Another Inconvenient Truth 2: Defending Young Earth Creationism by Justin Derby (Review)

Former old-earther Justin Derby has forcefully argued for the traditional interpretation of Genesis in his latest tome Another Inconvenient Truth 2: Defending Young Earth Creationism.  He unabashedly confronts the compromising teachings from the likes of William Lane Craig, Frank Turek, John Lennox and Mike Licona.  Derby is the creator of Creation.Social - a pro free speech platform.

 

Derby takes the chronologies from Genesis chapters five and eleven to lay out the timeline from Adam to Abraham.  He also takes 1 Kings 6:1 which tells us that the interval from the Exodus to the fourth year of Solomon's reign encompasses 480 years.  These facts imply that our wonderful planet is 6133 years old in 2022.

 

The young earth position is evidenced by Scripture and science.  One easy to understand example in the book is the discovery of soft tissue in dinosaur remains discovered by Mary Schweitzer (pp. 45-49).  Soft tissue should not be present after 65 million years.

 

Derby has a helpful discussion of debate strategies regarding origins.  He details the advice and methods of Eugenie Scott, Bill Nye and Duane Gish.  I sat next to Gish at a Creation meeting as a teen.

 

Frank Turek seems to think that the rotation of the earth poses a problem for how the Bible relates to science (p. 137).  Consider this: "You have  commanded the morning ... That it might take hold of the ends of the earth ... It is turned as clay to the seal ..." (Job 38:12-14).  Henry Morris (d. 2006), the founder of modern creationism, comments: "This figurative expression refers to God’s initiation of the earth’s rotation ... like a rotating clay cylinder exposing the impressions of the seal, the earth turns to the sun ... exposing the wicked and their works of the night."  Turek should read more books from the young earth aisle.   

If the earth is relatively young, then evolution must go.  Derby quotes a lesser known section of Darwin's Origin of Species (pp. 76,77).  At first,  Darwin says that we may have started with five basic kinds of animals in the beginning.  Would that mean five essential types of plants too?  Later, Darwin posits that all life came from one primordial form.

 

If you read Genesis in a forthright manner, it is very clear that Creation took place over six normal days, Noah's Flood was global and our world is only thousands of years old (not billions).  Derby brings out a key verse to prove this point (p. 143): "When there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams.  But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.  With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles ..." (Num. 12:6-8).

 

Derby shares his take on the "slippery slope" (doctrine downgrade), alternative media platforms, net censorship, inerrancy, James Hutton - who "discovered" deep time, Erwin Lutzer, why folks reject evolution and tons of other engaging issues.

Derby holds that denying the young earth position is heretical (pp. 57-64).  Some of the historic creeds and confessions define creation in six real days, but none make a six thousand year old earth a salvation issue.  John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion is a systematic survey of essential doctrine.  Regarding "profane men," Calvin stated (Inst., Ch. 21, Sec. 4): "Nor will they abstain from their jeers when told that little more than five thousand years have elapsed since the creation of the world.  For they will ask, Why did the power of God slumber so long in idleness?"

 

Derby provides a list of helpful young earth resources at the end of his book such as the Northwest Creation Network and Adam's Lost Dream.  If you want to learn more about the young earth stance, get this book.

 

#WilliamLaneCraig  #FrankTurek  #JohnLennox  #MikeLicona  #JustinDerby  #CreationSocial  #YoungEarth  #OldEarth  #AgeOfTheEarth  #Genesis  #SixDays  #GlobalFlood  #thousands #billions  #AdamsLostDream  #JohnCalvin  #Institutes  #MarySchweitzer  #dinos   #InconvenientTruth      

The Heresy of an Older Planet?

Should believers who need to grow further in their understanding of the Old Earth/New Earth controversy be put up on charges at a heresy trial?  When we look at the basics of the faith, we have a grand heritage to draw from.  Historic creeds, confessions and catechisms.  For example, consider the Apostle's Creed:

 

I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord,

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,

born of the Virgin Mary,

Suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried.

He descended into hell;

The third day he rose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;

I believe in the holy catholic church, the communion of saints;

The forgiveness of sin;

The resurrection of the body:

And the life everlasting. Amen.

 

Note that God's role as Creator is brought forth at the very beginning, but the exact dating of t₀ is not provided.

