Coming to Grips with Genesis: Biblical Authority and the Age of the Earth (original) (raw)

Interpreting Genesis: A Defense of the Young Earth View

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2019

Various evidences from astronomy, biology, and geology have given the scientific community confidence to declare that the world is billions of years old. The Christian community must decide how to respond to this assertion. The Hebrew word יום is translated into English as “day” in Genesis 1. For those who believe that this word is meant to be interpreted figuratively as an “age,” they see no contradiction between the assertion of the scientific community and the testimony of Scripture about the age of the earth. The traditional interpretation of יום understands the word to refer to a literal twenty-four-hour day. Therefore, the creation week consisted of six literal twenty-four-hour days. If the universe and humanity were formed during the same week, then the age of the earth could not be said to be more than a couple of hundred thousand years. Those holding this view have concluded that the majority of the scientific community is mistaken about the age of the earth. This writer recognizes that this is a difficult position to take and that this position requires biblical and theological warrant.

The Lost and Found World of Genesis 1

2011

Walton presented his approach to comparative methodology: how to understand the Old Testament within its ancient Near Eastern context. On Sabbath afternoon, he applied his approach to Genesis 1, proposing that this account of the Creation week (of literal days) recounts God's assignment of functions to components of Planet Earth and its environment to inaugurate it as a cosmic temple in which he took up residence and began his rule. Miller raised a number of issues that deserve clarification and further discussion. I will not attempt to provide solutions to all the problems he raised, but will try to identify some productive directions in which we can make progress regarding (1) understanding comparative methodology, (2) what is at stake regarding a comparative approach to Genesis 1, and (3) the role of Andrews University in hosting scholarly debate. I agree with Miller on several important points, including the need to pay careful attention to methodologies and philosophies behind them, the assessment that theistic evolution is not in harmony with Seventh-day Adventist teaching, and the opinion that we at Andrews University need further thinking and discussion concerning choices and formatting of opportunities for live interaction with scholars who are impacting the wider academic community in some ways that may be challenging to us. However, my perspective differs from that of Miller in some ways, at least partly because we work in different disciplines: While he is a church historian, I am in the area of Hebrew Bible and ancient Near Eastern studies, like Walton.

Fleming, Daniel E. “History in Genesis,” Westminster Theological Journal 65 (2003): 251–62.

History has always mattered to Christians. "If Christ has not been raised," says Paul, "your faith is futile" (1 Cor 15:17, NIV). God's great acts in history must not be the figments of human imagination, fictional illustrations for some ancient writer's theological ruminations. Unfortunately, the Bible's memory for history is not above doubt, and, especially with the rise of modern critical scholarship, many have doubted. When it comes to the facts regarding basic events, their settings, and who was involved, the more distant past is the most susceptible to a global sense that the whole thing is made up, or at least has gone through so many stages of removal from the setting described that the product has lost any connection to its point of origin. Unsurprisingly, such stories of Israel's distant past allow the least possibility for evaluation in light of independent evidence.

Creation and Genesis: An historical survey

Creation Research Society Quarterly, 2007

A nalysis of the historical development of doctrines and theological motifs is a crucial but often neglected element of the interpretive process. Such investigations protect the interpreter from making the common mistake of reading later ideas back into the biblical text. This survey outlines the major views on Creation and the age of the earth advocated by Christians and Jews throughout history. I also analyzed the influence of scientific naturalism and evolutionary theory on biblical interpretation. Although the survey is by no means exhaustive, it is, nevertheless, intended to be a fair and faithful representation of the major views and their adherents.

Creation and Genesis: A Historical Survey

Creation Research Society Quarterly, 2007

Analysis of the historical development of doctrines and theological motifs is a crucial but often neglected element of the interpretive process. Such investigations protect the interpreter from making the common mistake of reading later ideas back into the biblical text. This survey outlines the major views on Creation and the age of the earth advocated by Christians and Jews throughout history. I also analyzed the influence of scientific naturalism and evolutionary theory on biblical interpretation. Although the survey is by no means exhaustive, it is, nevertheless, intended to be a fair and faithful repre- sentation of the major views and their adherents.

Making Sense of It All: Reflections on the Ancient Narratives of Genesis

2020

Do you want to make sense of life? Do you want a greater understanding of why the world is the way it is and why people are the way they are? Do you want a deeper understanding of Scripture and people of the Bible? Join us in ‘Making Sense of It All’ as we take a fresh look at the first 12 chapters of Genesis. These amazing stories have all too often be relegated to children's Sunday School classes or Bible story books. They are immensely important for our understanding of God, of the Bible, the people of the Bible, and our world today. Rather than focus on the minutiae of the text as many writers and commentators have already done, the approach here is to stand back and look at the narratives as ‘foundation stones’ of meaning for understanding all the rest of Scripture and life in this world. In looking at these ancient, foundational narratives, the author intersperses a new/ancient approach to understanding Scripture with numerous stories from his own life growing up in other cultures, serving as a missionary, and pastoring churches in three countries. After reading this book, the reader will have a clearer sense of what is going on with this world, a better understanding of Scripture, and tools for dealing with the good, the bad, and the crazy in life. ‘Making Sense of It All’ brings together theology, autobiography, storytelling, reflection for a more for a readable, thought-provoking look at Scripture and how the ancient narratives apply to our daily lives.