Old Earth Theology is Incompatible with the Bible
By Fred Williams
The age of the earth is an important topic to Christianity since an old earth is in direct conflict with the historical account given in Genesis, and also an affront to the character of God. While belief in an old earth is not necessarily a salvation issue, it is a slippery slope issue. Below is a summary of the arguments against Old Earth theology, followed by a discourse on why it is a slippery slope and the consequences that go with it.
Summary Arguments against Old Earth theology
1) Genesis 1-11 plainly teaches a literal six 24-hour day creation and a global flood. Not only does the plain, obvious rendering of the text support this, it is also widely accepted by Hebrew linguistic scholars. They offer credible testimony not only because of their expertise with the Hebrew language, but also because they are essentially unbiased on this issue. Many of these scholars are either atheist or non-practicing Jews, so they could care less about Christians squabbling over what Genesis teaches about the age of the earth. They overwhelmingly contend that Genesis 1-11 is written as a literal historical account that the earth was created in 6 literal 24-hour days and the flood was global. They totally reject the claim that the days were long eras of time and the flood was local.[1] Old Earthers therefore not only have to try to explain why numerous passages mean something different than what the plain rendering conveys, they also have to posit that they know something we don't and that the vast majority of unbiased Hebrew scholars have also "missed the boat" on this issue. [2]
2) The Bible plainly teaches that death came into the world because of sin. Not only is it clear from Genesis 3 that man's sin brought death and corruption into the world, the New Testament also confirms this: "¦through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin" (Romans 5:12); "For since by man came death" (1 Corinthians 15:21). It is also important to note that death is an enemy to God: "The last enemy that will be destroyed is death." (1 Corinthians 15:26). Yet if you believe in an old earth, you believe in millions upon millions of years of death, disease, suffering, and killing. One Christian speaker I met at a youth conference where we were both speaking said that God was like a pool player that has taken a lot of different shots over millions of years. I responded that the God he is describing sounded to me like a bad pool player! The idea of millions of years of death & disease & killing is a secular idea, and is an affront to the character of the God of the Bible, a God of Love and a God of Life.
3) Jesus was a young earth creationist. The New Testament refers back to Genesis over 200 times. For example, "But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'" (Mark 10:6). This verse clearly links Adam & Eve with the beginning of creation, and alone refutes all Old Earth theologies such as the gap theory and progressive (day-age) creationism. Jesus also appealed to Noah's flood in Matt 24:38 as a global flood (the Greek word used is kataklusmos). Peter prophesied in 2 Peter 3:3-6 that scoffers will deny the world was destroyed by a flood. He used the same Greek word for flood, kataklusmos. He also used it as an analogy to the coming destruction of the heavens and earth (v 7, 10), which would not make sense if the flood were merely local. Finally, God's rainbow promise to never again send a flood seems awfully shallow if the flood was local, since we've had scores of local floods since this promise (Gen 9:12-17). To claim that scripture allows for Noah's flood to be local is reading something into the text that simply isn't there, and is also an affront to God's character since it make's God's promises appear "watered down".
4) Other Genesis 1 calisthenics. Not only is the plain text clear in Genesis 1 that God created in six literal days, God also ordered the creation to thwart man's attempts to add millions of years. For example:
* Genesis clearly teaches that the earth was created on day 1 and the sun, moon, and stars on day 4. OECers deny this order and claim the sun, moon, and stars came first.
* Genesis clearly states that plants were created on day 3 and the sun on day 4. The light from day 1 certainly would have been sufficient for photosynthesis. OECers (day-age theology) however claim there are millions of years between day 3 and 4, so how could the plants possibly survive? They answer by claiming that the sun was really created on "day" 1 and it wasn't until "day" 4 (millions of year later) that the sun could be seen through the clouds. The hoops OECers must jump through!
* Genesis clearly states that light was created before the sun, OECers claim that the sun was earth's first light.
* Genesis clearly states that birds pre-date land reptiles; OECers claim the opposite.
* Genesis clearly states that whales pre-date land mammals; OECers claim the opposite.
The Slippery Slope
Psalms 11:3 - If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?
Genesis is the very foundation of the Bible, containing all the major doctrines including salvation, original sin, why we wear clothes, the institution of marriage, etc. If the foundation is destroyed, the rest of the Bible becomes subjective and easily mutable by man's whimsical desires of what he wants God to say. This is exactly what we have seen with churches that have compromised on Genesis. Every single church in the world that is liberal in its theology, by supporting or condoning issues like abortion and H*m*s*xuality, all began with a compromise of Genesis. Examples include United Methodist, United Church of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran (ELCA), Episcopalian, etc. Of the churches that have gone completely apostate by denying the resurrection as historical (such as United Church of Canada), all began with a compromise in Genesis.
