Genesis The Creation Narrative Three Models Theisticatheistic Evolution

Genesis ãThe Creation Narrative

Three Models ãTheistic/atheistic Evolution ãProgressive Creation ãMature Creationism

Theistic/Atheistic Evolution 4. 5 Billion Years All life is the result of natural law acting on matter

Theistic/Atheistic Evolution Problems: 4. 5 Billion Years All life is the result of natural law acting on matter

Theistic/Atheistic Evolution Problems: ØAbiogenesis 4. 5 Billion Years All life is the result of natural law acting on matter

Theistic/Atheistic Evolution Problems: ØAbiogenesis Original living organisms had to arise purely by chance All life is the result of natural law collision of chemicals acting on matter 4. 5 Billion Years

Theistic/Atheistic Evolution Problems: ØAbiogenesis Original living organisms had to arise purely by chance All life is the result of natural law collision of chemicals acting on matter 4. 5 Billion Years

Theistic/Atheistic üNo mechanism suggested Evolution üNatural selection Problems: doesn’t apply ØAbiogenesis Original living organisms had to arise purely by chance All life is the result of natural law collision of chemicals acting on matter 4. 5 Billion Years

Theistic/Atheistic üNo mechanism suggested Evolution üNatural selection Problems: doesn’t apply Ø Abiogenesis üAmino acid Originalexperiment living doesn’t help organisms had to arise purely by chance All life is the result of natural law collision of chemicals acting on matter 4. 5 Billion Years

Theistic/Atheistic üNo mechanism suggested Evolution üNatural selection Problems: doesn’t apply Ø Abiogenesis üAmino acid Originalexperiment living doesn’t help organisms had to So improbable as arise ü purely by chance to be practically All life is the result of natural law collision of chemicals acting on matter impossible 4. 5 Billion Years

Theistic/Atheistic Evolution Problems: ØAbiogenesis ØIrreducible complexity 4. 5 Billion Years All life is the result of natural law acting on matter

Theistic/Atheistic Evolution Problems: ØAbiogenesis ØIrreducible complexity 4. 5 Billion Years All life is the result of natural law acting on matter

Theistic/Atheistic Evolution Problems: ØAbiogenesis ØIrreducible complexity ØFossil record 4. 5 Billion Years All life is the result of natural law acting on matter

Theistic/Atheistic Evolution 4. 5 Billion Years All life is the result of natural law acting on matter

Theistic/Atheistic Evolution 4. 5 Billion Years All life is the result of natural law acting on matter

Theistic/Atheistic Evolution 4. 5 Billion Years Missing intermediate fossils All life is the result of natural law acting on matter

Theistic/Atheistic Science, Ed. of 30 vol. series on paleontology Evolution “There is almost a total absence of fossil Dr. Grassi, President of the French Academy of evidence relative to the origin of the phyla. The lack of direct evidence leads to the formation of pure conjecture as to the genesis 4. 5 of. Billion phyla. We don’t even have a basis Years to determine the extent to which these opinions are correct. ” Missing intermediate fossils All life is the result of natural law acting on matter

Theistic/Atheistic Evolution George Gaylord Simpson- Prominent evolutionary paleontologists in Types of Evolution “[The absence of transitional forms in the fossil record] is true of all the thirty-two orders of mammals. . . The earliest and most primitive known members of every order already have the basic ordinal characters, and in no case is an approximately continuous sequence from one Billion Years order to 4. 5 another known. In most cases the break is so sharp and the gap so large that the origin of the order is speculative and much disputed. ” Missing intermediate fossils All life is the result of natural law acting on matter

Theistic/Atheistic “This regular absence of transitional forms. . . is an. Evolution almost universal phenomenon, as has long been noted by paleontologists. It is true of almost all orders of all classes of animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate. . . and it is 4. 5 Billion Years apparently also true of analogous categories of plants. ” Missing intermediate fossils All life is the result of natural law acting on matter

Reptiles Amphibians Fish Primates Mammals Unsegmented Birds Worms Insects Green plants Fungi Segmented Worms Mollusca Protozoans

Reptiles Amphibians Fish Primates Mammals Unsegmented Birds Worms Insects Green plants Fungi Segmented Worms Mollusca Protozoans Blue-green Algas

Theistic/Atheistic Simpson cont. [wonders] “whether such major events Evolution take place instantaneously, by some process essentially unlike those involved in lesser or more gradual evolutionary change. . . ” 4. 5 Billion Years Missing intermediate fossils All life is the result of natural law acting on matter

