The landscape of science and faith discussions within conservative evangelical Christianity has shifted noticeably over the past 20 years. Vigorous debates over the meaning of the day of creation in Genesis 1 were common in the 1990s, resulting in study committee reports from conservative denominations like the Presbyterian Church in America, “Report of the Creation Study Committee”... Continue Reading →
Yep, dinosaurs are known by more than just their bones. I have been reading quite a few research papers about dinosaurs as I prepare to write a long set of posts about Dr. Schweitzer and the significance of soft-tissue preservation in dinosaur bones. During this reading I got distracted by a discussion about dinosaur coprolites... Continue Reading →
It has been a while since I've been able write. There has been quite a bit of news the last two weeks and I thought I would briefly comment on a few items that are relevant to my most recent posts: The Salt Chronometer Since I published my series on the salty seas (Part I,... Continue Reading →
A reader recently brought the articles linked below from a Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) website to my attention. I found them interesting not just because they present a good overview of the challenges that the Greenland ice cores present to young earth creationism but because it raised my own awareness about current discussions in the... Continue Reading →
What is the relationship of Genesis 1 and 2? Where was the Garden of Eden and what does Genesis 1 tell us about Eden? Continuing our series on the Historical Creation view of John Sailhamer proposed in Genesis Unbound (1997 and 2011) we ask about the nature of the Garden of Eden. The relationship of... Continue Reading →
I am working my way through John Walton's Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology and really enjoying it. I would say that if you are already familiar with his writing this book may leave you wishing for more as I was hoping for a greater expansion of his ideas outlined in The Lost World of Genesis... Continue Reading →
PART 5: GENESIS 1 WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE PENTATEUCH AND COVENANTS Summary: Genesis 1 is all about the covenant with God's people and the land he promised them. In the future I will be presenting the views of a number of natural historians/theologians and pastors from the late 17th and early 18th century... Continue Reading →
An interesting new resource for research into 17th century natural history has been made available this year in the form of the first of what will be 10 volumes of the monumental work Biblia American by Cotton Mather (1663-1928). The first volume coves this American puritan's commentary on Genesis. Unfortunately the book is rather expensive... Continue Reading →
I can't go into all the issues that Sailhamer interacts with but I will try to hit some of the ones that are most important in distinguishing his ideas from some others. Most of these will be explored in separate posts over the next few weeks. 1) What is the meaning of the phrase "tohu... Continue Reading →
John Sailhamer calls his interpretation of Genesis 1 and 2 Historical Creationism. He distinguishes it from the Scientific Creationism which he sees as starting with the assumption that "modern science holds the answer to the meaning of the biblical text." A: Overview A brief summary of the Historical Creationism thesis of John Sailhmer is... Continue Reading →
There have been a number of commentaries on Genesis 1 and 2 by conservative evangelical scholars. Many of these can be found in my literature review (Modern Creation Debate Books). In the case of John C. Collins, John Sailhamer and John Walton, all three see their views as representing the literal reading of Genesis 1. ... Continue Reading →
Naturalis Historia 