 

Francis Schaeffer* spoke of the "heart of the Christian faith" and includes three truths: authority of the Bible, Christ's deity and the real meaning of salvation.  He went on to give a positive affirmation of the series of books known as The Fundamentals published from 1910 to 1915 which had such authors as B.B. Warfield & G. Campbell Morgan.[1]  These writings did not set a date for Creation Week.  Instead, they made the case for these Bible basics:

 

•   Inspiration of the Bible
•   Inerrancy of the Scripture
•   Deity of Christ
•   Virgin birth of Christ
•   Substitutionary atonement
•   Literal resurrection of Jesus
•   A literal return of Christ

 

I have documented elsewhere that Schaeffer belongs more so in the camp that take Genesis as true history than those who mix the first two chapter of the Bible with Deep Time.

 

According to Matt Slick (Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, CARM), "A heretic denies an essential Christian belief and asserts some error in its place."  That of course bring up the query, "What are those key doctrines?"  Matt gives us this list:

 

• The Deity of Christ
• Salvation by Grace
• The Resurrection of Christ
• The Gospel
• Monotheism
• Jesus is the only way to salvation
• Jesus' virgin birth
• Doctrine of the Trinity

 

Nothing in here about an Earth that's around six millennia old.

 

Erwin Lutzer (Hitler's Cross) summarizes the Gospel around six key points:

 

•   God is holy (Lev. 11:44)
•   Jesus is God in the flesh (1 Jn. 4:1-3, Heb. 1:8)
•   Substitutionary Atonement (1 Peter 3:18)
•   We are sinners by nature & choice (Eph. 2:1)
•   Salvation is by faith alone (Rom. 3:28)
•   Assurance of Salvation (1 Jn. 5:11-13).[2]

 

Although I have a high admiration for Lutzer's writing and radio ministry, I must sadly admit that he does hold to the traditional reading of Genesis as implying a young world:

 

... the earth was not created in 4004 BC as the study notes in one Bible affirm. Many of us hold to a "young earth," but since the Bible does not tell us when God created the heavens and the earth, we must respect those who believe that the earth is much older than some creationists have believed.[3]

 

We read this in 2 Peter 2:1, "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them …"

 Robert Bowman, writing in Orthodoxy and Heresy, tags heresy as “a teaching which directly opposes the essentials of the Christian faith, so that true Christians must divide themselves from those who hold it.”[4]  I would call rejection of a young earth as errant teaching and would label it an Old Earth Fallacy (OEF), but I would not call it heresy.  I am willing to dialog/debate my brothers and sisters in Christ on the age-of-the-earth controversy in order to improve our mutual understanding.  A few months ago I bought a book advocating Deep Time from a Christian view with respect to the Grand Canyon.  I want to represent the other side respectfully.  I have written two book documenting a young earth from history and science:

 

   Is a Young Earth Possible?

   YES - Young Earth Science

 

You can find my biblical argument you a recent creation here.

Let me know what you think:  ned_oa_1657@yahoo.com

 

 

Notes:

1) Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer by Francis Schaeffer (Crossway, Wheaton, IL, 1982), Vol. 4, p. 349.

2) Who are You to Judge? by Erwin Lutzer (Moody Pub., Chicago, 2002), pp. 69-72.

3) 7 Reasons Why You Can Trust The Bible by Erwin Lutzer (Moody Pub., Chicago, 2015) p. 160.

4) Who are You to Judge? by Erwin Lutzer (Moody Pub., Chicago, 2002), pp. 65, 66.

 

* we named our son after Francis Schaeffer

Kudos:  special thanks to Justin Derby for the 2nd Lutzer ref.

JD Greear, Christianity Today & the Six Day Apocalypse

J.D. Greear is the pastor of The Summit Church in North Carolina and the President of the SBC.  He was recently on an Ask Me Anything (AMA) podcast hosted by Matt Love.  Unfortunately, Greear waffles on the First Six Days:

I know godly, biblically faithful theologians who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible and who think that the timetable of Genesis 1 was not a literal week (which, by the way, isn’t a new interpretation, but is a position that has been around since the first few centuries of Christianity).

He mentions Augustine in the podcast.  Augustine actually held to a young earth.  In general, the Early Church Fathers held to creation in six days and a young earth. [1]

Thankfully, Greear opposes theistic evolution (Theo-Evo).  One wonders if he has read Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique by Moreland and Meyer et al.  One chapter by Christopher Shaw is on "Pressure to Conform Leads to Bias in Science."  I think many preachers are influenced by the culture more that Scripture.

The Summit Church has this on their "Beliefs" page:

We believe the Bible to be God’s Word, a true and fully accurate account of God’s love for us. Its purpose is to teach us how to have a relationship with him, worship him, and bring him glory.Psalm 19:7-10; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21

Is it not loving that the Lord gives us a day of rest?