Theistic/Atheistic Therefore, “Punctuated equilibrium” Evolution -Millions of years of stasis -Followed by episodes of rapid evolution 4. 5 Billion Years Missing intermediate fossils All life is the result of natural law acting on matter

Theistic/Atheistic Evolution Problems: ØAbiogenesis ØIrreducible complexity ØFossil record 4. 5 Billion Years Missing intermediate fossils All life is the result of natural law acting on matter

Theistic/Atheistic Qualifications: Evolution ØNot arguing against natural Problems: selection ØAbiogenesis ØIrreducible complexity ØFossil record 4. 5 Billion Years All life is the result of natural law acting on matter

Theistic/Atheistic Qualifications: Evolution ØNot arguing against natural Problems: selection ØAbiogenesis ØNatural ØIrreducible selection = complexity insufficient ØFossil record 4. 5 Billion Years All life is the result of natural law acting on matter

Theistic/Atheistic Evolution Problems: ØAbiogenesis ØIrreducible complexity ØFossil record 4. 5 Billion Years ØPhilosophical implications Nex All life is the result of natural law e m acting on matter i tt

Progressive Creationism Progressive Creation 4. 5 Billion Years Creation is via a combination of God’s ordinary (natural Law) and extraordinary means of action

Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. = creation ex nihilo

3 And God said, “Let there be light, ” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day, ” and the darkness he called “night. ” And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day.

6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water. ” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky. ” And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day.

11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds. ” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning--the third day.

Critique: Progressive Creationism Progressive Creation 4. 5 Billion Years Creation is via a combination of God’s ordinary (natural Law) and extraordinary means of action

Critique: Progressive Creationism ãProgressive Creationism is compatible with the Genesis account: -The day-age theory -“Days literal but not sequential” theory -“Days representative” theory -The “Gap theory”

Critique: Progressive Creationism ãProgressive Creationism is Destroyed & Original creation Recreated compatible with the Genesis (1: 2) 3 ff 1: 1 account: 4. 5 billion years? < 1 yr. 9000+ yrs. -The day-age theory -“Days literal but not sequential” theory -“Days representative” theory -The “Gap theory”

Critique: Progressive Creationism ãProgressive Creationism is Destroyed & Original creation Recreation compatible with the Genesis (1: 2) 3 ff 1: 1 account: 4. 5 billion years? < 1 yr. 9000+ yrs. -The theory 1: 1 Inday-age the beginning God created the heavens literal and the but earth. -“Days not sequential” 2 theory Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface -“Days representative” theory of the deep -The “Gap theory”

Critique: Progressive Creationism ãProgressive Creationism is Destroyed & Original creation Recreation compatible with the Genesis (1: 2) 3 ff 1: 1 account: 4. 5 billion years? < 1 yr. 9000+ yrs. -The theory 1: 1 Inday-age the beginning God created the NIVsequential” mg. “became” heavens literal and the but earth. -“Days not 2 theory Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface -“Days representative” theory of the deep -The “Gap theory”

Mature Creationism 10, 000 years The creation account in Genesis is referring to a literal 6 day period when all things on earth were created-All were by extraordinary, not ordinary means

Mature Creationism ãThe Days in Genesis 1 are literal 24 hour days, and happened only <10, 000 years ago. The world flood made the earth look old ãThis is the dominant view in modern fundamentalist “creationism” ãA discredited and unfortunate theory ãMethodology is wrong ãUnresponsive to falsifying data

Mature Creationism Examples of falsifying data: ãCoral atolls ãLight from distant stars ãSlow forming sediment ãHenry Morris: “Real creation necessarily involves creation of ‘apparent age. ’” ãSee critique of Creation Science Movement by Robert Snow in Portraits of Creation Van Til ed. or- Hugh Ross, Creation and Time, Navpress

Conclusions ãBelieving the Bible harmonizes with the findings of modern science. ãHuman spirituality is dependent on special creation. ãGenesis uniquely accounts for the nature of the human race. ãGod has created this world, and you can come to know him personally

Conclusions ãBelieving the Bible harmonizes with the findings of modern science. ãHuman spirituality is dependent on special creation. ãGenesis uniquely accounts for the nature of the human race. ãGod has created this world, and you can come to know him personally } Next time

The Creation Narrative ãComments? ãQuestions? ãExperiences?