Its influence on individuals is perhaps best summarized by the classic example of Charles Templeton, who at one time was the leading evangelist in America in the 1950s. After he went to Princeton and became convinced the earth was old, he recognized the conflict with Genesis and over time eventually abandoned the faith completely. He told Billy Graham "But, Billy, it's simply not possible any longer to believe, for instance, the biblical account of creation. The world wasn't created over a period of days a few thousand years ago; it has evolved over millions of years. It's not a matter of speculation; it's demonstrable fact." He wrote a book in 1995 titled "˜Farewell to God: My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith'; most of the reasons he listed were related to his acceptance of an old earth and evolution. The number one reason he gave (according to his son) was his disdain for a God involved in millions of years of death, disease, killing, etc. Unfortunately he was led to believe this inaccurate caricature of God by "intellectuals" who taught him that the earth was old and that the fossil record represented millions of years of death, instead of the more reasonable conclusion that the fossil record was the result of a global flood and represented God's eventual judgment of sin.[3]
Satan is very intelligent and knows that if he places doubts in the minds of people of the historical accuracy in the very first book of the Bible, they are more likely to reject historical claims and doctrines in the rest of the Bible, most importantly the resurrection. While not all Christians who accept an old earth slide down the slippery slope, what they need to consider is that those they influence, such as friends and family members, may not be able to withstand the slippery slope, and over time may find themselves at the bottom and in danger of eternal damnation. Studies have consistently shown that between 70-88% of kids leave the faith after the first year of college, and the number one reason given is "intellectual skepticism".
I am convinced that there is not a single Christian who believes in an Old Earth and a local flood based on what scripture teaches. They originally accepted OEC based on what they learned from fallible man and their fallible dating methods, then reasoned that scripture must somehow accommodate the possibility of an old earth (this is based on personal experience, as I was OEC until about age 30). All their theological arguments are after-the-fact; they start with man's opinion first, then go to the Bible. As Christians we should always start with God's Word (the Bible), then consider the evidence around us. You will find that God did not let us down and plant evidence to deceive us. On the contrary, the creation science community has brought to light over the last several decades reasonable and plausible evidence that contradicts an old earth[4]. Even so, it is not possible to empirically prove the age of the earth, so at the end of the day we must rely on historical science and appeal to the most historically accurate book known to man, the Bible (for a defense of the Bible as historically accurate, see my Bible Evidences web page).
Ultimately, you have to ask yourself if you truly are trusting God's wisdom over the "wisdom" of the world (see 1 Cor 1:19-20 for God's view of the wisdom of the world). Do you accept God's plain words, or the opinions of fallible man and fallible dating methods?
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; (Isaiah 58:12)
It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man. (Psalms 118:8)
All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or perverse is in them. They are all plain to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge. (Prov 8:8-9)
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[1] - "Probably, so far as I know, there is no professor of Hebrew or Old Testament at any world-class university who does not believe that the writers of Genesis 1-11 intended to convey to their readers the ideas that (a) creation took place in a series of six days which were the same as the days of 24 hours we now experience. "¦ Or, to put it negatively, the apologetic arguments which suppose the 'days' of creation to be long eras of time, the figures of years not to be chronological, and the flood to be a merely local Mesopotamian flood, are not taken seriously by any such professors, as far as I know." " Professor James Barr of Oxford University England, as quoted in "The Young Earth", John Morris 1994, p.31.
[2] OECers seem to imply that we need intelligent, well-educated men to tell us what scripture really means (I've actually had OECers tell me this on more than one occasion). However, not only does this reveal an inconsistency given that they ignore the overwhelming consensus of Hebrew linguistic experts who reject their interpretation of Genesis, it is also not scriptural. The Bible was written for the simple-minded and intellectual alike. "The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple." (Ps 119:130). Note that it is God's Word that gives the light and understanding, not the opinion of some intellectual.
[3] The fossil record is 95% marine life that is buried all over the world, including on most mountain ranges. This is consistent with Moses' claim that a great flood covered the mountains (Gen 7:20). Fossilization typically requires rapid burial in mud. Also, when clams die, their shells invariably open. The shell life we find in the fossil record is often in the closed position, which is powerful evidence they were buried alive. Yet we are told by secular scientists there is no evidence of a global flood.

[4] Most age chronometers contradict an old earth. One of the most powerful is C-14, which is radioactive and decays to nitrogen. Why is this a problem for an old earth? C-14 has a half-life of roughly 5700 years, so after 50K years the C-14 should have essentially vanished and changed into nitrogen in any material assumed to be older than 50K years. However, we invariably find C-14 in coal, natural gas, and diamonds, all material that is supposed to be millions of years old. Old earth scientists can't blame it on contamination since it is extremely rare to find such a material without C-14 in it! For another powerful argument against an old earth that also supports an age of ~6K, see the thread "˜Helium In Zircons Is Powerful Evidence For Young World'. You can also find a long laundry list of arguments against an old earth at Answers in Genesis, ICR, and CRS.