Beliefs re the Witness of Scripture
| ATHEISM | AGNOSTICISM | DEISM | THEISM | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evolutionary Creationism | Old Earth Creationism | Young Earth Creationism | ||||
| without "gap" | with "gap" | |||||
Creationism
Young Earth Creationism (YEC)
Young Earth Creationists frequently depend on the "God says" fallacy of taking their own interpretation of the Bible as what the Bible necessarily means — frequently (mis)quoting Isaiah 8:19-21.
”By definition, no apparent, perceived or claimed evidence in any field, including history and chronology, can be valid if it contradicts the scriptural record. Of primary importance is the fact that evidence is always subject to interpretation by fallible people who do not possess all information.”
"Of course, we accept that Genesis 1 & 2 contains things that are difficult to understand, and we do not claim to have all the answers - far from it. We also accept that there must be a degree of openness of mind amongst us, and a willingness to consider points of view divergent from our own regarding what are admittedly difficult parts of scripture. Nevertheless at the same time we firmly believe that there is such a thing as the Truth, characterised by 'the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ', and it is our responsibility to defend the Truth against all attempts to undermine and subvert it. The apostle Paul did not mince his words when he wrote, 'But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed', and this serves to highlight the fact that as custodians of the Truth, it is our duty to 'earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints'. Any interpretation of scripture that challenges 'those things which are most surely believed among us' must itself be challenged and firmly rejected."
"Does the Bible give us any indication that Adam should be viewed as anything other than a real, historical human being who lived some 6,000 years ago? The answer to this question is an unequivocal No, as we shall seek to demonstrate."— Alfree, M and Davies, M, The Deception of Theistic Evolution pp.3,86
See Qms:"true science".
Old Earth Creationism (OEC) with "Gap"
Many Bible believers such as John Thomas have believed in an "Old Earth" with a "gap" period when the earth became "without form and void". See following, under Old Earth Creationism.
While the IEAC’s Reaffirmation Statement Concerning Creation and the Fall of Man is ambiguous with respect to beliefs about the age of the earth, allowing for old or young earth creation, it implicitly allows for a “gap” by referring to "the current creation":
"the teaching of the Scriptures takes precedence over human explanations relating to the origin of life in the current creation"
Old Earth Creationism (OEC)
Brother Mike Pearson, in his Response to IEAC Creation Statement quotes statements from C. C. Walker arguing against a literal understanding of Genesis while accepting the inspiration of Scripture. He gives references showing that the same is true of Henry Sulley, Peter Watkins, John Carter, Alfred Norris, L G Sargent, H A Whittaker, Alan Fowler, Alan Hayward, Alan Eyre, and Wilfred Lambert.
See C. C. Walker's thoughts at Is it wrong to believe that the earth is a sphere?
Evolutionary Creationism (EC)
What is said about evolutionary creationists' approach to Scripture
Whilst there are divergent views amongst theistic evolutionists as to how the creation account should be interpreted, all theistic evolutionists agree on one thing - that as far as the creation record is concerned the Bible does not mean what it says. When God states that “in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day” (Exodus 20:11), this statement cannot be accepted at face value as a statement of simple fact. In their view, science - by which is meant the beliefs of modern mainstream scientists - is more authoritative than the simple teaching of scripture, and it is scripture that has to accommodate to modern scientific thought, rather than the other way round.
— Alfree, M and Davies, M, The Deception of Theistic Evolution p.3
What they say themselves
... There's no shortage of books and websites setting out how evolution and faith are compatible, provided one is prepared not to read Genesis as though it were a strictly historical narrative, and instead to understand it in a figurative, non-literal way while seeing evolution as the mechanism by which a creator God chose to allow the natural world to come into being. ...
... What is less often realised is that there's a good deal of Biblical evidence that the Genesis account isn't intended to be taken literally. ...
... Jesus wasn't perpetrating an anatomical falsehood when he said From within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. (Mark 7:21-22 NIV) ...
The Bible uses a rich variety of literary styles - figurative, symbolic, dramatic, poetic as well as sober narrative - to convey its powerful message about mankind's need for God, about God's care for His creation and especially for men and women, and about the path to life in accordance with His purpose. The language used to describe the natural world is evocative and moving, stressing the supremacy of God over nature.
—Bro David Brown on his website
All authority comes from God
As the creator, there is little doubt that God ultimately has all authority over his creation, and it’s through his written word that he has revealed his ultimate purpose. The authority of God is the core theme that runs through the entire Bible, beginning with the creative work described in Genesis, through to the establishment of the kingdom that is to finally reflect God’s glory (Habakkuk 2:14).
As followers of Christ, we cherish the Bible because whilst studying the natural world will tell us how God did it, God’s spoken word helps us to understand why he did it.
—Bro Mike Pearson in his book The Fourth Conversation
Non-Theism
Deists, Agnostics and Atheists usually do not see the Scriptures as a witness to anything beyond their human significance.