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 (Ex. 20:11, cf. Ex. 31:16,17).

Both Muslims and Jews agree that the earth is younger than mainstream science claims.  The traditional Jewish calendar states that Creation Week was 5780 years ago. [2]  Maybe Greear should read Is a Young Earth Possible? to get the deep info that favors a youthful planet.  

Where does the apocalypse come in?  That's the slippery slope - once church leaders compromise on Genesis, this often leads to other errors.  Harold Lindsell was at one time the editor of Christianity Today and died in Laguna Hills in 1998 (I've been there).  His book The Battle for The Bible exposed the trend towards theological liberalism.  Lindsell took a very strong stand for the Historical Adam.   

Who's the editor of Christianity Today now?  Daniel Harrell is, former senior minister at Colonial Church (MN) and before that the pastor of the famous Park Street Church in Boston.  Here's Harrell's conclusion on the creation/evolution controversy:

The Bible says six days, but there's no way that's right unless astrophysics and geology are patently false.  ...The scientific evidence is too strong in evolution's favor to reasonably deny its occurrence.  You can refuse to believe it, but that still won't make it untrue any more than denying God exists proves that he does not exist.

Harrell even wrote a book supporting Darwin - Nature's Witness: How Evolution Can Inspire Faith (2008).  Yet, in a talk in 1992 at Park Street Church, he admitted that evolution can't be proven and went further to say that Darwinism is not strictly science since it can't be disproven either.  Did Harrell's position on origins evolve?  He even mentioned Phillip Johnson, the father of the Intelligent Design (ID) movement in a positive light.  Johnson seems to lean towards the young earth view and has visited the Creation Museum in Kentucky.  Has Harrell done the same?

Now let's look at the theological connection.  Park Street Church has a very streamlined "Statement of Faith" including points on the Father, the Son and the Spirit, the authority of the Scriptures, salvation by grace through faith etc.  In contrast, Colonial Church has "Five Core Values" where we find this ...          

Immerse in Sacred Spaces & Rhythms: There are places, traditions and particular practices of faith and worship wherein we tangibly encounter the holy and living God.  Regular immersion in such places and practices forms and reforms us in line with the good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2).  In these transcendent places and moments, we experience realties larger than ourselves and realize the fullness faith in Christ makes possible.

Jesus surely favored a youthful world ... shouldn't that end the argument (Mk. 10:6, Mk. 13:19, Lk. 11:50,51)?  Please check out TotalYouth.us for more powerful young earth evidence. 

   >>  for Total truth, support earth's Youth  <<

Notes:

1) Coming to Grips with Genesis ed. by Terry Mortenson and Thane Ury (Master Books, Green Forest, AR, 2008), pp. 23-51.

2) Is a Young Earth Possible? by Jay Hall (Institute for Catastrophism and Tectonics - iCAT, Big Spring, TX, 2019), p. 339.

Who Owns the Future? (Real Time vs. Fake News)

Remember the former things of old;

for I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is none like me,

declaring the end from the beginning

and from ancient times things not yet done,

saying, "My counsel shall stand,

and I will accomplish all my purpose." (Is. 46:9,10)

What is Young Earth Science (YES)?  How old is the world?  Are radiometric dating methods reliable?  Is Darwinism substantiated by scientific evidence and valid arguments?  How does the Renaissance of Catastrophism (the view that most rocks were formed rapidly) relate to the age of the Earth?  Has plate tectonics (Continental Drift) occurred more rapidly in the past?  These and other queries are answered in this exciting new fully documented work, YES - Young Earth Science.  This widely illustrated book features support from history, philosophy, geology, biology and physics.  Discover this creative and multidisciplinary approach which provides affirmation that this planet is thousands of years old and not billions.  Omniculturalism (looking for the good, true and beautiful from all cultures in all times) favors Catastrophism which supports the young earth stance.  This valuable anti-bullying tool provides the scientific grounds for YES.  Many who harshly ridicule young earth theory need to read this book and learn the genuine empirical warrant for YES.  YES - Young Earth Science contains over 450 footnotes and more than 130 charts, graphs and illustrations.  Although some parts are more technical, this book is for all readers with a general science background.

My book relates to a number of key issues in the public square such as climate change, homeschooling, government funding of science, bullying, depression, mental health, fake news, truth journalism, ethics, net censorship, school choice, suicide prevention and free speech.

