Creationism
Creationism - Introduction
Creationism is more than a defense of the biblical creation story. Creationism attempts to formulate theories for the origin of the universe and life; theories that are rooted in the truths God has given us in the book of Genesis. This is a departure from established secular mainstream science, which assumes a big bang, an old age (billions of years) of the universe and the earth, the development of life out of non-life, and evolution from one species into another. This view on origins and life is presented to the public at large as a collection of solid, irrefutable, scientifically proven facts.
Christians believe that the Bible is the Word of God. He is a God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2). It is safe to assume that God, the Creator, will not lie to us about His creation either, which means that the contents of the book of Genesis are true. Then how can there possibly be a gap between faith and science? Does this mean that the book of Genesis is nothing but a poetic description of origins? Or could it be that there is a gap between "science" and "secular science"? Is the battle raging over assumptions and presuppositions instead of truths and facts? Is there any added value in the belief that God gave us a realistic description of the origin of the universe in the book of Genesis?
Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis, gives us the following perspective on creationism:
- "Psalm 11:3 states, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” If you destroy the foundations of anything, the structure will collapse. If you want to destroy any building, the best way is to destroy the foundations. Likewise, if you want to destroy Christianity, destroy the foundations which are established in the book of Genesis.
"Is it any wonder that Satan is attacking Genesis more than any book? The biblical doctrine of origins, as contained in the book of Genesis, is foundation to all other doctrines of Scripture. Refute or undermine in any way the biblical doctrine of origins and the rest of the Bible is undermined. Every single biblical doctrine of theology, directly or indirectly, ultimately has its basis in the book of Genesis."1
- What is the origin of the universe and of life? (Genesis 1:1)
- What is sin? (Genesis 3:1-6, Romans 5:12)
- Why do people and animals die? (Genesis 3:17-19)
- Why are people different from animals and why are all people of equal value? (Genesis 1:27)
- Why do people need a Savior (Jesus)? (Genesis 3:15, Romans 5:19, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22)
- Can there be a "last Adam" without a first Adam?
(Genesis 1:27, Genesis 2:19-25, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 45) - What is marriage? (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-6)
- Why do people wear clothes? (Genesis 3:21)
- Why do people work? (Genesis 2:15, Genesis 3:17-19)
On September 3, 2010, biologist Drs. Miep von Lindheim-Westerink was called to her eternal home by our Father. She had a great love for the Lord, but a history of illness kept her from doing all the active ministry she wanted to do for Him. Nevertheless Miep has blessed us with a legacy that will be very encouraging for many believers. She wrote the following series of articles for us, which show in a logical manner why creationism is a reasonable and maintainable part of the Christian worldview and why the book of Genesis is more than a beautiful figure of speech.2
- Fossils in Paradise?
Often, people ask us about the length of the days of creation. Science after all is talking about an earth that is several billions of years old. Is it possible that the creation days were not ordinary days, but long periods of time instead? And maybe the majority of the history of the earth took place within these periods? READ MORE
And behold, it was very good
Creation days or creation eras, does it really matter? This is a question many Bible readers are struggling with. Is it really worth all the fuss? Isn't it much more important that God created everything than how long it took Him to create? If science tells us that the earth with its layers and fossils is really very old, then why couldn't there by any long creation periods during which all these layers and fossils came to be? READ MORE
To prove or to believe?
According to mainstream science, the earth is several billion years old. During those years all life forms are supposed to have evolved and all the earth's layers with their fossils are supposed to have formed. This is being presented as an irrefutable, proven fact. People who don't believe this are labeled old-fashioned (or worse). But how strong is this claim? How strong is the evidence? READ MORE
Fallible or infallible?
The theory of evolution is trumpeted as an immovable proven scientific fact. In the previous article ("To prove or to believe?"), it was argued that this theory is far from proven: on the contrary, it is highly speculative. Creation scientists strive to formulate theories about origins, reconstructions of the past that take into account the biblical data about the history of the earth. Furthermore, they attempt to refute the claims of secular science. READ MORE
Footnotes:
[1] Creation College Handbook, 2006
[2] These articles were first published (in Dutch) in the magazine Nader Bekeken (Vol. 17, 2010, Nrs. 7/8, 9, 11 and 12). Used with permission and (where necessary) adapted for internet publication.
- Creationism and Fossils - In Paradise?
- Creationism and Fossils - God and Man
- Creationism and Science - Proving or Believing
- Creationism and Science - Presuppositions
- Creationism and the Bible - Fallible or Infallible?
- Creationism and the Bible - Creationism is Science
- Creationism and the Fall - And Behold, It Was Very Good
- Creationism and the Fall - A Limit to Our Knowledge
