4 Reasons to Believe in Creation

Those that believe in creation believe that the universe and all human life is the result of divine creation. For creationists, God is responsible for the creation of the entire cosmos.

While there are differing opinions among Christians regarding creation (e.g. young earth creationism, gap creationism, theistic evolution), almost half of Americans now consider themselves to be creation believers, with almost all of those acknowledging that God created the universe, as described in the Biblical accounts. A recent article in the Daily Mail states that:

“Nearly half of Americans believe God created mankind in a single day about 10,000 years ago, a literal interpretation of the Bible, according to a new survey that shows the view toward evolution in the United States hasn’t changed in 30 years.

About 46 percent of people say creationism explains the origin of humans. Just 15 percent say humans evolved without the assistance of God.” (Read the article)

With so many now believing in the creative work of God, it’s important to look at why creation continues to stand up, in spite of modern scientific theories which appear to contradict the Biblical accounts. We hope this list of four reasons to believe in Biblical Creationism will inspire your faith in God’s creative work, and strengthen it.

The Bible Reveals Creation

The Bible states over 30 times that God created all life including plant, animal and human.

The first two books of the Bible are even specifically devoted to the accounts of God’s creative activity and our origins. Genesis functions as the foundational book of the Bible and tells the story of the beginnings of the universe, the earth and humanity. The accounts of God’s creation serve to help us understand the book we are about to read, and to grasp God’s redemptive plan for the world.

As a complete work, the Bible reveals the nature of God through his creation, and through his relationship to creation – from Genesis to Revelation. The Primeval History laid out in Genesis 1-11 is referred to over 100 times throughout the New Testament alone, and is referred to by every New Testament author. The importance of the Genesis accounts of creation cannot be overstated.

A belief in evolution is a misreading of scripture as it cannot be reconciled with passages such as Genesis 1 or Exodus 20:11 which states:

“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

Beliefs in anything other than God’s creation of the universe are inconsistent with the omnipotent, omniscient and redemptive picture of God that the Bible paints.

Jesus Confirmed Creation

Jesus referred to Genesis himself, on several occasions – always affirming his belief in the accounts as historical realities.

In Mark he states that:

“But at the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.” (10:6)

And in Matthew Jesus responds to the Pharisees questions on divorce:

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (19:3-6)

Jesus confirmed the accounts of Genesis: Adam and Eve were real people, as were Cain and Abel. Jesus also affirms the historical validity of Noah and the flood later on in Matthew.

For Jesus, the events described in Genesis were real events with real people. The historicity of The Primeval History is bound up with much of Christ’s teaching on theological matters. Understanding Jesus relies on our understanding of, and belief in, the creation narrative.

The Authority of Scripture Relies On It

If we deny creation, or allege that some passages should be understood as mere myth or allegory, then we are putting the authority of the canon at risk for two reasons:

Firstly, if these stories do not describe events as they state, then what other parts of the Bible might be misleading? Deciding not to believe in the creation accounts of Genesis will inevitably lead to questions about the reliability of other parts of the Bible, and the Bible as a complete work.

Secondly, if the Bible is in fact unreliable, then we undermine our own belief in God’s inerrant word. If we do not subscribe to the creation accounts which appear throughout the Bible, then we open the Bible up to be considered full of errors and not divinely inspired – as Christians usually understand it.

God’s Character is Grounded in Creation

The Bible reveals God’s nature through his creation. In the beginning we are created in his image. Throughout the Old Testament the people are called to be the people of a creative God and in the New Testament we see God revealed through Jesus, who was with the father at the creation:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1-3)

The New Testament even closes with the promise of a new creation, in which God will carry out his redemptive plans and see his kingdom reign on earth. In order to understand God, we must believe and recognise him as the creator of the entire cosmos. The Psalmist wrote that:

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (19:1)

To exist within creation is to exist within the presence of God. God is deeply embedded into his creation.

To celebrate God’s creation, sign our petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday

How Many Of Each Animal Was On The Ark?

Ask any man, woman or child who is even vaguely familiar with the story of Noah’s Ark how many of each animal was taken on board the Biblical boat and you will get the usual answer: two. This answer is usually given because of the instructions recorded in Genesis, which God gave to Noah:

You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.

– Gen 6:19-20

However, what most people don’t know is that later on in Genesis, God also gave Noah these instructions:

Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.

– Gen 7:2-3

This discrepancy between texts, begs the question:

How many animals was Noah to take onto the ark? Was it two….or seven?

At a glance, these two passages appear to offer contradictory information.

