So what is the final thing I think we need to keep in mind when we think about this issue? We always need to keep our eyes on the the core values of our faith.
There are interesting questions out there, especially when you talk about time and dates. Is that little mammoth really 40,000 years old? When did dinosaurs roam the earth? What is the age of the universe and stars?
There are interesting hypothesis out there when it comes to dinosaurs and geology. Some creation scientists would argue that the earth is the way it is today due to three profound events: creation, the fall of man, and the great flood. They say that all geology and paleontology issues can be explained in that framework. In fact, Alex Williams and Dr. John Hartnett say “The only reason that people today want to insert billions of years into [the creation] narrative is because they erroneously believe that the scientific evidence demands it.”[1]
I was also fascinated to read some more about time and Einstien’s Theory of Relativity, and how it has been scientifically proven that time is not constant. Tim can speed up and slow down due to the influence of enormous gravity or velocity. Time in different parts of the universe can progress at different rates. All scientists accept this. It can help explain big bang, but it also offers increadible explanation for creationists trying to understand the age of universe. But the reality is that all these explanations are just hypothesis. Even scientists who are Christian are deeply divided on issues. Both sides accuse other of either sloppy theology or sloppy science.[2]
What are we going to do? Do we stick our head in the sand, ignore the issues, and hope the questions go away? I was talking with someone in the congregation earlier this week, and he said that when he was about eleven years old he asked his Sunday School Teacher “What happened to the dinosaurs” She replied “That’s not important!” But it is important to the person asking the question!
Don’t be afraid to ask the questions. Don’t be afraid to look for answers, explore issues, be curious! God gave you your brain for a reason, so go ahead and use it. There is a plethora of material available. Google “creation science” or “irreducible complexity” and you’ll get all kinds of stuff on all sides of the issue.
But in the end, don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know…and that’s alright”, because there are just some things we are not going to know, and that’s alright, because these questions are not the core of what we believe. At best they are just interpretations, deductions, and opinions.
“Is it possible to reconcile the differences in historical dating in biblical and scientific timelines?” Very smart people disagree on the answer to that question. Some say yes, some say no!
But let me tell you one thing I do believe that will inform and influence and help me weigh all the evidence I look at: God exists, and God created. That is an essential, an ‘absolute’!
The first 4 words of the Bible say Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God…” And if you can believe that – and to be a Christian you must believe that because Hebrew 11:6 says ”And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” – then you won’t have any trouble with the 5th word of Gensis 1:1 – “created”.
Colossians 1:16-17 puts it like this, and for me this is good enough: “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
No comments:
Post a Comment