1. Creation David Wallace MEng Tom Cameron PhD

2. Creation What’s your question? Why are dinosaurs not mentioned in the Bible? How do dinosaurs fit in? How come science says it took millions of years for the earth to form, and Genesis talks of 6 days? How could the world be made in 7 days – is it something to do with different perspectives on time? Could God have used the Big Bang? What about people who say God can’t be real because everything has been explained by science? If we are evolved from monkeys, how come we are still not evolving? Where do you draw the line in believing the “descended from monkeys” story? Does it matter if man came from monkeys? Why did God want to make us anyway? Why did God make Adam first? Why do women get such a hard time – periods, pain in childbirth. Creation Human orgins

3. Creation Aims Read the Bible properly: –interpret positively passages of scripture that have been abused to force conflict between science and faith. Think about God and science together Spot the bias: don’t be a sponge Do science at school Avoid the creationist caricature Worship God: inspired by science

4. Creation Why does Creation matter? Has life any meaning/purpose? Who’s in charge of my life? Me or God? If we are nothing but a higher animal, morality is irrelevant If the creation story is disproven can we rely on the any of the Bible? Some want to discredit a church that has given them a poor experience

6. Creation What people think UK: MORI 2006 USA: Gallup 2006

7. Creation Agreement of the sciences Earth 4.5 billion yrs old Universe 14 billion yrs old Geology Geography Biology Astronomy Physics 6 days of creation 4004 BC (Ussher’s calculation) Apparent conflict with the Bible Tom

8. Creation Relationship What does it communicate? How do you interpret the story? Principles What happened Sequence of events How long it took Five ways to interpret the creation account in Genesis

10. Creation Video of Darren Gough story

11. Creation Relationship What does it communicate? How do you interpret the story? Principles What happened Sequence of events How long it took Five ways to interpret the creation account in Genesis

12. Creation Irrelevant story Relationship What does it communicate? How do you interpret the story? Principles What happened Sequence of events How long it took Avoids the question while appearing to give an answer. Creates atmosphere, sets the scene. Helps you settle in to know the storyteller’s style.

13. Creation Video of repair and gardener

14. Creation Irrelevant story Myth Relationship Principles What happened Sequence of events How long it took What does it communicate? How do you interpret the story? A metaphor or fable containing important principles – don’t take it literally

15. Creation A few of the principles in Genesis The physical world is good Humans are special It is good to be creative and make things It is good to have a pattern of rest in your life

16. Creation The longer list Created from nothing God is distinct from his creation God is the inspiration for our creativity God sustains all things – the fire in the equations Heb 1:3 Col 1:17 Inspiration for science Great are the works of the Lord, they are studied by all who delight in him Ps 111 Some things about God can be learned by observing creation Rom 1:20, Acts 14:17 Power and majesty Reliability and predictability: consistency and faithfulness of the Creator A spiritual realm is also created Angels and evil powers exist but not equal to God The creation was good Don’t deny the reality and value of the physical realm (as some religions do) Work is good – we can be pleased with our work too Father Son and Holy Spirit were all involved Humans are special God chose to create humans, so we are valuable in his eyes We are more important than the animals We can communicate with God The image of God Reason, creativity, speech, self-determination? Ability to love, be patient, forgive, be kind, be faithful Male and female, not just one gender Therefore Solid basis for self-worth (not possessions, achievement, physical attractiveness or popularity) Don’t be sexist Stewardship of creation Delegated authority Sabbath rest Principle of refreshment in preparation for service Free will The apple/apricot Temptation Marriage

17. Creation Video of clock story

19. Creation Irrelevant story Myth Literary framework Relationship Principles What happened Sequence of events How long it took What does it communicate? How do you interpret the story?

20. Separation of light & darkness Creation of lights to rule the day and night Separation of sky and sea Creation of birds & fish to fill sky & sea Separation of sea and dry land; creation of plants Creation of animals & humans to fill the land and eat the plants The earth was shapeless and empty The heavens and the earth were finished and God rested Genesis 1 a literary framework

21. Creation Babylonian creation story: enuma elish

22. Creation Babylonian creation story: enuma elish Creation is the outcome of –anger and fear –war & destruction –hatred and violence –betrayal and murder –chaos Subjugation of females by males among the gods Humanity an afterthought, of little value to the gods There are gods of –Light & darkness –Sky and sea –Sun moon & stars –Earth and vegetation –Animals Kings and heroes are gods The Genesis account of creation challenges all of these points

23. Creation What happened God created everything out of nothing, then gathered and used the basic (chemical) components to make other things The creation is separate from God It was created in stages: it was formless and empty and he formed it and filled it The universe is orderly

24. Creation Irrelevant story Myth Literary framework Relationship Principles What happened Sequence of events How long it took What does it communicate? How do you interpret the story?

