Thursday, September 25, 2008

Why I don't believe the earth was created in 6 days anymore

After teaching on the creation of the earth I have had more agreement from many of you than I thought I would have.  I'm thankful for this as I really don't want to just stir the pot with a topic that is well-mixed as it is.  Since I consider myself someone who places the Bible as my highest authority, I have for years assumed a literal six-day creation.  Since I have no real deep interest in the scientific arguments against such a belief I was content with my 144 hour earth.  The following reasons though, have me not stirring the pot of 'old earth/young earth', but rather throwing the whole pot out.  Here's why...

1. The point of Genesis 1-2 is not to answer the question of how the earth was created, but who created the earth.  Our obsession of seeing Genesis 1-2 as a history of the earth's coming into being is only because our defenses are up since Charles Darwin and his followers have threatened.  The ancients were not concerned with such questions as comparable creation myths show (ie: the Enuma Elish).

2. Everywhere else in the scriptures where the creation of the world is described the focus is on 'who' created it, not 'how' it was created.

3. Pre-Darwin, the question for Christians was not why it took only six days to create the world, buy why did take so long.  

4. Discussions and arguments around how the earth was created only create discussion over what is unimportant (how) at the expense of the important (who).  At this Christians are guilty of poor stewardship as 1 Timothy 1:3-4 points out. 

Since the scriptures do not speak to the question of how the earth was created we are not meant to know.  I'm fine with this and more comfortable not trying to make the scriptures say something thing I want them to say.

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