Creation Science Book Review

What Mean These Stones?

     There is not much here of scientific value; however, this section is where the authors proclaim their theological positions.  Unfortunately, they lead off with a biblical interpretation error, that of the mistaken belief that their was no death before Adam and Eve, something the Bible makes no claims about, but is inferred from several misinterpreted passages of scripture.  To see a rebuttal of this, see this article, and this article.

     On page 3, column 1, the first new paragraph, they state that II Peter 3 says that in the last days people will deny the message of the creation.  First notice that they capitalize the word "creation," thus showing that they have put the creation on equal footing with the major doctrines of the Bible.  However, the Bible does not say, "Believe in a six-day Creation and thou shalt be saved."  This is not a prerequisite to salvation, nor any other Bible doctrinal position.  However, many churches add creation science to their list of doctrines.

     Yes, it is true that in the last days people will deny the message of the creation.  But, what is the "message of the creation?"  By simple logic, God created the world.  If we look at that world, it should tell us how old it is.  Using sound science, the world testifies that it is roughly 4.5 billion year old age, so that must be true.  Remember, God is truth, and what we see in creation is true.

     Yes, people are denying the message of the creation, but it is the young earth creationists, the authors of this book, that are denying the obvious message of the rocks.  In column 2 on page 3, 10 lines down, they say the Bible teaches that people are willingly ignorant, that they deliberately choose to reject the evidence.  Unfortunately, the authors are describing themselves.

     True science, which these scientists claim to be, perform experiments, or make observations, and then reach a conclusion based on these observations.  That is exactly what geologists do.  However,  young earth creation science starts with the assumption that the earth is only 6,000 years old, BEFORE the evidence is examined.  Young earth creationism has already reached a conclusion BEFORE any evidence is even considered.  This false, unscientific assumption is what leads to the many errors in their works, as you will discover as you delve deeper into their canyon.  Based on true scientific principles, you cannot even call these people, with PhD's in many cases, scientists.

     I am, however, thankful for their work.  Through their research, they have strengthened the faith of many.  However, in their zeal, they have alienated the very world that they seek to save.  Not only do they alienate non-Christians, some of these people go so far as to claim that Christians who believe in an old earth are not Christians.

Five Themes

     In this section, the authors put forward five themes.  While only slightly interesting, they appear to add nothing to the substance of the book, as I have not found them yet throughout the portions I have completed (perhaps they will come into play somewhere, then I will alter this writing).  I would characterize this section as "smoke and mirrors," otherwise known to writers as 'fluff,' which is material that is not essential to the main points, and thus can be eliminated with no affect on the whole.  The only purpose I can envision is for the authors to gain more credibility with the reader by filling their minds with fancy words.

Our Environment

     The authors start with a discussion about creationist's responsibilities toward the creation.  As an old earth creationist, I agree with the first paragraph.  They then launch a long section against the evolutionist.  Most old earth creationists do not believe in evolution...so there is no problem here.  We believe that as God created species, others became extinct, and we view each new creature in the fossil record as a unique creation.  There are Christians who believe that God used evolutionary processes.  This is known as Theistic Evolution, and it is a valid position one may believe in.  If you look at the major doctrines of the Bible, none are affected by either position, so go for it.  We are all brothers in Christ.

Chapter 2 - Geologic Structure of Grand Canyon

         The authors give a good general discussion about basic geologic principles.  No review from an old earth perspective is necessary.

    Are you a Christian who believes in young earth creationism?  Now that we have shown the many difficulties of the young earth creation science model in this and many other articles, how does this impact your Christian life?  If you are a young earth creationism believer, click here.