25. Creation Video of project management story

27. Creation Irrelevant story Myth Literary framework Day-age theory Relationship Principles What happened Sequence of events How long it took What does it communicate? How do you interpret the story?

28. Creation

29. Gap creationism Large gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 [1] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [2] Now the earth was formless and empty became Not many Bible scholars think this is an honest translation Gap of billions of years Thomas Chalmers 18 th C (because of the fall of Satan)

30. Creation Day-age theory Rough parallel between Genesis and evolution: –Plants then animals then humans Day (yom) = Age –“the day of the mobile phone” A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by. Ps 90:4 With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day 2 Pet 3:8

31. Creation Day-age theory Heavens and earth Brooding over the water Removal of dense cloud cover Water cycle and continents Plant life Removal of light cloud cover Birds Mammals Humans 16,000,000,000 years ago 4,400,000,000 years ago 2,700,000,000 years ago 1,000,000,000 years ago 70,000,000 years ago 50,000,000 years ago 50,000 years ago

32. Creation Video of Sally’s timetable

33. Creation Irrelevant story Myth Literary framework Day-age theory Young earth creation Relationship Principles What happened Sequence of events How long it took What does it communicate? How do you interpret the story?

34. Creation Young earth creationism Creation in six 24-hour days Biblical genealogy determines the age of the universe (hence Young Earth) –Calculated at 6-10,000 years –Bishop John Ussher 1656 Believe true science will eventually agree with literal reading of Gen 1 –“Flood geology” explains fossils Price (1923) Henry Morris (1961) –Apparent age: God made it look old

35. Creation The tendency to polarise and caricature In the media – the church is frequently portrayed as “outraged” because conflict makes a good story. Each new discovery is presented as science triumphing over primitive notions such as faith Non-fiction and academic writing sells best as a polemic – against something In fiction – Dan Brown “Angels and Demons” assumes science and faith are pitted against each other Richard Dawkins, professor for the advancement of public understanding of science is a passionate atheist and uses his platform of scientific credibility to promote his atheistic beliefs

36. Creation Young earth creationists do their case no good Selectively presenting a small selection of supporting evidence Not engaging enough in peer review in scientific journals No evidence of predictive power of the theory Presenting evidence dishonestly in the recent Dover county trial in America Saying that evolution and Christian faith are completely incompatible. This has driven many people from faith. Saying “Evolution is only a theory”. Makes it sound weak like a detective having a theory in a novel. A theory combines a host of observations into a single whole. Evolution is a strongly founded theory.

37. Atheistic evolution Theistic evolution Evolutionary creationism Old earth creationism Intelligent design Progressive creationism Day-age creationism Gap creationism Young earth creationism Geocentrists Flat earthers God No God Science rejected Minority science God and science Increasingly literal interpretation of Bible More “special creation” interventions by God Majority science

38. Creation “Religion needs science to keep it away from superstition and close to reality” Guy Consolmagno Vatican observatory, Arizona quoted in New Scientist

39. Creation What’s your question? Why are dinosaurs not mentioned in the Bible? How do dinosaurs fit in? How come science says it took millions of years for the earth to form, and Genesis talks of 6 days? How could the world be made in 7 days – is it something to do with different perspectives on time? Could God have used the Big Bang? What about people who say God can’t be real because everything has been explained by science? If we are evolved from monkeys, how come we are still not evolving? Where do you draw the line in believing the “descended from monkeys” story? Does it matter if man came from monkeys? Why did God want to make us anyway? Why did God make Adam first? Why do women get such a hard time – periods, pain in childbirth. Creation Human orgins

40. Creation Aims Read the Bible properly: –interpret positively passages of scripture that have been abused to force conflict between science and faith. Think about God and science together Spot the bias: don’t be a sponge Do science at school Avoid the creationist caricature Worship God: inspired by science

41. Creation Next time Evidence for and against evolution Randomness or design Genesis 3 – Adam and Eve What makes us special as humans