Creation Science Rebuttals

By Greg Neyman

© Old Earth Ministries

    This question was published in Dr. John's Q&A by John Morris in August 1998.    Within old earth creationist circles, the answer to this is...it is just as reliable as a young earth creationists' Bible.  We both believe the same inerrant, infallible Word of God...we just interpret it differently.

     For the bulk of this discussion, Morris focuses on the plain sense of Scripture.  This is known as the "grandmother hypothesis."  A grandmother, sitting in a rocking chair, reading the Bible, would come away with the interpretation that the creation week was six twenty-four hour days.  I agree, and she would live happily ever after.

     However, a scientist, like Hugh Ross of Reasons to Believe, comes away with an old earth interpretation after reading Genesis.  Thus, the Bible means many things to many people.

     However, both cannot be right.  Does it matter which one is right?  No it doesn't, for God does not care whether you believe in old or young.

     Morris says that advocates of old earth belief have allegorized Genesis (they don't take it literally).  Not so.  Dr. Ross and myself both accept a literal Genesis, and an old earth, as do some, but not all, theistic evolutionists.  Morris says that passages of Scripture are seldom scrutinized in detail...again a false accusation against old earth believers.  If anything, we have examined the creation scriptures equally, or even more than young earth creationists have, in order to justify our positions in the face of young earth attacks.

    Morris challenges anyone to find any "plain" teaching of Scripture which supports an old earth (I guess us millions of old earth progressive creationists don't count!).  He even claims that "straightforward scientific evidence supports special creation, a young earth, and global Flood."  If so, why do more than 99 percent of scientists believe that the earth is old?  He is trying to apply the "grandmother hypothesis" to science...it doesn't work.

    IF MORRIS IS RIGHT, and a straightforward reading of the scientific evidence supports a young earth, then many non-Christian scientists would look at the creation, say "this is young," and they would flock to the Bible.  This does not happen!  Scientists who examine the evidence don't see support for a young earth...it is all old.  Such a statement by Morris borders on the delusional.

     Finally, Morris makes a claim that we distort Scripture.  No we do not...we reinterpret Scripture.  The Scriptures themselves are unchanged, and they are still the infallible, inerrant Word of God.  No doctrines have been changed, no key teachings altered.  Salvation is still through Jesus Christ.  Morris makes the claim that science does not believe in miracles.  I agree, but old earth creationists recognize that where God is involved, there are miracles.  The God who created the laws of science is free to alter these laws.  Old earth belief does not imply denying the supernatural.

     In the end, Scripture is just as reliable for the old earth creationist as it is for the young earth creationist.

Dr. John's Q&A #116, published on the web at https://www.icr.org/article/how-does-old-earth-thinking-affect-ones-view-scrip

     If you are not a Christian, and you have been holding out on making a decision for Christ because the Church always preached a message that was contrary to what you saw in the scientific world, then rest assured that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, and you can believe in Christ and receive salvation, while still believing in an old earth.  Click here for more.

    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.