation Not literally in sequence. The two most common alternatives are the logical/topical or the promised land theory Age of Universe/earth Billion(s) of years (Genesis is not at all related to the age of the earth) Creation of Adam Special Creation, Ex-nihilo, instantaneous, of age Did death exist prior to fall? Yes for animals. No for Man Interpretation of fall? Spiritual death, expulsion from God’s presence, evil entering into the world What does Salvation achieve Through one man (Jesus Christ), the sin of the one man (Adam) was corrected

 Employs the Topical Arrangement: The Domains in the first 3 days and those who inhabit the domains in the second 3 days. Ties into the “Promised Land” concept familiar to the Israelites. Ties in with the concept that God wanted to put everything that the neighboring nations worshipped as a CREATED being.

 Hard to understand the historical fact of creation.  How to reconcile with the pattern of Exodus “ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day” (Exodus 20:11)

Challenge Historical Figurative Days of Creation The days are not identifying time at all but rather How God made the earth functional Sequence of Creation Not sequence but rather function: Time, weather, food Age of Universe/earth Billion(s) of years (Genesis is not at all related to the age of the earth) Creation of Adam Could be ex-nihilo, instantaneous of age but more likely through natural processes. Adam and Eve are archetypal figures. They were not the only alive people Did death exist prior to fall? Yes as part of nature’s course. Immortality was a possibility for man but he was not created immortal Interpretation of fall? Spiritual death, alienation from God’s presence What does Salvation achieve Through one man (Jesus Christ), He restored the possibility for mankind to approach God

 Creation Narrative within Ancient Near East  Creation of function, order and “home” for mankind not material existence.  The first 3 days were the creation of Time, Weather and food.  To name something is to give it a function or a role

 The Creation is God’s Cosmic Temple “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” (1Kings 8:27)  The Garden as the place of meeting of Gods

 Very Appealing from the Biological Standpoint of Creation of Man.  EXCEPT

 Who are Adam (Man) & Eve (Mother of all living being)  What is death?

 Special Creation  Miraculous Modification  Evolutionary Creation

 A pair of recent ancestors < 10,000 years ago  A pair of recent representatives among humanity < 10,000 years ago.  A pair of ancient ancestors 150,000 years ago.  A pair of ancient representatives 150,000 years ago  Symbolic of humanity in its relationship with God.

 What does it mean to be created on God’s image & likeness?  How does God participate in our creation at this point after Genesis?  How does sin get transmitted from generation to generation?  How do you interpret death (Back in Genesis & now)

 What to make of the genealogies of Adam in Gen 7 and Luke 3  “before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground” (Gen 2:5)

 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth (Acts 17:26)  “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” (Rom 5:12)  So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit” (1 Cor 15:45)

 What is the status of those before Adam; does “To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law” (Rom 5:13) apply here???

Biblical LiteralismHistorical Literal Young Earth Creationist Old Earth/progressive Creationist Historical Figurative ID/Theistic Evolution Mythical Belief in Evolution Belief in Biblical literalism

 St Augustine stated in his books The Literal Meaning of Genesis, the Confessions, and The City of God in 400 AD: “In matters that are so obscure and far beyond our vision, we find in the Holy Scripture passages which can be interpreted in very different ways without prejudice to the faith we received. In such cases, we should not rush in headlong and so firmly take our stand on one side that, if progress in the search for truth justly undermines this position, we too fall with it”

Pray for me Biological Apologetic s 2015 George Tadros