The Documentary Hypothesis

One manner used by Biblical scholars to resolve this apparent issue is the documentary hypothesis. The documentary hypothesis maintains that the Old Testament was put together from multiple sources which wrote independent of each other. According to this theory, an editor – or multiple editors – came along and fitted the texts together into one narrative which could explain any contradictions or duplicate material in the Biblical text (a noticeable duplicate often cited to support the documentary hypothesis is the two human creation stories which appear in Genesis 1 and 2). Biblical scholars who subscribe to the documentary hypothesis argue that God’s command to bring seven pairs of clean animals was a later addition to the original story in order to explain how Noah was able to sacrifice animals after the flood without risking the animal population’s future.

A Close Reading

While the documentary hypothesis may provide an explanation for the discrepancy in the two passages, the inconsistency may also be able to be resolved by a careful reading of what the verse says.

The first passage states that Noah is “to bring into the ark two of all living creatures.” Here, God is instructing Noah to bring one pair of every living creature with him – every kind of animal on earth. This instruction is delivered with the specification that each pair be made up of one male and one female in order for each pair to repopulate the earth after the flood. The command here is universal: it concerns all animal life.

The second passage states that Noah is to bring “seven pairs of every kind of clean animal.” The distinction between the two passages is clear – the second instruction is bound up with the idea of ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’ animals. In this passage God instructs Noah to bring extra pairs of ‘clean’ animals. The command here is specific, referring only to ‘clean’ animals. This passage also confirms the instructions given in the first passage, stating that seven pairs of clean animals need to come aboard the ark, in addition to the one pair of unclean animals that has already been commanded.

The two passages differ because the second one is a command given in addition to the first passage – while the first instruction concerns all animals, ensuring that the pairs taken on board will repopulate the earth, the second instruction concerns only clean animals and is probably referring to animals for sacrificial purposes. This is indicated by the sacrifice Noah makes immediately after the flood:

“ So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives…Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.”

– Gen 8:18-20

If Noah took only the reproductive pairs then he would not have had any available animals to sacrifice. God knew this, and so gave a further instruction to ensure that all needs would be met.

Conclusion

What we have here is not a contradiction – it is two different instructions given by God, to Noah, regarding the animals that needed to survive the flood.

Each instruction has its own purpose – one reproductive, one sacrificial – and is given for its own reasons. God supplemented his original instructions to ensure that clean animals were brought onto the ark for the purpose of sacrifice.

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Scientific Evidence for the Plagues

Most people are familiar with the ten plagues of Egypt described in Exodus. The plagues precede the very famous account of Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery under the Egyptian Pharaoh. God rolls out the plagues in ascending order – starting with the mildest and building in severity as Pharaoh continues to refuse to grant the Hebrew people their freedom. Now, scientists and archaeologists believe that the plagues are not only genuine accounts, but that scientific discoveries can actually corroborate the stories.

Let’s take a look at the scientific evidence available for the plagues depicted in Exodus.

Pi-Rameses

Researchers now believe that they have evidence of the plagues outlined in Exodus, suggesting that the plagues took place in an ancient city called ‘Pi-Rameses’ on the Nile Delta. Pi-Rameses was the capital of Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Rameses the second who ruled Egypt from 1279 BC to 1213 BC.

Evidence that the plagues may have taken place in Pi-Rameses includes an ancient water trough which is inscribed with markings, depicting a period of darkness. Climatologists have also observed a dramatic shift in the climate in Pi-Rameses toward the end of the Pharaoh Rameses’ reign – undergoing a radical move from a warm, wet climate to a dry one. Archaeologists also claim that the city was abandoned around 3,000 years ago – a fact which scientists claim could be attributed to the onset of the plagues.

The Ipuwer Papyrus

The Ipuwer Papyrus is an ancient papyrus scroll containing an ancient Egyptian poem called “The Admonitions of Ipuwer”. The Ipuwer Papyrus describes a series of events which take place in Egypt – events which sound uncannily like those of the plagues outlined in Exodus. The events include a river turning to blood, the men of the land behaving as wild Ibises and the land coming under great distress.

The Ipuwer Papyrus is thought by some archaeologists as a reliable corroboration of the Biblical accounts, since the texts appear to witness the events unfolding.

A Chain Reaction

Scientists who have sought to understand the nature of the plagues have now come to the conclusion that the plagues came about from a chain reaction of natural phenomena.

