1. Theories about Creation
Creation/Evolution

2. Why study Creation/Evolution?
You are learning about the beginning of the world/origins of life at school, and are often given a one-sided explanation
It’s important for all of us to be well-prepared to explain why we believe what we believe

3. Does the universe have a beginning?
3 options:
it’s always existed
created by something/someone outside of itself (unmoved mover - Aristotle)
created itself

4. Something/someone created the universe
2nd law of thermodynamics
The universe is expanding

5. Is it necessary…
For God to be the Creator of the universe?

6. It’s ultimately a faith issue
We can either have faith that everything came from nothing, or that everything came from something
Hebrews 11:3: By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

7. Naturalistic Evolution Intelligent Design Theistic Evolution
Was there an intelligent agent involved in creating the universe?
Is the intelligent agent the God of the Bible?
Did God create humans directly (without evolution)?
Does the Bible indicate that God created the universe less than 10,000 years ago?
YES
YES
YES NO NO NO
Naturalistic Evolution
Intelligent Design
Theistic Evolution NO
YES
Old-Earth Creationism
Young-Earth Creationism

8. Naturalistic Evolution Intelligent Design Theistic Evolution
Was there an intelligent agent involved in creating the universe?
Is the intelligent agent the God of the Bible?
Did God create humans directly (without evolution)?
Does the Bible indicate that God created the universe less than 10,000 years ago?
YES
YES
YES NO NO NO
Naturalistic Evolution
Intelligent Design
Theistic Evolution NO
YES
Old-Earth Creationism
Young-Earth Creationism

9. Three Viable Options for Christians
Theistic Evolution
Old-Earth Creationism
Young-Earth Creationism

10. Genesis 1

11. Unique to both groups of Creationism theories:
God was directly involved in the creation of the world, animals, plants, etc.
God directly created humans; accept Adam and Eve as real people
The Genesis narrative is historically accurate

12. Is Adam a real, historical person?
Romans 5: Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 1 Corinthians 15: For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

13. Old-Earth Creationism
Day-Age
Framework Hypothesis
Gap Theory
Historical Creationism
Temple Inauguration
Punctuated 24-hour Theory

14. Punctuated 24-hour Theory
Each day of creation described in Genesis 1 is a 24-hour period, but there are millions of years in between each day
Millions of years

15. Temple Inauguration Theory – John Walton
“Understanding an ancient text such as Genesis 1 requires us to consider issues the way they would have. A foundational issue is how they thought about existence. Ancient peoples believed that something existed when it had a function. This is in contrast to our belief that existence is tied to material properties. This position views Genesis 1 as an account of functional origins rather than an account of material origins. We must also recognize the cosmos functions as sacred space a cosmic temple concept, which conveys the idea that God has established order in the cosmos which has become his dwelling place. The seven days concern the inauguration of the functional cosmic temple rather than the time over which the material cosmos came into existence.”

16. Historical Creationism
John H. Sailhamer
In Genesis 1:1, the universe is already created
The Genesis 1 account describes God preparing Eden for his people
The days could be 24-hour periods, and the Earth can be millions of years old as well
Millions of years

17. Gap Theory Two different views: Both gaps are millions of years
First one is similar to historical creationism. There is a gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2
Second one says there is a gap between Genesis 2:3 and 2:4
Both gaps are millions of years
Some people who hold to gap theory believe that Satan, before he fell, ruled the earth in Genesis 1:1, then the first creation was destroyed
Millions of years
Genesis 2:3ff

18. Framework Hypothesis
The Genesis 1 account is merely a literary/theological description of creation; it does not make any claims about the actual process
God did not necessarily create in that order, and makes no claims about the length of time

19. Day-Age The most popular old-earth creationism theory
The word ”day” in Genesis 1 refers not to 24-hour periods, but to long periods, or ages
This is also known as progressive creationism, because God created progressively over a long period of time. He allowed the natural processes of life to do much of the work, but intervened and divinely orchestrated it all.
Millions of years

20. What does “day” mean? The Hebrew word for day in Genesis 1 is “yom”
In various places in the Bible, this means age, literal day, year, etc.
Exactly how we interpret this word has a big meaning in terms of whether the Earth is young or old

21. Support for “yom” meaning “age”
Psalm 90:4 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. 2 Peter 3:8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

22. Support for “yom” meaning “24-hr day”
The Sabbath instructions speak as if God made the world in 7 literal days Exodus 20:11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (see also Exodus 31:15-17) Genesis 1 attaches numbers to each day (the first day, second day, etc). Elsewhere in Scripture when a number is attached to “yom”, it refers to a literal 24-hour day.

23. Young-Earth Creationism
Two main schools of thought:
The Earth is young (~10,000-6,000 years old), and actually looks young
The Earth is young, yet looks old, so God created it with apparent age
Both schools affirm literal 24-hour days of creation
<10,000 years

24. Young-Earth Creationism
The most plain reading of Genesis 1 suggests that the Earth was created in six 24-hour days
They arrive at ~10,000- 6,000 years by adding up the genealogies in the Bible

25. Young-Earth Creationism
Adam was created from the beginning, so there cannot be any time period before he was created Mark 10:6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ Matthew 19:4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female,”

26. The Earth looks young
Proponents of this view state that the dating methods used are incorrect and that accurate dating methods show that the Earth is young
Earth’s magnetic field; half-life of 1400 years, maximum age about
Radiometric dating:
zero initial daughter element, closed system, constant decay rate
Carbon-14 dating is inaccurate

27. The Earth was created with apparent age
Scientific dating methods are correct in asserting that the Earth looks billions of years old
However, God created it to appear that way
When Adam was created, he was created as a man; he appeared older than he actually was
The light we see from stars millions of light-years away from us was created in transit

28. Noah’s flood
Geological strata were laid down by the flood; rapid deposition
Continental drift has taken place since the flood, as a result
Oil and coal? formed from the flood, organic material, pressure, heat, water
Fossil record supports a global flood:

29. Differences Between Old and Young Earth Views
What the word “yom” means
The Earth appears young or has apparent age vs. the Earth is as old as scientists say it is
Uniformitarianism vs. flood geology

30. Resources for further study
for Creation Research - Young Earth
in Genesis - Young Earth
to Believe - Old-Earth
Earth Ministries - Old earth
for-learning-about-creation-and-evolution-views/ General Overview