The Biblical Case Against Young-Earth Creationism
By Ken Sauter
()
About this ebook
When Ken Sauter heard about young Christians losing their faith in college as they were presented with evidence for evolution, evidence of an ancient earth, astronomical methods of dating the universe, and many other secular assaults on their faith, he became concerned about how young people deal with these issues. The fact that so many Christians grow up in a protected Christian environment where they are taught the earth is very young does not prepare them to deal with the assault of secular science on their faith, and as a result, many young people lose their faith. They are simply not prepared to deal with the hard evidence they are presented with along with the assault on their faith.
Rest assured there are good biblical answers to these issues, and any Christian can ably defend his faith with the arguments in this book. It is not necessary to believe in a young earth or abandon your faith. The Bible, when understood as it is written, does not contradict science and actually answers questions about the universe and our existence that science is unable to deal with.
If you’re looking for a good argument that reconciles biblical faith with true science concerning the age of the earth, this book will give you a good start on making that argument.
Related to The Biblical Case Against Young-Earth Creationism
Related ebooks
The House That Jesus Built: The Biblical Shape of the Earth, and Intelligent Alternative Design Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings…And It Was So: How Modern Science Sheds New Light on the Biblical Account of Creation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSeeing Is Believing: A Picture Book Illustrating 108 Observations for the Existence of God and Debunking Atheist Myths Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsZ: Answers for the Final Generation: Is the Bible True After All? A New Look at the Evidence before Christ Returns. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDestined to Live: A Theology of Redemption from an Old Earth Perspective Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAfter the Beginning: Creation Revealed in Science and Scripture Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFinding the Missing Exodus Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSeven Days that Divide the World, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Beginning According to Genesis and Science Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Biblical Case for an Old Earth Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Revelation and the End Times Participant's Guide: Unraveling Gods Message of Hope Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Holman QuickSource Guide to Understanding Creation: A Biblical and Scientific Overview Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gods Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Source Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Six-Day War in Creationism: A New Critique of the Young Earth Reform Movement and Its Excesses Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEarth To Eternity Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Gap Fact and Out-of-Whack Creation Scientism Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Restarting Exodus; A Covenant View of the Exodus Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMoses and the Big Bang: Science and Divine Creation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCan We Believe Genesis in an Age of Science? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Guide to Eternal Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Struggles of a Born-Again Agnostic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEvolution – Fact or Fiction? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPuzzles & Promises: Three Covenants Between God and Man Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDeep Time in Genesis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Believe in Me: For I Am the Way Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTimeless Vision: Understanding God's Creation through the Lens of Science Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Temples of God: Their Historical and Future Significance to Jews and Christians and All of Humanity Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Origin of Adam: Science Proves that a Miracle Must Have Happened Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Christianity For You
How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Happier, Healthier You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Confessions Of Saint Augustine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Book of Enoch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better (updated with two new chapters) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lost Books of the Bible and The Forgotten Books of Eden Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex: Creating a Marriage That's Both Holy and Hot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: Fourth Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Doing Life with Your Adult Children: Keep Your Mouth Shut and the Welcome Mat Out Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet: Discovering New Ways of Living When the Old Ways Stop Working Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Boundaries Workbook: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Reflections on the Psalms Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll Start Again Monday: Break the Cycle of Unhealthy Eating Habits with Lasting Spiritual Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Dragon's Prophecy: Israel, the Dark Resurrection, and the End of Days Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It's Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Holy Bible Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools: An Invitation to the Wonder and Mystery of Prayer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Return of the Gods Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Captivating Expanded Edition: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Living Resistance: An Indigenous Vision for Seeking Wholeness Every Day Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Breath as Prayer: Calm Your Anxiety, Focus Your Mind, and Renew Your Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Biblical Case Against Young-Earth Creationism
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Biblical Case Against Young-Earth Creationism - Ken Sauter
The Biblical Case Against Young-Earth Creationism
Ken Sauter
ISBN 979-8-89130-708-7 (paperback)
ISBN 979-8-89243-386-0 (hardcover)
ISBN 979-8-89130-709-4 (digital)
Copyright © 2024 by Ken Sauter
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.
Christian Faith Publishing
832 Park Avenue
Meadville, PA 16335
www.christianfaithpublishing.com
Printed in the United States of America
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
My Journey Out of Young-Earth Creationism
How My Journey Developed
Chapter 2
What Is Truth?
The Origin of Everything
The Origin of Intelligence
How Did Life Come to Exist?
Appearance of Design
Truth
Interpreting Data
The Atheist's Delusion
Chapter 3
Interpreting Scripture
The Bible Says
The Young-Earth Community
Just What Is Going on Here?
Theological Constructs
Point of View in Understanding Scripture
Chapter 4
What Scripture Says
When Do the Six Days of Creation Begin?
What Does Formless and Void Mean?
Tohu and Bohu
The Meaning of Formless and Void
Chapter 5
Noah's Flood
The Time of the Flood
Flood Legends
Geological Evidence
Scriptural Evidence of the Flood
Physical Evidence
The Reports
What Does This Mean?