Buy your copy today and please get an extra to give away.

Al Mohler, Jack Collins, Francis Collins & YES

In February of last year, Al Mohler and John “Jack”Collins (OT Prof @ Covenant Seminary) had a debate on "Genesis and the Age of the Earth."  The debate did not follow the traditional formal structure, but the interaction was very engaging.  Here's more info on the event.

Dr. Mohler on the question of whether Old Earth Fallacies (OEF's) constitute heresy (@ 20:00 mark).  He pointed out that some doctrines are more essential than others - "theological triage."  We do not need to separate from a brother because he denies the young earth view.

Church leaders throughout history have mostly held that we live in a youthful world (@ 46:30).  Mohler concluded that OEF's may have "potentially dangerous consequences" (@ 40:00).  He also admitted that much of the data argues for an ancient earth yet at the same time pointed out that the basis for many scientists view on the age-of-the-earth controversy is based on a Darwinian framework with its billions of years.  I hold that one can make a strong cases for a relatively new planet based on history, philosophy and science and have written a book on this, YES - Young Earth Science.

Is there a connection between Francis Collins and Jack Collins?  Francis Collins founded BioLogos, led the Human Genome Project and is director of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda (where I was born).  As you see there is a connection, but the last man on the list is probably a different Jack Collins (☺).  We responded to Francis Collins' views on origins here. 

  

Andrew Kulikovsky has written an excellent review of Jack Collin's Science and Faith: Friends or Foes.  Jack should listen to the Duke.  John Wayne's character finally realized that Jesus was the Son of God indeed, but what did Jesus have to say on this issue?  He clearly supported the young earth view (Mk. 10:6, Mk. 13:19, Lk. 11:50,51).  Furthermore, God's sovereignty demonstrates consilience with the young earth position.  Collins seems to endorse some form of the gap theory which has serious flaws.

There was discussion of the scientific consensus, but is should not be forgotten that there have been frauds in science as well as undue political influence.

Is it Heretical to Deny Young Earth Science (YES)?

Justin Derby is the purveyor of the Truth: The Objective Reality (TTOR) blog.  We recently did a video with Justin on Christian leaders who take a compromising stand on the age of the earth.  But is it heresy?

Derby has written Another Inconvenient Truth - What Secular America Hates.   

He tackles a number of worldview issues:  atheism, same-sex controversy, church-state relations, the historicity of Christ and eschatology.

We should heed the warnings of Harold Lindsell (The Battle for The Bible) who told us that forsaking the authority of Scripture can lead to a slippery slope of compromise.  Where do Mike Licona and Frank Turek stand on the young earth?

When it comes to heresy, here are a few verses to consider:

1 Cor. 15:3,4

3)  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

4)  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

Galatians 2:16, 21

16)  ... a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

21)  I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Heb. 6:1,2

1)  Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

2)  and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

What is the basis for unity?

   Apostles Creed

   Nicene Creed

   Creed of Chalcedon

Early ecumenical councils focused on the Trinity and the nature of Christ: one person with two natures.  Jesus was fully human and fully divine.

The Slippery Slope is real!  Many in the BioLogos crowd deny the reality of Adam, this is surely dangerous ground (Rom. 5, 1 Cor. 15, 1 Chr. 1).

Let us know what you think:  ned_oa_1657@yahoo.com

God's Sovereignty Implies Young Earth Science (YES)

Does the Bible speak to the age-of-the-earth issue?  YES!  "Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure’ "(Is. 46:10).  "Mortals have a limited life span. You’ve already decided how long we’ll live - you set the boundary and no one can cross it" (Job 14:5, Msg).

God’s sovereignty implies YES.  The King of the Cosmos has a plan and things happen for a purpose at a certain time!  Methuselah lived 969 years – when he died the Flood came.  Abraham predicted that the bondage of the Jews would last 400 years and must wait for the “iniquity of the Amorites [to be] complete” (Ge 15:13-16). Daniel foretold the exact time of Messiah’s coming (Dan. 9:25).  Jesus warned of the time of the Temple’s destruction (Mk 13:1-4, 30).

In his scifi Foundation series, Isaac Asimov introduces the idea of psychohistory – the future can actually be predicted far in advance based on average human tendencies.  Empires rise and they fall with interludes of low civilization, but these events happen at a certain time and for a reason.  That’s fiction, but the FACT is that given God’s original plan, it would take about four thousand years for the Savior to arrive (Gal. 4:4).

This is what the Lord says - Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty:

I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.  Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come - yes, let them foretell what will come (Is. 44:6,7).