According to this theory, the events which take place in Exodus 7 through 11 are natural disasters, which take place in a natural sequence. In other words – the plagues can be attributed to a series of natural events which each in turn, trigger the next. While Moses and the Biblical writers attributed the plagues of Exodus to the miraculous work of God, this idea attributes them to a cause-and-effect concept, starting with the climate shift in Pi-Rameses.

First Plague: Water into Blood

“And Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.”

The dramatic shift in climate in Pi-Rameses meant that the climate in the region suddenly went from warm and wet to extremely dry:

“Pharaoh Rameses II reigned during a very favourable climatic period…There was plenty of rain and his country flourished. However, this wet period only lasted a few decades. After Rameses’ reign, the climate curve goes sharply downwards….There is a dry period which would certainly have had serious consequences.”

– Professor Augusto Magini, paleoclimatologist.

According to the chain reaction theory, this radical change triggered the first of the plagues we see in Exodus 7. Scientists agree that the rising temperatures of the new, drier climate caused temperatures to rise and dry up the river Nile. This in turn caused Egypt’s primary water source to transform into nothing more than a muddy waterway – conditions which paved the way for the Bible’s description of the Nile turning to blood.

Scientists attribute the red Nile to the manifestation of a toxic, fresh-water algae known as ‘Burgundy Blood”. This bacterium is known to have existed at the time of Pi-Rameses and is known for its characteristic action as it dies: it stains water red.

Second, Third and Fourth plagues – Frogs, Lice and Flies

“And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.”

“for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.”

“And the Lord did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies.”

The Burgundy Blood algae could have set in motion the second, third and fourth plagues described in Exodus – frogs, lice and flies. Frogs are known to be able to develop from tadpoles into adult frogs very quickly. They are also known to be able to speed up this development in times of distress. Scientists claim that the toxic algae present in the Nile would be more than enough to trigger this speedy development, as well as forcing the frogs from their water home and onto the land.

The subsequent third and fourth plagues are a result of the frogs also. With the deaths of these frogs, other insects would naturally have flourished in the absence of their predators.

Fifth and Sixth Plagues – Livestock and Boils

“And the next day the Lord did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.”

“So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on people and animals.”

Insects carry diseases – even today it is possible to contract dengue fever, malaria, lyme disease and many more diseases from an insect bite. After the deterioration of Egypt’s fresh-water source, the death of mass frog populations and the infestation of insects, it is only natural to assume that the next step in the plague ‘chain reaction’ would be disease and epidemics. The livestock first dies, before the people of Egypt break out in boils.

Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Plagues –Thunderstorm, Locusts and Darkness

“the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both people and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree.”

“By morning the wind had brought the locusts; they invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers…They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.”

“So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or move about for three days.”

A major, natural disaster which took place 400 miles away is used to explain the seventh, eighth and ninth plagues of Exodus – a volcanic eruption.

Thera, a volcano that was near Crete is known to have erupted around the time of Pi-Rameses. Thera’s eruption is one of the largest known eruptions in human history, and its explosion sent forth billions of tons of volcanic ash into the atmosphere. While there are no volcanoes located in Egypt, archaeologists have recovered volcanic rock during Egyptian excavations. Tests confirmed that this rock originated from Thera, substantiating the claim that this eruption reached Egyptian shores.

The eruption of Thera was powerful enough to cause dramatic hail storms all the way to Egypt, atmospheric physicists confirm. This forms another sequence within the chain reaction. From the ash, the temperature would be expected to once again rise, increasing the humidity level with it. These conditions are known to foster the presence of insects, and may account for the locusts which appear in the eight plague described in Exodus. The dense amount of volcanic ash can also be blamed for the darkness which Egypt undergoes – thick ash could be responsible for blocking out the sunlight over a large area of land.

The huge global impact of Thera’s eruption has been documented in an ash layer found in the Nile Delta, as well as in the United States and Greenland. It is not hard to see how its eruption may have caused apocalyptic-style events to unfold in Pi-Rameses.

Tenth Plague – Death of the Firstborn

“At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well.”

The cause of the final plague, the death of all the firstborn is unable to be supported by scientific evidence. Some have speculated that the firstborn slept on the floor, inhaling more volcanic dust than younger children while others have suggested that a deadly fungus compromised grain supplies. However, these arguments have all been largely discredited and we may need to accept that God did not action this last plague through natural means, but rather manifested it miraculously.

Does Science Support the Plagues?

While it appears that science does corroborate the accounts of the plagues described in Exodus, explaining them with naturalistic explanations should not be done so at the risk of missing the real point of the story. Exodus serves to show the reader that human history is carried out through the hand of God. God led the Israelites out of slavery and into the land he was preparing…because he is God!

