Ageless Earth - Part One

From Faith Science;

On Monday, July 20, 2009, Yahoo News published an article written by Jeanna Bryner entitled, “Comets Killed Ice Age Beasts.” According to the article, the discovery of lonsdaleite nanodiamonds just off the coast of southern California closed the deal. It provided the strongest evidence to date of the catastrophic event long suspected as the cause of extinction of large ice-age animals and the Stone Age group known as Clovis people. Until then, those hexagonal diamonds had only been found in meteorites and impact craters. This was due to the high temperatures and pressures necessary for their formation.

Evidence of arctic life discovered in temperate or tropical areas has caused scientists to point to Ice Ages. Large surfaces of the earth were covered with ice sheets (large continental glaciers) during those time periods. An exhibit on the Ice Ages from the Illinois State Museum shows some interesting facts. On their Web site is the quote, “If a type of animal lives in a certain type of climate now, we may infer that its ancestors lived in that type of climate, too.”

Ice Ages occurred due to changing continental positions, uplift of continental blocks, reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere, and changes in the earth’s orbit during four approximate time intervals:

• Late Proterozoic (800 to 600 million years ago),
• Ordovician and Silurian (460 to 430 million years ago)
• Pennsylvanian and Permian (350 to 250 million years ago)
• Neogene to Quaternary (4 million years ago to present)

As evidenced by the Ice Ages, the general consensus in the international scientific community is that the earth is billions of years old. Theoretically, it makes sense due to the clearly defined strata of the earth and the presence of fossils at varying depths. Experimentally, it makes sense based on carbon dating methods. Fossils used to reconstruct prehistoric animals like mammoths and dinosaurs support this theory. The discovery of human-like bones in the earth’s strata is evidence of the existence of prehistoric man. In addition, the scientific evidence used to support the past occurrence of the Ice Ages is relatively strong.

There is also evidence of a sudden destructive event that caused the end of civilization. Dinosaurs and mammoths did not gradually become extinct but died suddenly. The earth’s strata tell the story of a thriving planet that underwent a catastrophic change. Occasionally, more information like what I just mentioned becomes available concerning what happened. Without getting into specific data, it’s popularly understood that the earth is much older than what we assume from our common understanding of the Bible. Scientists and Christians clash bitterly over this issue without any acceptable resolution.

As a student of geography and physics in high school growing up in a Christian home, I didn’t care to understand why things didn’t match up. When I was in school I agreed with the scientific evidence, and at home I agreed with the biblical evidence. As long as both spheres of my life remained separate, it didn’t matter to me. However, my first degree in applied physics opened the door for me to question my beliefs. Everything changed when I was invited to participate in the 2000 Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California.

The big bang theory formed the foundation of my project, Cosmic Microwave Background Rotating Polarimeter Experiment (CMB ROPE). During one presentation to my peers I was asked to justify my participation in the project even though it contradicted with my Christian beliefs. I told them that I always separated my Christian beliefs from all academic pursuits. That answer satisfied my peers but did not satisfy me. Hence, after almost a decade of searching for answers, this book came to life. The gap theory might be controversial, but at least it’s a valiant attempt to connect science and faith.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:1–2 kjv

The Gap Theory

Have you ever considered the feasibility of the gap theory? It proposes that there was a major time lapse between the first two verses of the Bible. In Genesis 1:1 the Scriptures posit that the creation of the heavens (direct translation from the Hebrew language) and the earth took place at the beginning of time. However, there is good reason to question that God created the earth the way it was described in the next verse.

In Genesis 1:2 the Hebrew word hayah was translated into the English word was, which also means “became” or “came to pass.” In other words, God started time with the creation of the heavens and the earth, but something happened. The earth became without form, empty and dark. What happened? Since our basic assumptions concerning this issue come from the Bible, then let’s stick with it to find our answers.

As a student of the Scriptures, I realize that different people interpret the Hebrew or Greek languages depending on their mindsets. One Bible scholar will get a completely different meaning for a word from another because in his mind he knows what he wants the verse to mean. As a result, I take everything I hear from all of these scholars with a grain of salt. I trust one person, and his name is Jehovah.

Outside of him, everyone else is a liar. Any truth comes not just from a mental knowledge of the Bible but from a personal relationship with God, the true author. In this personal relationship, I believe that God’s wisdom can be accessed through prayer and reading the Bible. I can speak directly to God, and he can speak directly to me. He’s a personal God.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.
James 1:5–6 nlt

Academic interpretations of Scripture will always be skewed. As Paul said in Hebrews 4:2; if this Word isn’t mixed with faith, it is completely worthless in our lives. This topic has been on my heart for many years, and I decided to tackle it head-on in this book. Whether I’m right or wrong doesn’t change your eternal destination. So before you get completely distracted from what really matters in life, let me set the record straight.

Only what happened during this present age affects us directly. Adam sinned and Jesus died to pay the price for it. If you are a human being, then you should face death for what Adam did; but once you are in Christ, you are absolved of all the guilt, shame, and punishment. Now that you understand what’s really important, let’s move on with the discussion.

Part 2 is coming soon....