Joel Kontinen
Christianity Today (CT) has a series of articles about women apologists. Some of the stuff it presents is good, while some is not so good.
In an interview in the magazine, Melissa Cain Travis states:
“In the creation-evolution debate, for example, there are entire ministries devoted to trying to convince the church that there is only one view on creation that doesn’t involve compromising Scripture or the gospel. That’s incredibly destructive. Whatever views you take on the age of the earth or evolutionary change, those aren’t salvific issues. That’s not to say these aren’t important issues that should be discussed. But they should never be used divisively or characterized as a necessary part of being a Bible-believing Christian.”
She is right in saying that a biblical view of Genesis is an important issue. It sees death as a consequence of sin. If one believes in evolution and /or an explanation needing millions of years (such as the gap theory or progressive creation), one cannot logically subscribe to a purely biblical worldview.
If we are seen as divisive when we point out that Jesus and the New Testament writers believed in a young earth, that probably says more about those Christians – apologists or others – who do not embrace an entirely biblical worldview, than about us.
The reason for why we have ministries like the Institute for Creation Research (ICR), Creation Ministries International (CMI) and Answers in Genesis (AiG) is because with few exceptions, the church has not given a clear message on creation and its significance for the gospel.
Unfortunately, CT has not always stood for a biblical understanding of creation.
As followers of Jesus, we should obviously believe as Jesus did – even about the age of the earth.
While the biblical and theological reasons are the most pertinent ones, we should not forget that the scientific evidence for a young earth seems to be increasing with every passing week.
Source:
Dilley, Andrea Palpant. 2015. The Apologist Mom. Christianity Today (9 April).
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