God is the original “YEC”

This post is a response to Young Earth Creationist: Ignorance Of What You Dispute, a post featured today on WordPress‘s home page.

God is a Young Earth Creationist (“YEC”). He knows the earth was created in six days. He was there. In fact, He did the creating, making Him the very first YEC. But while the author of this article (“BGH”) seems ignorant of the inherent limitations of the physical sciences, and while his article seems to have multiple personalities, he does manage to make a good point (almost).

Logical Flaws

First and foremost, BGH does not acknowledge the God of the universe. Were everything else about his article beyond reproach, his misplaced starting point would lead him always into error.

Next, the author seems to have a hard time defining what he wants to talk about. The article’s title, intro, and conclusion decry the “young earth creationism” theory of the origin of the planet. Clearly, he’s starting-out defending the various dating techniques used for determining the age of our planet. Yet all of his bullet points (comprising the middle half of the article) seek to distance evolution – not the age of the planet – from other fields of study.

Another error in BGH’s logic is his choice for first scientific field he distinguishes from evolution: cosmology, which BGH defines as “the field that explains the origins of the universe”. It’s funny that he’s specifically excluding the age of the universe from the discussion, when it’s the age of the planet that is being discussed.

An Interesting Point

However, I must agree with BGH’s critique of the logic of many “YECs” that engage evolution in the public sphere. When the Word of God is cast as merely one’s “belief” as opposed to God’s Truth, no logic can bail-out the argument. If the YEC grants non-Biblical beliefs equal value with God’s Word, there is no point in continuing the debate. The YEC has then forfeited any right to influence either the person they’re debating or those watching from the sidelines.

The job of the Christian is not to debate science on scientific terms. To do so is to grant science the authority to be the arbiter of truth. It also implies acceptance of science’s physical limitations for the debate, a debate that is fundamentally about the existence of a spiritual God.

Instead, our arguments must begin as does the Bible, and as creation itself began: “In the beginning, God…”

The Bachelor Finale

Fans may pity Melissa. And with good reason. I, however, pity Jason.

He’s clearly agonizing over the right thing to do. He hates how he’s treated Melissa. He can’t figure-out what went wrong after the final rose ceremony. I think he spends the most time, though, wondering what went wrong AT the final rose ceremony.

The thing he’s missing – and I think he’s aware it’s missing – is a guide to what the right thing to do would be.

And for that, I pity him.

People we talk to in our everyday lives seem to have life all together. They’re just as happy as we who follow Christ. They’re not confused, they’re in command of their lives, and they exude confidence.

But many of these people also deny any objective standard for right living. Jason clung desperately to the notion that there is a right way and a wrong way to treat a girl. It was such a rare and unique and noble characteristic that I believe it was what so endeared him to his fans. And having treated Melissa wrongly – even though he intended well – was what tore him up so much. The problem, though, was that he rejected the true condition of his fallen human heart. The very thing he looked to for guidance was failing him, and he was grieved at the betrayal.

The folks around us may have a big-enough worldview for their own everyday existence. But it doesn’t take a big event to disprove their assumptions and leave them in denial or – as in Jason’s case – despair.

Those of us who know Jesus must speak-up at such times. We must speak, not with condescension or chastisement, but with news of the God Who created all things, and Who upholds all things by the word of His power. Only Jesus can both acknowledge the failings of humanity and simultaneously offer hope of forgiveness.