Welcome Pastors, Teachers, and Church Leaders,
Creation science has become a major topic in the church. Many church leaders insist that belief in young earth creationism is essential to their doctrinal beliefs. However, it has not always been this way. Before the 1700's, creation science was a non-issue. When the study of geology began in the late 1700's, it became obvious that the earth was much older than 6,000 years.
At first, many in the church ignored the issue. Although it was a topic of discussion in the church, it was not central to the church's message. However, all this changed in the early 1900's, when George McCready Price, a Seventh-Day Adventist, advocated a young earth position. He wrote many books, and his teachings laid the foundation for those who followed him. Several young earth organizations were formed, but it was not until the 1960's that young earth creationism became mainstream.
In the early 60's the first major creation organization, The Creation Research Society, was formed by a group of ten scientists. Among these was Dr. Henry Morris, who would go on to form the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) in 1972. Overseas in Australia, several creationist organizations merged in 1980 to form the Creation Science Association, which eventually became Answers in Genesis. Today, young earth organizations wield great influence in our churches.
Despite their influence, the world remains unconvinced of their theories. This is largely due in part to the errors in their claims, which are extremely easy to find. Old Earth Ministries was created in 2003 to provide rebuttals to their false claims. Through more than 1,500 articles, we show that young earth creation science is not real science.
Although the science behind their claims is full of errors, one must understand that the people behind these claims are sincere in their belief that the earth is young. Although their claims are false, they honestly believe they are right. How could this be? This is best understood by the process known as Morton's Demon, as described by a former ICR member, who is now an old earth creationist, Glenn Morton.
If young earth creation science is not true, then where does this leave the church? It brings us right back to the early 1900's. For 1,900 years, the church thrived without the issue of creation science. It can thrive today without it also. Today's church members can believe in an inerrant Bible, a literal interpretation of Genesis, and believe God created the world over a period of billions of years. More importantly, old earth creationism agrees with mainstream science, enabling us to reach out to the millions who have ridiculed or even abandoned the church because of it's unscientific belief in a young earth. In short, we should heed the advice of Billy Graham, who said:
"I don't think that there's any conflict at all between science today and the Scriptures. I think that we have misinterpreted the Scriptures many times and we've tried to make the Scriptures say things they weren't meant to say, I think that we have made a mistake by thinking the Bible is a scientific book. The Bible is not a book of science. The Bible is a book of Redemption, and of course I accept the Creation story. I believe that God did create the universe. I believe that God created man, and whether it came by an evolutionary process and at a certain point He took this person or being and made him a living soul or not, does not change the fact that God did create man. ... whichever way God did it makes no difference as to what man is and man's relationship to God."1
Just like it was for 1900 years, creation science should not be a stumbling block to potential believers. Today's church leaders need to abandon young earth creationism, and make the church's message relevant to today's educated society.
Want to read a typical rebuttal to see what this website is about? Click here. If you have more time, please take our One Hour Tour, a collection of six articles demonstrating the bad science of young earth creationism. Other topics you may find of interest are the testimonies of old earth creationists, a listing of old earth creationist books, and homeschool resources, which includes the free online geology curriculum that is used by homeschoolers and private schools. If you find this website useful, please recommend it to the members of your congregation, and consider a donation to help Old Earth Ministries reach more churches with our message. Thank you for visiting.
Explanation of Old Earth Creation Science
Can You Be A Christian And Believe In An Old Earth?
For more, visit the Old Earth Ministries homepage.
1 Billy Graham: Personal Thoughts of a Public Man, 1997. p. 72-74
C.S. Lewis, author of Narnia. Great Theologian, and an Old Earth Creationist!
Theological Articles
Biblical Interpretation: Genesis 1 from an Old Earth Perspective
Discussion of Creation and Science
Personal Testimonies
Why I Left Young Earth Creationism, by Glenn Morton
Transformation of a Young Earth Creationist (Glenn Morton, off-site)
Theistic Evolutionist Carl Drews - Off-site link
The Testimony of a Former Young Earth Missionary (off-site)
Scientific Articles
Dinosaur Evidences for an Old Earth
Stratigraphy and Creation Science
Creation Science Book Review: Grand Canyon: Monument to Catastrophe
One Hour Tour
Don't have much time? Take the One Hour Tour. Six articles that drive home the bad science behind young earth creationism.
Scripture Memory
Creation Science may be important, but not as important as your personal walk with Jesus Christ. Nothing can make your personal walk better than Scripture Memory. To learn more, visit the Scripture Memory page.