Exposing Some Major Contradictions in Evangelical Young Earth Creationist Thought.

The History of Creationist Thought

Dr. Todd Wood discusses some of the history of creationist thought as understood by some of the church fathers and some reformation theologians such as Martin Luther and John Calvin. Dr. Wood begins the discussion by proposing a historical understanding of the Genesis creation narrative by showing -

1) NT texts that speak of Adam and Eve and Noah's flood as historical events.

2) Church fathers that speak of the age of the universe as known through a literal, historical reading of the Genesis 5-11 genealogies.

3) The Reformation theologians also concur with the young age of the universe.

Dr Wood has established a principle of universally accepted understanding of the young universe based upon divine revelation. But then Dr Wood discusses some aspects of the Galileo case with the moving Earth theory and claims the motion of the Earth was proven in the 19th century (T29:10ff). Dr Wood also states the scriptures teach the motionless Earth where he quotes from the OT texts (1 Chron 16:30, Ps 104:5) which teach the Earth does not move -

He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved.

Then Dr Wood discusses some more aspects of the Galileo case and claims the Earth's motion was proven in the 19th century (T37:10).

What then is the major contradiction in the Evangelical young Earth movement as presented by Dr Wood? The young Earth movement claims -

1)  Genesis teaches a historical creation event and the age of the universe may be derived from the Genesis 5-11 genealogies. The historicity of the Genesis texts is required as a realist approach to OT texts which serve as a realist understanding of the NT texts that speak of Christ's passion, and resurrection. The realist approach is used to show the evangelical faith is realist and not based upon a fictional, or symbolic, or mythical biblical account of creation.

In short, the young Earth evangelical creationists assume a realist, historical based reading of the Genesis creation and Genesis 5-11 genealogies.

2) Other parts of the Old Testament are assumed to be unreliable which speak of the motionless Earth, such as the Psalms, Joshua, and 1 Chronicles. Such texts are treated according to another hermeneutical method which assumes Dr Woods explanation of science's proof for the motion of the Earth.

In short, the young Earth evangelical creationists do not assume a realist, historical based reading of other passages of the Old Testament that are in fact historical books of the Bible, such as Joshua and 1 Chronicles.

Another contradiction associated with the above approach is to -

1) Assume science cannot prove an old Earth, and the Bible teaches a young Earth. 

2) Assume science can prove a moving Earth, and the Bible teaches a stationary Earth. 

1) and 2) have contradictory assumptions concerning the power of science. 1) assumes science models cannot prove an old Earth and 2) assumes science models can prove a moving Earth.

And another contradiction associated with the above approach is to -

1) Appeal to a long-held history of the church's understanding of biblical texts to teach a young Earth.

2) Ignore the same long-held history of the church's understanding of biblical texts to teach a moving Earth.

1) and 2) have contradictory assumptions concerning the veracity of the long-held history of the church's understanding of biblical texts.

The major contradictions within the Evangelical, young Earth creation movement can only be removed if they hold to a stationary Earth. Will they embrace the OT teaching on the stationary Earth or not?

The above post is not made to mock the young Earth creationist approach to the biblical text, but only to highlight one inconsistency with the Evangelical approach. The young Earth creationist movement has much to say that is worth considering under the ambit of Noah's universal flood and the age of the universe. But the above problems can only be removed if the movement embraces a motionless Earth as part of their platform.