God often acts through His creation – utilising natural law to manifest his miracles. In Exodus alone we see this several times including 10:13 where we are told that God brought the locusts by ‘an east wind that blew across the land all that day and all that night’. In verse 19 we go onto learn that in order to bring the plague to an end, God ‘changed the wind to a strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea’.

The plagues may have been brought about through natural phenomena, but we must still recognise that it was God who brought them about for his redemptive purposes.

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The Green Bible

For those concerned with creation care, the Green Bible couldn’t be a more fantastic idea.

Christianity has often been berated for failing to live up to the ideas of stewardship and responsibility for creation that the Bible encourages, but the Bible has now gone green – and it calls us to our responsibilities.

What is the Green Bible?

The Green Bible is an English version of the Bible, with a concern for the environmental teaching in the Old and New Testaments. Similar to the Red Letter Bible, the Green Bible highlights verses in green, which focus on the environment.

In print since 2008, The Green Bible is a comprehensive study Bible that features essays by prominent theologians and environmentalists such as N.T. Wright, Wendell Berry and Pope John Paul II. The Green Bible has also been officially endorsed by many environmental groups including the Sierra Club, The Humane Society and the Eco-Justice Program.

The Green Bible aims to encourage readers to see God’s vision for his creative work, and to help engage humanity in matters of environmentalism.

How Did it Come About?

The inspiration for the Green Bible originally came from the desire to produce a specialty Bible that centres on issues of sustainability, stewardship and creation care.

Mark Tauber, Senior Vice President of HarperOne states:

“…the Bible has a profound message of sustainability—some might argue, the original message—is not all that surprising. What is surprising is that it is not one of the first things that comes to mind when most folks think about the Bible and its message… this Bible seeks to change that fact. We believe that the unique and specially added features by some of today’s most important thinkers, writers and leaders, across the ecumenical spectrum make it a must-have for those who already find motivation, comfort and inspiration in it and for the many more who might see it freshly as a critical resource in their journey to sustain our planet.”

What’s so Special About it?

Because the Green Bible is designed to be a study Bible, it features a ‘green trail study guide’ which directs readers to verses which are germane to issues of environmentalism and creation care, as well as a topical index to help readers find verses pertaining to specific subjects.

As well as being focused on ‘green’ issues, the Green Bible is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. The cover is also designed from renewable cotton linen.

‘Green’ can be traced throughout the entire Bible – from creation to new creation. We see green in the Garden of Eden, in Noah’s olive branch, in the parting of the Red Sea, in Gethsemane, on the wooden cross and in the new heaven and new earth. The Green Bible reminds us that as Christians, and as people, we are called to care for the earth because God cares for the earth, and because God cares deeply, for all things green.

To purchase a copy of the Green Bible, go here

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Creation vs Evolution: The Basics

Unless you have been living under a rock, you will be aware of the ever growing divide between the world of science, and faith – particularly in relation to the creation versus evolution debate.

Mainstream science believes that the earth is billions of years old and has come into existence through the process of evolution, popularised by Charles Darwin. Evolution also maintains that humans have evolved from single-cell organisms to their present state: homo sapiens.

Christianity adheres to the Biblical account of creation, described in Genesis. This view maintains that the universe was created in a seven day time period and a literal reading indicates that the earth may only be 6,000 to 10,000 years old. Genesis also describes humans as having been divinely created in the image of God himself.

It is at the cross section of these two views that we, as 21^st century people, find ourselves. The media has done a fantastic job of branding these two views as polar opposites, placing Christianity and science as two teams fighting within a cultural war. Recent studies indicate that most people now believe that their position on our origins is an ‘all-or-nothing’ issue. They must choose a side: Christian and creation, or non-Christian and evolution.

If this is the case, then how do we know which side we should be on? With children now being taught evolution in schools and being raised in a culture where we are encouraged to choose a side, we need to have a good understanding of this faith issue.

History of Evolution

The creation versus evolution debate is relatively recent, having began during the late 18^th century in Europe and North America. When new interpretations of geological evidence began to emerge, questions were raised about the age of the earth. This drove some early ideas about evolution, including Lamarckism, which describes the idea that a cell can pass on characteristics to its offspring. By the mid-19^th century, books were being written such as Robert Chambers’ “Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation” which began popularising the idea of the transmutation of species. This idea paved the way for Darwin’s theory of natural selection.