Jesus clearly taught that our planet is not billions of years old (Mk. 10:6, Mk. 13:19, Lk. 11:50,51).   Peter echoed that sentiment (Acts 3:20,21). 

You'll be amazed at the fascinating facts from history, geology and biology that point to a youthful planet in the blockbusting work YES - Young Earth Science.

Your feedback is welcome:

ned_oa_1657@yahoo.com

The Chicago Statement, ICBI, Walter Bradley & Henry Morris (Pt. 1)

Harold Lindsell (d. 1998, Ph.D., D.D.) was the editor of Christianity Today for over a decade.  His book The Battle for the Bible, which came out in 1978, rocked the evangelical world as it took a strong stance on inerrancy.  Journalist Larry Witham (Where Darwin Meets the Bible) makes a connection between the battle for the Bible and the inerrancy movement which led to the Chicago Statement generated by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy (ICBI). [1]  Observe Article XII (Chicago Statement on Inerrancy, emphasis added):

We affirm that Scripture in its entirety is inerrant, being free from all falsehood, fraud, or deceit.  We deny that Biblical infallibility and inerrancy are limited to spiritual, religious, or redemptive themes, exclusive of assertions in the fields of history and science. We further deny that scientific hypotheses about earth history may properly be used to overturn the teaching of Scripture on creation and the flood.

One would think this was written by a traditional creationist (creation in 6 days, Global Flood, young earth).

The companion book to the Chicago Statement on Hermeneutics was Hermeneutics, Inerrancy, and the Bible.  Walter Bradley, former Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M, wrote a very influential chapter:  “The Trustworthiness of Scripture in Areas Relating to Natural Science.”  It is available online here.  We responded to this work in 2007.  This same volume has a 12 page response to Bradley by the father of modern creationism, Henry Morris (d. 2006).

Henry Morris predicted that, “… unless the ICBI can somehow become convinced of the foundational importance of strict creationism for maintaining a consistent belief in inerrancy, its efforts will likely prove of only ephemeral effectiveness.” [2]

Morris made this comment on The Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics:

The statement finally adopted by the council was so innocuous on the subject of origins that it would not even exclude evolution as an acceptable interpretation.  That was the reason I could not sign their statement on biblical hermeneutics. [3]

Morris further warned of the slippery slope syndrome:

Progressive creationism … has already, for well over a hundred years, served as the camel’s nose by which theistic evolution and eventually full-blown religious liberalism have come in and taken over … the reason why most laymen … reject the Bible is because they have been taught evolution and the great age of the earth, and they know that this presumed “fact of science” contradicts the Bible’s very first chapter. [4]

Bruce Waltke resigned from Reformed Seminary after making remarks about evolution in 2010.  Waltke makes it clear that the slippery slope is genuine:

I am not a scientist, but I have familiarized myself with attempts to harmonize Genesis 1-3 with science, and I believe that creation by the process of evolution is a tenable Biblical position, and, as represented by BioLogos, the best Christian apologetic to defend Genesis 1-3 against its critics.

Waltke wrote a chapter in Hermeneutics, Inerrancy, and the Bible and according to Norman Geisler, “all the writers are in agreement with the ICBI stand on inerrancy.” [5]

Affirm the truth of Genesis 1-11 and fight Old Earth Fallacies (OEF’s).  Consider the analogy of Daniel's diet (Dan. 1:8-20).  He and his comrades were tested for ten days by eating vegetables.  He refused to compromise – we too should dare to be a Daniel!  Also notice that it was 10 days, not 10M years.  Ancient veggies don’t taste good.  Biblical authority starts with a conservative Biblical hermeneutic applied to Genesis.  Biblical inerrancy matters.

… the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.  What if some were unfaithful?  Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?  By no means!  Let God be true though every one were a liar .. (Rom. 3:3,4, ESV)

A new book defends a young earth from Philosophy, Geology, History and Biology.  A shortcut to the site is  TotalYouth.us  >> “for TOTAL truth, support earth’s YOUTH.”

You can go to Part 2 here.

Notes:

1) Where Darwin Meets the Bible by Larry Witham (Oxford Univ. Press, NYC, 2002), p. 51.

2) quoted in Already Compromised by Ken Ham and Greg Hall (Master Books, Green Forest, AR, 2011), p. 29.

3) Ibid.

4) Hermeneutics, Inerrancy, and the Bible ed. by Earl Radmacher and Robert Preus (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1984), pp. 346, 347.

5) Ibid., p. ix.