Does Jesus Devastate An Old Earth?
Science and faith issues are no doubt a hot topic of discussion when it comes to defending the truth of Christianity. Many Christians hold many different views about the timing and mechanism of God’s creative acts. Today, I want to look at one of the more common distinctives between Christians who believe that the universe is young (6,000-10,000 years old) and those Christians who believe that the universe is ancient (~13.7 billion years old).
The Foundation of the Debate
I am an old earth creationist (OEC), so I will defend the latter of the two views above; however, I will not appeal to God’s actions (creation) today; rather I will limit my appeals to Scripture alone. There are numerous areas of agreement among young and old earth creationists just within the doctrine of creation, and I feel that the differences tend to get more of the focus than the common ground. The primary two areas of agreement that are important for today’s topic are:
- Both young- and old- earth creationists affirm biblical inerrancy.
- Adam and Eve were historically the first humans.
The Claim: Jesus Was A Young Earth Creationist
In Mark 10:6 Jesus teaches, “But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female.” Many young earth creationists (YEC) use this passage as a proof text that demonstrates that their interpretation of Genesis 1 is the interpretation that Jesus held. The YEC argument goes like this:
- Jesus taught that Adam and Eve were created at the beginning of creation of the universe.
- The YEC creation of Adam and Eve is closer to its date of creation of the universe than is the OEC creation of Adam and Eve to its date of creation of the universe.
- Therefore, Jesus was teaching the YEC interpretation of Genesis 1.
Comparison of Creation Viewpoints
| Viewpoint | Estimated Age of the Universe | Timing of Adam and Eve's Creation |
|---|---|---|
| Young Earth Creationism (YEC) | 6,000-10,000 years old | Between 144 hours and 168 hours after the universe |
| Old Earth Creationism (OEC) | ~13.7 billion years old | Between 100,000 and 200,000 years ago |
The Fatal Flaw
On the surface, the argument does seem legitimate and is certainly persuasive. However, there is one fatal flaw to all these versions. “144 hours later” is not the same as “the beginning of creation of the universe,” and, to be fair, neither is 100,000 to 200,000 years later either. The first premise (the one premise that appears in all the versions of this argument) is simply false. The falsehood of the first premise is what logically undermines the conclusion.
Finding The Proper Interpretation
A statement can be true but not complete in its precision, just like 3.14 or 3.14159 both accurately represent pi even though they have different levels of precision. A lack of precision does not necessarily mean a statement is false. The doctrine of biblical inerrancy may have an allowance that permits the first premise to be true, but it causes some Christians to question the truth of the historic Christian faith as a whole.