In the Beginning....

It is contrary to the gospel because it places death and other things such as suffering before the fall of man. That alone denies it.Now you can call it steamrolling or whatever you want. But I never said that because it is an alternate view it is contrary to scripture. Those are your words. My position is that it is contrary to scripture because it places death prior to where God said it happened and to whom. That creates a theological crisis regarding the gospel.

 

then Gruden is allowing for it and he is represented honestly by Hugh Ross. don't be so quick to dismiss reputable Christian leaders. That's not healthy for the body.

 

And that is reasonable. But there is nothing in that passage that allows for anything else.

So outside of evolution and a 24 hour day time period what alternative is there?

 

I will always go with the Bible, Brother Tom. Always.

However, all truth is God's truth and therefore true science will never contradict the Scriptures.

Old Earth does not as many VERY reputable Christian scholars purport. Norman Geisler, for example, is a tremendously respected Southern Baptist Apologist and he believes that the Scriptures teach an old earth.

John Phillips believes this as well.

According to Dr. Walter Kaiser, one of the translators of the NKJV, the word for "day" in the hebrew, yom, is found in the Authorized version 508 times. Of those it is rendered 58 different ways.

Yom does not, by any means, denote a 24 hour day.

Therefore, it is actually the traditionalists who are forcing that upon the text in Genesis 1.

We have done this for centuries. The church gets used to a certain position that the Bible really does not teach, then science discovers that position is wrong (not that the Bible is wrong mind you but that the mistaken position is). Then thinking Christians go to the text and say, "Well, does the Scripture actually teach the traditional position?" They then find out that the traditional position is actually NOT taught in Scripture and they actually discover that science is not contradicting the Scripture but confirming it.

This was the case with the geocentric (earth centered) position, flat earth and others.

As we look into the Scriptures in light of these scientific discoveries we find to our amazement that indeed the Word of God was teaching that all along.

But that is not to say that even ancient Christians did not consider the possibility of an old earth. St. Augustine waffled back and forth on the idea finally taking a young earth position but allowing for the fair interpretation of Genesis 1 as an old earth. Many other Christians in church history held the Old Earth position as well. Isaac Newton, for example.

 

So you do not have an argument other than someone else believes what you approve of?

 

Yes, and as a matter of fact of the 36 who voted on this thread not a SINGLE ONE voted that he believes in evolution.

Every time they accuse someone of believing evolution they are attacking straw men.

 

and the alternative is what?

 

I'll not dignify that comment with a direct response. All of us who have any sense are glad to lean partially upon the strength of great Christian scholars.

 

Why does it matter if things died before Adam?

This does not undermine any Christian doctrine.

Death did not enter the world of men until Adam's fall. But that animals and plants died before Adam does no damage to fundamentalism.

As a matter of fact according to Gen 1:12 there were plants that were growing and bearing seeds and dropping those seed and those seeds growing into new plants. Jesus said, "Except a corn of wheat fall to the ground and die it cannot bear fruit."

Plants were dying before Adam according to the record unless you press upon the text this sped up growth thing to maintain the totally unnecessary 24 hour day position.

 

You are 100% correct. Dr Franscis Schaeffer was also open to an older earth as well. This debate will not be won by greater claims of authority or acedemia or scholarship. There are geniune christian professionals on both sides of the camp.

What I DO notice is how obnoxious and rude young earthers can be. I watched the debate on YouTube just last night - Kent Hovind vs Hugh Ross Debate on John Ankerberg Show from 2000.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNuHuG517lI

Kent Hovind continued to use statements like "cult", "the God that I serve"... He was downright rude to Hugh Ross even claiming that Hugh Ross was pushing heresy. To me that is just completely obnoxious.

Darren

 

Sure it does death is a result of corruption. No corruption entered creation until the fall of man. To say that it did is contrary to the effects of the fall and direct revelation.

 

I saw that debate as well.
As a side note, Kent Hovind is now in prison for fraud I believe. That does not mean anything against other young earthers, but it does say a lot about Hovind's arrogance.

 

Prove this Scripturally.

 

An interesting side note is that young earthers teach that the law of entropy came in at the fall and not before. However the burning of the sun and many other laws of physics requires entropy in its process.

Darren

 

Gen 3:14 The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
Gen 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
Gen 3:16 To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."
Gen 3:17 And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
Gen 3:18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
Gen 3:19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
Gen 3:20 The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
Gen 3:21 And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.



Rom 8:19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
Rom 8:21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

 

this assumes that all things were then as they are now. Which we know to be false. Man did not die until sin nor was his body being corrupted. That has changed since the fall. Your assumption is not valid.

 

Why does it matter? Because everything is built upon the doctrine of original sin. Why do you think Satan has attacked the creation, the doctrine of original sin, the origin of death, etc so much? Because undermining those undermines everything else.