Reformed, Again!

In an excellent presentation at Ligonier’s recent Summer 2010 conference “Tough Questions Christians Face”, Southern Baptist Theological President Albert Mohler (also of the “Albert Mohler Program” on the radio) answers the topical question, “Why Does the Universe Look So Old?” He argues quite well that beyond the exegetical harm that comes from an “Old Earth” view, there is even greater theological harm that is done if the reader of the Bible does not have a plain, common-sense, straight-forward reading of Genesis 1 and 2.

At the heart of the misunderstanding inherent in the question of why the universe looks “old” is a commitment by many to a “uniform” view of the nature of physical processes that occur on the earth. This kind of thinking assumes that the same rate of physical processes observed in the modern day has never changed, and therefore can be extrapolated to explain the “billions of years” view that many hold about the age of the earth. (But what if these rates of processes have not been constant? What if we cannot accurately predict the age of the earth or the universe because this is an unknown variable?)

When we turn to God’s Word, the Bible, a view is presented of a much younger earth that is only several thousand years old. If we approach Genesis with an open mind and a common-sense reading of the very plain and clear language contained therein, it is the creation of our planet and universe that is being described in terms that would make them quite young in comparison to popular beliefs in the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

This presentation by Dr. Mohler is highly recommended for those struggling to reconcile the apparent “age” of the earth and the claims of modern science with the clear and consistent revelation of God’s Word in the Bible with regards to creation. Click below to go to the video from the conference and watch online.

Albert Mohler:  “Why Does the Universe Look so Old?”

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. (Genesis 2:1-3 ESV)

One of the core focuses here at Reformed, Again! is the defense of the historical Christian understanding of the inerrancy of the Holy Scripture, the Bible. Articles and writings from other internet resources which touch on this topic will often be noted here. One such recent article is available at Dr. Albert Mohler’s site.

During February 2009, there has been a focus on Charles Darwin and his theories of evolution and natural selection as this is the month of his 200^th birthday. In a recent article on Dr. Mohler’s blog, Mohler challenges the common thinking today that Biblical Christianity and evolution can somehow be reconciled. He concludes, “Evolution presents a direct challenge to the entire story-line of the Bible. Efforts to resolve this challenge generally involve a misunderstanding of biblical Christianity, a misunderstanding of evolution, or a misunderstanding of both.” Read the entire article at his blog.

There is also a worthwhile radio broadcast from Dr. Mohler on this topic. Listen here.

For more on the defense of the Biblical view of creation, an excellent online resource is Answers in Genesis.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. (ESV, Psalm 19:1-4a)

This fascinating interview with R.C. Sproul and Ben Stein was posted at the Ligonier Website (see full post here). If you have a fast-enough internet connection, it is well worth the watch. Be sure to look into Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed soon or now available on DVD.

We will post more on this fascinating look at the current debate between intelligent design and evolution in later posts. (Please note that Reformed, Again! espouses a biblical creationist view, which is more specific in its convictions on origins than a merely intelligent design view. We respect the work of those in the intelligent design community and share a common concern over the censorship of all other ideas currently being perpetrated by many holding to a Darwinian or evolutionary view of origins.)