Creation, Genesis, and God's Love

I grew up in a non-Christian family and believed in evolution until I became a follower of Christ. The ideas of an old universe and evolution still feel "natural" or "normal" to me. To think that the universe is 14.5 billion years old doesn't seem far fetched to me, because it is what I grew up believing. On a similar note, to think that when I die, I will be buried and cease to exist doesn't seem unusual to me either. This is what I grew up with. I don't believe that anyone will ever cease to exist, but it doesn't seem like some crazy idea to me. It is what I grew up with. I suppose it would be similar to what it might be like to be a Hindu, Muslim, or Morman who begins to follow Christ. There are certain beliefs that change over time, but those beliefs of upbringing don't seem out-of-the-ordinary.

However, I am now a follower of Christ and I believe in the reliability of the scriptures. They are without error.  I've reviewed evolution as a lay person and found that there are competent scientists on both sides of the argument.  Not just Christian, it should be noted.  There is a growing and more general "Intelligent Design" viewpoint in science that is getting harder and harder to ignore.  For example, Hugh Ross, who happens to be a Christian, argues that evolution is highly problematic due to the fact that the four amino acids which make up genes and chromosomes don't like to hang around in the same temperature. An evolutionary theory of our existence would mean that amino acids would have resided very far away from each other in completely different weather environments. For them to casually come together is problematic. All this to say, I don't currently believe in evolution, even though entertaining the possibility doesn't seem strange to me.

The main problem I had for years was dealing with the fact that the universe "looks" old. It looks like it is 14.5 billion years old. Astronomers, who happen to be Christians, have a much harder time dealing with this issue than evolution. We've never seen a new species appear out of nowhere in support of evolution. However, we do see that the universe looks like it is 14.5 billion years old. Due to this problem, I've long supported the ideas of Hugh Ross, who is an astronomer and a Christian. He obtained his Phd. from University of Toronto. His theory is that each day mentioned in the Genesis account of creation represents a "time" or "age". Day one would represent 10 billion years. The next couple days would represent 4 billion years, and so forth. Reading the text, it doesn't seem all that far fetched. I am familiar with those who adhere to a literal "6 day creation" who believe the earth and the universe is about 6,500 years old. The scientific arguments they set forth aren't all that convincing, even though I think they treat the scripture really well.

Recently, however, I heard a position which is new to me and I'm really intrigued by it. I don't even know what "position" to call it. The man I heard this from is a Phd. or Thd. candidate in something at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. This man is a literal "six" day creationist. This means he believes God created the universe and the earth somewhere around 10,000 to 20,000 years ago and that he did it in six days. He says the text says it was six days and that to honor God through a literal interpretation of the Bible that we should believe exacly what is written. But, here is what I found very interesting. He pointed out something I had never considered before. He said, "When God created Adam, how old was he?" Our small audience didn't answer. Our speaker went on to say, "Adam was one day old on his second day of existence. BUT, he was 20 or 30 or 18 or 45 years old or something like that. He wasn't an infant. So, he was created 'with age'. On his first day of existence, he might have been 25 years old, according to his physical body." I went up to the speaker after the speaking engagement and asked, "So, is what you are saying, is that similar to Adam being created 'with age' that the universe could have been created in just six literal days, but 'with age'?" He said, "Yes, this is exactly what I'm saying."

Wow. What an idea. I have no idea whether it is right or not, but I've never heard this position before. This is proposing the idea that the universe was created in six days, but with 14.5 billion years of age, just like Adam was created instantly and was already an adult. I need to look at the text more, but it sure seems to be challenging my interpretation of Genesis over the years. I stated above that I've followed Hugh Ross' version of the old universe/no evolution hypothesis. This idea I heard about the other night feels like a fresh perspective that is also respectful of a literal interpretation of the scriptures. I write this entry to raise this question and ask you what you have to think about the matter. I'd really appreciate those of you who have theological training or scientific training to respond and let me know your thoughts. If you know someone who has theological or scientific training who can respond, please point them towards this entry.

My final thoughts, however, are these: The beauty of God and His creation cannot be surpassed. His majesty and His glory are found everywhere. His love shines even in the most difficult of circumstances and there is always a plan behind everything He is doing. I don't know how old the universe is, but I do know one thing. God created this vast expanse of stars and galaxies. Yet, He's right here with me now as I type this entry. He is holy, majestic, big, huge, and beyond compare. Yet, He's right here with you as you're reading. So majestic, yet so loving. This is the kind of God I want to be connected to.