Religions > Atheism > A word from the Bob Jones "University" "Science" Faculty...
| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"RHertz" |
| Date: |
08 Aug 2004 11:17:53 PM |
| Object: |
A word from the Bob Jones "University" "Science" Faculty... |
Folks, I can't make this stuff up....
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The Position of the BJU Science Faculty and School of Religion on the Gap
Theory
The "gap theory" was popularized among fundamental Bible-believing
Christians by C.I. Scofield in the notes to his reference Bible. Through
over half of the twentieth century it remained a standard interpretation
held by a number of leaders within biblical Fundamentalism. With the
publication of The Genesis Flood by Whitcomb and Morris in February of 1961
and the subsequent birth of the modern creationist movement, there began a
shift toward a more straightforward reading of Genesis 1 and the gap theory
quickly fell out of favor. The "gap theory" is, in its simplest form, a
biblically based belief that there is a time gap of indeterminate length
between the first two verses of Genesis, after the original creation of the
universe but before "day one" of Genesis 1:3.
Supporters of the gap theory point to Genesis 1:2 which says that the "earth
was without form and void" and Isaiah 45:18 which says that the Lord
"created [the earth] not in vain" and argue that there is a contradiction
between the two statements. Some gap supporters also use Genesis 1:28 where
Adam was instructed to "replenish the earth" to imply that there was a
pre-adamic race. In recent years, young earth creationists have not found
these arguments to be compelling evidence for a gap of millions or even
thousands of years between the first two verses of Genesis. Nor have they
found the theory helpful in explaining the fossil record from a biblical
perspective. They point out that Genesis 1:28 literally means "to fill";
Isaiah 45:18 simply means that God's plan for the earth was that it should
be a home for man.
Many fundamentalists of past generations who espoused the gap theory did so
out of a sincere attempt to properly interpret Scripture. They held a high
view of the inspiration of the Bible and would be horrified to think that
anyone today would consider them to be yielding any ground to evolutionists,
an archenemy they opposed.
In conclusion, while the faculty of the Division of Natural Science at Bob
Jones University understands the gap theory interpretation held by other
sincere Bible-believing Christians, especially those of past generations, we
see no necessity for it. We believe that the best way to understand both
Scripture and the scientific evidence is in terms of an earth that is only 6
to 10 thousand years old. For this reason, none of our faculty either
believes or teaches the gap theory.
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http://www.bju.edu/aboutbju/special_articles/gap
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Evolution: Making life better for over four billion years.
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