Response to IEAC Creation Statement/2

by brother Mike Pearson
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2: Challenging our Faith

FROM THE IEAC CREATION STATEMENT:

The teaching of Theistic Evolution, or Evolutionary Creationism as it is sometimes called, undermines this understanding. Theistic Evolution embraces the idea that life began under the direction of God perhaps billions of years ago and was brought to its current state by God through a process of evolutionary biological transitions. As such it has serious implications that challenge our understanding of Scripture as summarised in the Statement of Faith.

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Observations:

Challenging our understanding of matters is not a bad thing. After all, we expect this of those we preach to, and we ask them to earnestly examine their beliefs. Therefore, we should be equally as bold to apply that same principle to our own teachings. After all, the Bereans “were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they eagerly received the message, examining the scriptures carefully every day to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11 NET.)

Likewise, when Peter and the apostles challenged the Jews’ understanding of the scriptures, Gamaliel cautioned the Sanhedrin to “leave them alone, because if this plan or this undertaking originates with people, it will come to nothing, but if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them, or you may even be found fighting against God.” (Acts 5:38-39.)

So, looking at this from a Scriptural perspective, the issue is not having our understanding of the Scriptures challenged. The issue is when we don’t allow our understanding of the Scriptures to be challenged.

When reading some of our old scholars’ writings form circa 1900, and it’s interesting to see how openly they spoke of matters that we seem to find so challenging today. This is not to suggest that our early scholars believed in evolution. However, they had no problem with the progressive appearance of life on earth. Consider these excerpts from The Christadelphian magazine:

“Excavations on the surface of the earth have truly shown that the globe has existed through many periods of 6,000 years, but this no more discredits the Bible scheme of Adamic history than it discredits the history of the English constitution. That scheme begins 6,000 years ago, but not the Bible age of the earth or of its inhabitants. The Bible teaches that there was an earth and inhabitants in it ages before the Adamic era. It shows us the earth mantled in darkness and the deep at the time when the six days’ work of re organization began.—(Gen. 1:2.) “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” How long it had been in that state, there is no intimation; we are told the earth was made “in the beginning.” but there is room enough for any period of time that may have actually elapsed since that time.”

“The only practical difficulty in the way of accepting the Mosaic narrative is the assumption that it teaches that the work of creation began 6,000 years ago. Close study will show that there is no real foundation for this assumption, and that all that the Bible teaches is that the earth was put in order and the Adamic race appeared on the scene 6,000 years ago. The pre-existence of the earth and of races upon it, is not only compatible with the Mosaic narrative, but is recognised in the opening chapter. Before the six days’ work began, it shows us (verse 2, chap. 1.) “Darkness on the face of the deep:” the earth without order, and void. The very first incident described is the movement of the spirit of God “on the face of the waters” (same verse), from which it follows the earth and the waters existed before the re-organising work of 6,000 years ago began. How long it had existed in that state there is nothing to show; but there is room for any length of time the evidences of geology may claim. Consequently, there is none of the practical and insuperable difficulty which most people suppose to be in the way of receiving the Mosaic account of creation. The earth had a history before the six days’ work, as further evident from the words addressed to Adam: “Be fruitful and multiply, and re-plenish the earth.”

“Having seen the harvest in the coal field, let us turn to the seed time. Millions of years ago, nature stored away billions of tons of coal for us, and then left us a record of her processes written in a language that all ages and tongues can understand. It is a story so wonderful as almost to defy belief, and yet one so plain to him who reads it as to defy unbelief... With this evidence, can it be doubted that trees grew in the coal-forming age? And when you find petrified ferns and shells above and below the coal, and evidences of them in the coal when placed under a powerful microscope, can you doubt that plants were existent, or that there was animal life on the earth in that era? ...In this turning backward in the book of the ages, as we descend the shaft, we scan millions of years of geological history...”

“I have not the slightest doubt concerning the truths revealed in the strata of the earth’s crust. There can be no reasonable doubt that long ages have passed away since the matter of the earth first took existences by the fiat of its Almighty Creator. There can be no reasonable doubt that when the non-fossiliferous rocks were first formed the heat of the earth’s matter was too intense for vegetable and animal life to exist. There can be no reasonable doubt that it was only in a later age that the lower forms of plant and animal life could exist. And there can be no reasonable doubt that the succeeding ages allowed the creation of still higher and more perfect forms, till we reach the age called the “Tertiary,” and the “Post-pliocene” period of that age, when we are told remains of man are found for the first time. All of this, I say, I do not doubt. The facts of old mother earth’s storehouse are too convincingly inscribed upon her crust to allow me to doubt. At the same time, and amid it all, I have the most implicit faith and unbounded trust in God and His sacred word.”

As stated earlier, these writers are not espousing evolution, but they were quite open in their views on pre-Adamic conditions and the progressive appearance of life. Now, in more modern times we have had the opportunity to make much more careful observations of “old mother earth”, to learn so much more, and to validate these findings. These scholars explored these issues, and their understanding of scriptures was not at all threatened by what they studied and observed. As Bro L B Welch wrote:

“It is both amusing and painful to behold the contortions of the so-called “clergy” over the discoveries of geological and paleontological research in the crust repositories of old mother earth. They seem to have a pious dread of science contradicting the Bible; and, finally, believing that it has, they are busy heaping their maledictions upon science, or else twisting the Bible-teaching into a supposed harmony with science, in either event very much hampering the geologist in his search after Nature’s truths. Their pious dread, however, comes from their needless gross ignorance of the Bible. Old mother earth will reveal no secrets that will hurt the Bible, for the same God is the author of both, and He is no liar...”

To summarise and conclude this point:

The question that begs asking, is that if these early scholars in our community could study and discuss these matters so openly, without fear of their understanding of scripture being challenged, why are we making such an issue of this? We should be free to challenge and discuss. If a matter is the truth it will stand. If it falls, it wasn’t the truth. Either way, we are better off for having had open discussion.

Section 3: The BASF Foundation Clause, and the Relationship Between Theology and Science →

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