Chapter 6
The Age of the Earth
Radiometric Dating
Chapter 7
Scientism and Creationism
Intellectual Honesty
Scientism
What Is Scientism?
Young-Earth Creationism
Chapter 8
Evolution
Why Is Young-Earth Creationism Such a Big Issue?
Concerning Intelligent Design
One Last Question
Chapter 9
Why Is This Issue Important?
How Albert Pike's Predictions Worked Out
How Christianity Will Be Destroyed
How Atheism Will Be Destroyed
Chapter 10
Who Is a Christian and What Does Being a Christian Have to Do with This Issue?
My Hope for You, the Reader
The Sinner's Prayer?
What Is It to Get Saved?
About the Author
Chapter 1
My Journey Out of Young-Earth Creationism
How My Journey Developed
In the early 2000s, I started questioning how old the Earth was. I believed what the Bible said, but I couldn't find a specific reference in the Bible that said the Earth was six thousand years old. It wasn't there. The young-Earthers assumed day one of creation began in Genesis 1:1. I didn't see anything about day one in that verse. It simply said God created everything in the beginning, whenever the beginning was. Assuming day one began in verse 1 was an interpretation, not a literal reading, I didn't particularly oppose that interpretation; I just didn't know what the truth was.
So I asked myself a question: just how old is the Earth? I honestly didn't know. I wanted some independent, unbiased source of information that would give me an objective way of determining just how old the Earth was. I figured that determining if radiometric dating was true or not would be key to that answer. I didn't want to hear what the YEC camp said about radiometric dating because I knew they would simply deny it. I also didn't want to hear from the evolutionist community because they would certainly say it is accurate, because that would support the assumptions they make. I wanted an honest Christian perspective on radiometric dating that I could trust. I wanted to hear from someone who understood radiometric dating and respected the Bible but didn't agree with the young-Earthers. I immediately found Roger Wien's paper, Radiometric Dating: A Christian Perspective.¹ It was thirty-seven pages long and detailed forty different methods of radiometric dating, showing that some methods are used for relatively recent dates, like C14, and others, like potassium-argon, are used for things that are billions of years old. He convinced me that radiometric dating was a valid method of dating artifacts. It turned out that radiometric dating was regularly used to date archaeological artifacts, and those dates were regularly verified by other means and accepted by the scientific community as accurate.
I had my answer that the Earth was most likely very old, on the order of 4.5 billion years, and the universe was likely 13.7 billion years old. There were other dating methods used to date the universe, but the scientific community seemed to agree on them and accept that age as accurate to within a few billion years, at least. The appearance of age in Earth rocks and geological formations confirmed an ancient age for Earth. The universe had to be much older than the Earth since the Earth was obviously created after the universe was created. John Gribbin's book In Search of the Big Bang² provided a fascinating account of how the big bang was discovered and how the universe was dated.
I believe that most Christians who believe in young-Earth creationism honestly believe they are taking the biblical position that honors God by believing in YEC. After all, Genesis 1 clearly says the Earth was created in six days, and it's not far from that to think that the entire universe was created in six days. The young-Earth apologists encourage that assumption. Unless you are inclined to research the issue, it is perfectly understandable to believe what the YEC community says about the universe's origins if you are a Christian. When the debate is framed as believing in a young Earth and universe or dishonoring God, of course, most Christians are going to believe in a young Earth and universe.
The six days of Genesis 1 appear to be twenty-four-hour days, but Genesis 1:1–2 doesn't specify exactly when those days started. They could easily have started in verse 3. I just didn't know, and I wanted to find out.
I've been wanting to write this for a long time. Ever since I started questioning young-Earth creationism, I've been investigating how God created the universe and the Earth, and the more I think about and investigate it, the more absurd young-Earth creationism becomes. As I investigate the things said by people who are former young-Earth creationists, the more their arguments make sense and the young-Earthers' arguments don't make sense. One has to twist science into pretzel-like knots to make it support the notions of Young-Earth creationism.
My aim here is not so much to attack young-Earth creationism but to get modern Christians to believe what the Bible actually says, not what they're told it says or what they want it to say by so-called scholars who have an agenda to support.
We can't have a serious discussion about what the Bible says about creation unless we can all agree to seriously consider one another's interpretations as equally valid as our own, subject to what the Bible specifically and clearly says and the other physical evidence we bring to the table. Dogmatism does not overrule truth, no matter how many people agree with you.
The young-Earth community makes assumptions about things said in Genesis that are entirely unreasonable. When Noah talks about the flood covering the Earth, he is talking about the Earth that he knew. He was not aware of South or North America, nor was he aware of Antarctica, Siberia, or other such places. Scripture gives us no indication whatsoever that Noah was even aware of those places. There is no specific mention of them anywhere in Scripture. He was aware of the land of Canaan and the world around the land of Canaan. When he said the flood covered the whole world, he was talking about the whole world that he knew about. As far as he was concerned, it covered the whole world. To impose a modern young-Earth perspective on what Noah said is entirely unreasonable and invalid. It is violating the rules of hermeneutics to support a specifically modern point of