Old earth creationists reject it because there is no scientific evidence for this sequence of events. In permitting an indefinite scope to the conjectures of geology, the gap theory sets its underpinnings in an old earth model along with its demands for worldwide catastrophes before the creation of adam. The gap theory was made popular by the scofield reference bible 1909, which more than any other single edition of scripture swept through this country and informed the theology of an entire generation of evangelicals. Geological findings contradict theory complex fossils found at every layer. The only reason why so many dead theologians, socalled experts and sincere people hold to a young earth view is because theyve either never studied on their own, or have never had the. Rtb holds the position that the six days of creation represent long time periods and that the creation accounts reconcile well with the scientific date for earth s formation 4.
The gap theory attempts to reconcile the fossil record, the apparent age of the rocks given by radiometric dating, the supposed mass extinction of life 12,000 years ago, and the sevenday creation story of genesis 1. Old earth creationism is the belief in religious creationism that stays with the current scientific communitys assessment of the. The creation week is not a record of god creating the earth from nothing which is described in genesis 1. The four 4 creations across the timeline of the holy bible there are four distinct and separate creations and regenerations of the heavens and the earth. And if he tells us the earth is 6,000 years old when it isnt, then he would be a liar as well. Proponents believe that gods first creation rebelled and was subsequently judged, which occurred during the gap. The genesis gap a comprehensive biblical study and millions of other.
Gap creationism is a form of old earth creationism that posits that the sixyom creation period, as described in the book of genesis, involved six literal 24hour days, but that there was a gap of time between two distinct creations in the first and the second verses of genesis, which the theory states explains many scientific observations, including the age of the earth. In contrast to yec, it is typically more compatible with the scientific evidence on the issues of physics, chemistry, geology, and the. This article has not, of course, dealt with the larger issues of science, nor has it offered a scientific critique of the young earth perspective. Like i said, the gap theory is a form of old earth creationism. Hugh ross contends that creation passages in genesis teach that the age of the universe is on the order of billions of years. Viewers of the ken ham and bill nye debate on tuesday were left with the impression that christians, or creationists in particular, all hold to a young earth view. This position is held by those who subscribe to what is often referred to as the gap theory of genesis, wherein it is believed that the universe and the earth are quite old, but that, at one point or another and for one reason or another, the early earth was either destroyed and recreated or simply held.
The bible and creationism ecommons university of dayton. The most prominent 21 st century proponent of oec progressive creationism is reasons to. Strangely enough, this theory predates evolutionism and does not rely on evolution. The gap theory, also known as the ruinreconstruction theory or gap creationism, suggests that a time gap equaling millions or perhaps even billions of years occurred between genesis 1. But the immediate context and subsequent scriptural allusions to genesis 1 make clear that the initial creation of the heavens and the earth gen. Gap creationism is a form of old earth creationism which posits the belief that the sixyom creation period, as described in the book of genesis, involved six literal 24hour days, but that there was a gap of time between two distinct creations in the first and second verses of genesis, which the theory states explains many scientific observations, including the age of the earth. It was tantamount to eating your cake and having it too, satisfying both the need for a very old earth, conforming to overwhelming scientific evidence, and a recent creation as well. It is held that the book of genesis is a nonliteral story written simply to teach that. And two, the view that john sailhamer wrote in genesis unbound or in his other books, which says that all of creation happened in verses 1 and 2. Chapter two angels in heaven who rebelled against their creator chapter three depriving our youth of sound old earth creationism teaching chapter four straddling the fence between creationism and the theory of evolution chapter five bypassing the spiritual and. Another form of old earth creationism is the dayage position which postulates that the days in the creation week represent long ages in prehistory rather than 24 hour days.
The gap theory, also known as the ruinrestoration theory, is a form of old earth creationism that accepts the creation days of genesis as being literal 24hour days. Christians who take the bible literally believe the world was created by god in seven days. Young earth creationism and gap theology the american vision. An allpowerful being created the universe and earth at the beginning of time, 5 to 10 thousand years ago. But if he created the earth with the appearance of great age i. In an informal poll conducted on this website, with over 1,100 respondents who believe in an old earth, 45 percent are progressive creationists, 32 percent are theistic evolutionists, 10 percent believe in the gap theory, and the rest are old earth, but undecided as to which position to believe in. The theory of evolution changes over time, but so does the scientific story coming out of young earth creationism. For example, believers in the gap theory maintain that there was a gap of billions of years between genesis 1.
This compromise does great damage to the authority of the bible. In the beginnings is a defense of the biblical gap theory of creation. Many christians try to fit millions of years and evolution into the biblical text. A travel guide to the evangelical creation debates. This view argues that there is a gap of millions of years between genesis 1. The debate, however, ignored other christian perspectives, most notably old earth creationism of the intelligent design movement another christian approach to faith and science.
