I answered your questions here.
 

Thanks Macht. I appreciate it. Your answers are quite interesting.
 

Hello Alan,

I am an OEC and I followed a link to your site while reading Macht's answers he posted on his site. Let me give it a shot:

1. Science is the study of the physical world through examination of its parts (biological, physical, archaeological, etc.) and trying to reach conclusions about its functions therefrom.

2. I think that the question is entirely too vague. Broadly, I would say that non-science would be anything that does not constitute an examination of the physical world for the purpose stated above.

3. I think that it is science because it examines the physical world and draws conclusions based on such examination. However, I don't think that the answers that they pose stand up to the evidence and that better answers exist.

4. Yes, because it examines the physical world and draws conclusions based on those examinations.

5. Absolutely there is evidence for YEC. But I don't think that the evidence is better than the evidence for an old earth. Keep in mind, evidence is not the same as proof. Moreover, evidence is simply data, but it is the interpreation of the data/evidence that leads to conclusions.

6. The Hebrew word for "day" in Genesis can mean both a 24 hour day as well as an indefinite period of time.

6a. The Hebrew word "day" used in Exodus 20:11 is the same used in Genesis and can mean indefinite periods of time.


7. There was death before the fall. I don't have an opinion on the first question, but as to the second my answer would be yes.

7a. The question contains too many unwarranted assumptions. I will say that God designed the universe to have plant and animal death before the fall. To say that it is "consistent with his nature" is a loaded statement.

8. I tend to think so, but I know that scientists don't presently think so. Time will tell on this.

9. I was raised in the church, but I wasn't truly a Christian until college. By then I had taken biology, physics, and chemistry. My education continues (although not formally) so I would say I have became a Christian while studying science.

9a. I was taught old earth evolution. All forms of creationism were ridiculed at my state undergraduate school.

10. It's damaging only among people who have their mind set that evolution is absolutely true and any view to the contrary is ignorant.

11. I think that the miracles described in the Bible actually happened. I think, however, that the whole of creation is a miracle, too.

12. The Bible is the inerrant Word of God.
 

Thanks BK. You are probably the first OEC I have talked to that thinks there was a global flood.

Part of the purpose of the questionnaire is to gain an understanding of the ranges of beliefs of OEC. I have a pretty good understanding of YEC beliefs, so it is great to get more OEC talking about what they think.
 

I have reproduced Macht's answers in this comment, as his original blog is no longer there....

From the web archive

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Old Earth Questionnaire

Alan Grey has a questionnaire up at his blog and he asked if I would answer them. His questions are in bold and my answers follow. I will do my best to "be succinct as possible" but I make no promises.


1) What is science?

There is no such thing as "science." There are many different sciences (e.g., physics, biology, psychology, economics, etc.) and they are human disciplines that deal with many different aspects of creation. The sciences have at least three components: empirical data, theory, and metaphysical shaping principles.

2) What separates science from non-science?

Modal abstraction. The sciences deal with modal abstraction while non-science doesn't.

3) Is 'Young Earth Creation science' such as that practiced by members of Answers in Genesis or Creation Ministries International 'science'? Why or why not?

I would say that "Young Earth Creation science" is bad science (not non-science) because I disagree with some of the metaphysical shaping principles that lie behind it and because I don't think its theories are consistent with the the empirical data.

4) Is 'Intelligent Design' such as that practiced by members of the Discovery Institute 'science'? Why or why not?

No. I think it could be science some day but right now I think it is basically just an idea that hasn't been developed into any kind of theory.

5) Is it possible for there to be evidence of young earth creationism?

Yeah, it is possible.

6) What are the reasons you hold for interpreting Genesis 1 as allowing or supporting long ages?

I don't think the reason Genesis 1 was written was to tell us how old the earth is. In that respect, Genesis 1 supports neither long nor short days.

6A) Exodus 20:11 (written by the finger of God Exodus 32:16) refers to God making the world in 6 days. What are the reasons you hold for interpreting Exodus 20:11 as allowing or supporting long ages?

My answer to this is pretty much the same as my answer to the previous question.

7) Was there death before the fall?
Was it only physical?
Was it only non-human?

Plants and animals died before the fall. This was a biological death.

7A) The fossil record displays evidence of disease and violent death before the time of humans. Were disease and violence part of God's good design and consistent with his nature? If not...what caused it?

I don't know.

8) Was there a global flood? What are the reasons you hold for interpreting Genesis 6-8 to support this position?

A global flood is unlikely. I've never found any of the global flood models (e.g., the vapor canopy model) very convincing. I don't really think Genesis 6-8 supports this position but I don't think it rules it out, either.


9) Did you become a Christian before or after studying science?

I was baptized as an infant and made profession of faith when I was 16. I started studying science in first grade. I would say I was a Christian before I started studying science but some might say I was a Christian after.

9A) Were you taught young earth creation, old earth creation or old earth evolution at school/university?

I went to a Christian high school and when we talked about age of the earth in biology class, we looked at arguments for and against 6 day/24 hour creation, long day creation, and theistic evolution. If I remember correctly we had advocates of each come in and talk about why they believed each. Here is a post I made a while ago about what we studied in that class.

10) Is young earth creation damaging or dangerous to the Christian faith and evangelism? Why or why not?

I think "Creation science" is dangerous to Christian faith, whether it is the young earth or old earth variety. I really don't have a problem with people who believe in a young earth, even though I think they are wrong.

11) Are all miracles in the Bible descriptions of actual events where God acted outside of what we would normally consider natural law? If not, which ones are excluded and why?

I think it is a mistake to contrast miracles with "natural law," since it implies that God acts in two different ways. For more info on this, see this post. Here is another post I wrote about miracles.

12) Is the bible, in it's original form, the inerrant word of God, accurate and truthful on whatever topic it speaks on?

I agree with what the Belgic Confession (Articles 2-7) says about Scripture. I would tend to use the word "infallible" when referring to the Bible, rather than "inerrant."