There are many contradictions in science, many theories that have been formulated, “proved” and then discarded as false as more information became available. Contradictions and unknowns are what theories are made of, for example, the Theory of Evolution – which is just that – a theory. And there are other theories that exist that may not have complete accuracy. These include our interpretations of the scripture relative to the age of the earth. Let me be clear, the earth is as old as God says it is, but the bible never says how old, just that God created it. Man has made some assumptions. In the computer industry we say “assume” is an acronym. And it has been just that for the church at times. I do not teach what is here as “God’s Word”, but as Ralph’s concept of this. If you disagree, fine, but allow God to speak to you.

I had to face the inconsistency of the Geological and Doctrinal age of the earth in early High School. There are several approaches you can take.

1. The Science book is wrong. But there is massive physical evidence to the contrary.
2. The Bible is wrong. I consider the bible the only true source of wisdom.
3. Man’s interpretation of the bible (God’s word) is wrong. We have seen that happen frequently in the centuries.

If I were to bet on one of the above, I would rank the most likely to be the case is number 3. In fact I would rate it at nearly 100 percent likely.

I have seen the grandeur of Pennsylvania and if there was ever a land flowing with milk and honey, this is the land God created for us, the prime rib of His Creation. Now I don’t get hung up on whether it took him a second or 2 billion years, it is impressive, and he was also occupied with creating lesser areas like the Alps, Greenland and Australia at the same time. It also includes places like Texas and that probably took him longer making all that sagebrush. I will take quality over quantity any day. But think of task of creating oil, coal, iron, and other minerals close to the surface and putting rivers, streams, beautiful forests and fertile land for lush farms over them. Nowhere in the world is oil closer to the surface than in Pennsylvania in fact I believe Drake’s well was under 200 feet deep. Nobody could blame God if he took his time to make it right. A second, a year, two billion, it doesn’t matter because it was all there in time for Bill Penn and his band of Quakers. God is never late.

And as I have traveled much of this land in the last couple years I have passed through countless road cuts where the rocks have been cut and you can see the layers of sandstone, limestone, shale and sometimes even a small seam of coal. Some of those layers are nearly horizontal, some at only a few degrees from vertical. I have taken a hammer and chisel and broken the shale and seen the imprint of snails and leaves. I have seen the imprint of leaves in pieces of anthracite coal, the clean burning variety that is mined here. I have crawled the limestone caves of this state and seen the way the water, carrying the acid from the soil above has eaten away at the calcite. I have ridden in an aircraft above it and seen the valleys, carved by the rain trying to get back to the ocean. And I have stood on the top of mountains and looked around at about 2200 feet elevation and seen the Scooley Peneplain (where the tops of mountains have the same height) that I had only known as a land form in Geology class some years ago. Clearly this land was formed over time. Clearly some gigantic forces made this land. If there is not a God, then how?

And this has been my premise for as long as I can remember. There has been no conflict for me between the science of Geology and the geological time scales and the bible. To me they support each other. All of the conflict centers on the man defined 6000 year age of the earth. This is why I can pick up a fossil and say it was from the Devonian Period and not feel that I have compromised my faith. God was in control during that period as he is today. If the world is 2 billion yeas old; then I AM, at that time was I AM.

Christianity has taken another tack. If the scripture has a 6000 year time since Adam, then the creation must have been about the same time and the earth is 6000 plus a couple years old. If you can believe that, it is your choice. And the order God created the creatures is pretty much the same as the Evolutionists say they evolved. Could it be possible that the Evolutionists are right in the order and wrong in the method? If they agree with God’s word on the order, they are right on that. I personally do not believe there was cross species evolution, in plants, animals or man. I have yet to see evidence that points to it. The fact that there is time from “finding” of the first lower animal to the first of the next level up means noting except it makes sense that God created the lower parts of the food chain first so the upper levels had food. I believe God prepared to make man like expectant parents who get the nursery ready before the baby comes. He made the earth and all that was needed for man before he created him.

The organized church has taken one of two different tacks. On one hand they have denied scripture and embraced the theories. I for one cannot do this. I cannot deny the Word of God. On the other hand zealots over the years have taken it to stamp out scientific study if the results gore their holy bovine. (I once said sacred cows but people said that was unsophisticated.) In the dark ages the church hanged people and threatened others that thought the world was round or that the earth was not the center of the universe. After all we know that the earth has four corners.

Rev 7:1

1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

(KJV)

But are we sure of what John saw? If the varied interpretations and associated arguing over the remainder of his Revelation are indication, we have no clue. What about this verse in Isaiah?

Isa 40:22

22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

(KJV)

And the excesses of the church going beyond the Word of God are with us to this day. The one I just mentioned is thrown up every time the church says something in science is wrong. And then we have the Scopes monkey trial.

I look at the zealots today trying to justify the theories that carbon dating is wrong. If Jesus doesn’t come soon, we will be dealing with those as they are proved wrong. Carbon dating is inexact, anyone who works with it will tell you that. But most of the “gross errors” that are cited are false. Please don’t write me that some ir-reverend told it from the pulpit. I have personally heard more than a couple urban legends from the pulpit. I no more believe in the infallibility of the pulpit than I do the infallibility of the Pope. I rejected that 50 years ago when I heard about it. Sure, there is a margin for error in carbon dating. And some of the error can be increased by contamination of the samples, some of which could have happened before the sample was secured. But these errors are small percentages.

Let me summarize.

• I know that the age of the world is more than 6000 years.
• I know that there are many theologians that will stake their reputations (which isn’t much) on it being that.
• I know that God created it, how I don’t know.
• But I know the Word of God is true.
• Everything I have said hangs on that one thing.

Other Articles by Ralph Brandt

Churches That Get Government Money

Financial Help in These Trying Times

Anonymous and Irresponsible: the Radical Left

The Comparison of the Assassinations of Kennedy and Lincoln

Relationship of Church and State

An End to Complacency

I’m Going on
Compromise in the Church
Come Away My Beloved
Communion
Contradictions – Science and Religion