While most said they still believe that the bible is gods word, they also said that the. This gap provides the reason for the appearance of age in the geological record. Literal days, old earth the individuals who hold to the gap theory want to accept the bible literally as well as the conclusions of modern science about the ancient age of the earth they are not evolutionists. Cris hank hanegraaff states that old earth creationism refers to a range of christian creationist viewsthat hold in common the inspiration and inerrancy of scripture but also hold that the bible is silent on the age of the universe and the age of the earth emphasis added. Gap theory differs little from young earth creationism except that it inserts a gap of billions of years between the creation of the universe in gen 1. Salvation is not contingent on what one believes about the age of the earth. The gap theory posits a gap of untold length between the beginning of genesis 1. John morris for an excellent exposition of several such key processes, along with a critique of radiometric dating.
In the early nineteenth century, many christians sought to harmonize biblical teaching with old earth geological theori es such as the gap theory and a. Popular theories of old earth creationism the gap theory. Oldearth creationism the institute for creation research. The bible never declares an age for the earth, but evidence derived from the text fits most comfortably with a date far older than a few thousand years. Second, because the gap theory wants to take the six days of creation literally, it necessarily places genesis 1. Jason lisle and tim chaffey as they put forth a case against an oldearth interpretation of scripture. Old earth creationism aka dayage or progressive creationism is distinct from other types of creationism, namely gap theory, framework hypothesis, and theistic evolution.
However, old earth creationists differ with young earth creationists on the following. Gap creationism also gap theory and ruinrestitution is a form of old earth creationism. This theory, once popular in the late 19th and early to mid 20th centuries, has been rejected by many modernday creationists as being without biblical or scientific support. Verse 1 refers to the original creation of the earth and the universe in the beginning, not to world as we now find it. One of the popular devices for trying to accommodate the evolutionary ages of the geologists and astronomers in the creation record of the bible has been the gap theory also called the ruinandreconstruction theory. Ted davis offers an overview of four core tenets of concordism, discusses the conclusions that follow from these assumptions, and presents a. It differs from dayage creationism, which posits that the days of creation were much longer periods, and from young earth.
This is usually where people put the dinosaurs, etc. How genesis undermines the gap theory by phil robinson. John macarthur on the age of the earth and theistic evolution. Critical analysis of hugh ross progressive dayage creationism through the framework of young earth creationism. Welcome to the gap theory page there has been so much separation over who is right and who is wrong, that it tear on the word of god, people dont seem to believe that jesus says we are to be one with one another, and that this is not a subject like salvation we here are talking about, but a view of gods word, which might be right, and might be wrong, god knows, the same. Gap creationism is a form of old earth creationism that posits that the sixyom creation period, as described in the book of genesis, involved six literal 24hour. Earth creationists utilized either the gap theory or the dayage theory to reconcile genesis 1 and geology. Other, more wellknown books, are focused on promoting a specific biblical interpretation within old earth creationism old earth creationists are united in accepting a 4. Gap theory creationism assumes that a vast period of time elapsed between the first two.
Both old earth and new earth creationism categorically reject the theory of common ancestry. They take the days of creation literally as well as the genealogies. Recommended apologetics books on creation and evolution. The gap theory, also known as the ruinrestoration theory, is a form of old earth creationism that accepts the creation days of genesis as being literal 24hour. There are various versions of the gap theory, but the basic idea of it is that there is a gap of millions or possibly billions of years between genesis 1. Young earth creationism and gap theology young earth creationism yec is all about interpreting the bible literally. This theory is one of several old earth creationism views. To account for the scientific record which shows the universe is billions of years old, the theory states that there is a gap of time in between genesis 1. It attempts to harmonize the genesis account of the creation of the universe with the actual age of the universe by claiming there is a gap between genesis 1. The ancient earth and the angels an introduction to the ancient earth s first inhabitants, the.
Yecs are very critical of old earth creationists oec for not taking the. Basically, it shoehorns a vast timespan of millions or billions of years into the gap between the creation of the heaven and the. New earth 5,000 to 10,000 years the earth universe is just five days older than man. Following this, the standard events of cosmic evolution took. Morris 19182006 was founder of the institute for creation research. Young earth creationists believe that god created the universe 6,00010,000 years ago. The gap theory provides a solution to two problems between the bible and science the time problem and the fossil problem. Why the gap theory wont work the institute for creation. He continues,thus, for that data we must look to the book of nature. Old earth and young earth advocates ought to unite under the banner which is the glorious gospel of christ. The gap theory overview and history of the genesis gap doctrine ruinreconstruction interpretation of old earth creationism.