While on a voyage studying the wildlife, Charles Darwin observed the variation in the appearance of individual animals. This, he concluded, meant that with enough time, these variations in their physical appearance would look significantly different. The publication of his work “On the Origin of Species” in 1859 further popularised the theory of evolution and allowed the theory to become an entire field of study.

History of Creationism

By the early 19^th century, debate had begun to develop regarding the Bible and how this should be read and interpreted. Some theologians were arguing that a less literal approach should be taken, with the focus shifting to the theological concerns presented within the Biblical accounts. With the advent of new thinking on the age of the earth, religious thinkers sought to reconcile the two ways of thinking by developing ideas such as ‘gap-creationism’.

While most 19^th century scientists came to accept the theory of evolution, theologians were accepting it also, understanding it as a vehicle God had used to bring about the earth. In the 20^th century, several factors including the rise of Biblical literalism, Christian fundamentalism and the scepticism of the post-modern era led to a backlash against evolutionary ideas – parents soon began to voice concern over evolutionary teaching in schools and clergy became concerned that belief in evolution would invalidate the creation story described in the Bible.

Then 1960s saw the first major modern creationist book go to print. “The Genesis Flood: The Biblical Record and Its Scientific Implications” argued for a literal reading of creation week and suggested that humanity must have co-existed with dinosaurs. These views rose in popularity, particularly in Britain and were soon the foundation for the establishment of the Institute for Creation Research which aimed to promote creationism throughout the world.

The belief held within the scientific community that evolution explains the origins of life continues to be challenged by creationists today.

The Debate

Alongside the rise of the theory of evolution on the world stage in the 19^th century, was support, particularly from Christianity. The reverend Charles Kingsley of the Church of England, openly supported the theory of evolution and saw God as having worked through evolution in order to bring about the earth. Prominent botanist Asa Gray also produced an influential book explaining that religion and science were not mutually exclusive, and set forward his support for Darwin’s work. As the theory found more global support, the Catholic Church became accepting of Darwin’s ideas and more recently Pope Francis has even stated that both evolution and creation may be two halves of the same equation.

Though on some occasions faith and science have been able to see eye-to-eye, there are many points on which they have not. Creationists often feel that scientific theories are inadequate due to the processes and biases involved in developing them, while science claims that creationism is a pseudo-science, based on faith and lacking in solid evidence.

Biology often comes under significant scrutiny within the controversy between creationism and science. Within biology, human evolution is by far the most hotly debated topic as it is perceived to threaten the accounts of human creation found in the Biblical texts. Scientists argue that fossil records and DNA comparisons demonstrate the evolutionary process that the human race has undergone, having evolved from primates to humans. Creationists reject this idea, and argue that the theory of human evolution is largely based on assumptions. While science argues that all organisms (including humans) have common descent, Christianity proposes that God created different kinds (humans and different kinds of animals) at the same time, so not every organism can have a common ancestor.

Two other areas of frequent dispute are macroevolution and transitional fossils. Creationists readily accept microevolution (the idea that small evolutionary processes take place within kinds – dog breeds for instance) but reject the scientific idea of macroevolution which argues that evolution also happens on a grand scale. Creationists also reject the existence of transitional fossils, which scientists use as evidence in the case for evolution.

Geology is another prominent area of debate within the creation versus evolution debate. Creationism maintains the position that based on the Biblical chronologies, the world cannot be older than around 6,000 years, when God created it. Science claims that the age of the earth is closer to around 4.5 billion years – a point which is rejected by creationists on the grounds that the methodology used to come to these conclusions is flawed. Creationists argue that scientific processes such as radiometric dating are unreliable, and thus cannot be used to make conclusions about the age of the earth.

How Should We Handle This?

While Christianity and creationism have often been diametrically opposed to scientific claims about the origins of the earth and humanity, we must also recognize that the world of faith and science approach these ideas with very different ways of thinking, asking fundamentally different questions about our reality. We must allow space for both science and faith to take place within us, and not continue to reinforce the dichotomy that exists between the two.

Although some Christian leaders have come forward and posited views which either accept or reject claims from the scientific community, as Christians we must have an awareness that everything depends on our creative God – and our finite, human understandings may never be able to fully grasp how he went about his creative activity.

We must also acknowledge that while the accounts of Genesis describe the origins of our earth and of human life, it also contains writing that is beautiful, poetical and ultimately theological. While these texts may contain clues about the science behind God’s creative action, they are not designed to be a scientific manual. They are designed to provide us with a theological guide to understanding our creative God.

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