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Affirmations & Denials |
Terry Mortenson, Thane H. Ury, editors, Coming to Grips with Genesis: Biblical Authority and the Age of the Earth, Master Books, 2008. Pages 453-457 The following affirmations and denials reflect the almost universal consensus of the Church throughout history, until the early 19th century. Their substance, rigorously defended by many past and present scholars, is currently rejected by a large portion of the contemporary worldwide church and, sadly, by many Christian scholars involved in explaining and defending the Christian worldview. Therefore, as an addendum to the affirmations and denials of the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy and of the International Church Council, the undersigned present these affirmations and denials to the Church as an essential part of the presentation of the Christian worldview to the world of the 21st century. I. We affirm that the scientific aspects of creation are important, but are secondary in importance to the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ as Sovereign, Creator, Redeemer and Judge. II. We affirm that the 66 books of the Bible are the written Word of God. The Bible is divinely inspired and inerrant throughout (in all the original autographs). Its assertions are factually true. It is the supreme authority, not only in all matters of faith and conduct, but in everything that it teaches. III. We affirm that the final guide to the interpretation of Scripture is Scripture itself. Scripture must be compared with Scripture to obtain the correct interpretation of a particular text, and clear Scriptures must be used to interpret ambiguous texts, not vice versa. We affirm that the special revelation of infallible and inerrant Scripture must be used to correctly interpret the general revelation of the cursed creation. IV. We affirm that no apparent, perceived, or claimed evidence in any field, including history, archeology, and science, can be considered valid if it contradicts the scriptural record. We also affirm that the evidence from such fields of inquiry is always subject to interpretation by fallible people who do not possess all information. V. We affirm that the account of origins presented in Genesis is a simple but factual presentation of actual events and therefore provides a reliable framework for scientific research into the question of the origin and history of life, mankind, the earth, and the universe. VI. We affirm that the genealogies in Genesis 5 and 11 are chronological, enabling us to arrive at an approximate date of creation of the whole universe. We affirm that mankind is essentially as old as the whole creation. While some disagreement exists between young-earth creationists over whether or not these are strict, gap-less genealogies (i.e., no missing names between Adam and Noah and Noah and Abraham), we affirm that Genesis points to a date of creation between about 6,000-10,000 years ago. VII. We affirm that the days in Genesis do not correspond to geologic ages, but are six, consecutive, literal (essentially 24-hour) days of creation. VIII. We affirm that the various original life forms (kinds), including mankind, were made by direct, supernatural, creative acts of God. The living descendants of any of the original kinds (apart from man) may represent more than one species today, reflecting the genetic potential within a particular original created kind. Only relatively limited biological changes (due to such processes as natural selection, mutations, and other biological processes that might be discovered in the future) have occurred naturally within each kind since creation. IX. We affirm the supernatural creation of Adam from dust and the supernatural creation of Eve from Adam's rib in a very short period of time (seconds or minutes) on the sixth day of creation. X. We affirm that the account of the Fall of Adam and Eve into sin is a literal historical account and that the Fall had cosmic consequences. We also affirm that both physical and spiritual death and bloodshed entered into this world subsequent to, and as a direct consequence of, man's sin. We further affirm that this historical Fall is the reason for the necessity of salvation for mankind through the redemptive work of the "Last Adam," Jesus Christ. XI. We affirm that the great Flood described in Genesis 6-9 was an actual historic event, worldwide (global) in its extent and extremely catastrophic in its effect. As such, it produced most (but not all) of the geological record of thousands of meters of strata and fossils that we see on the earth's surface today. XII. We affirm that all people living and dead are descended from Adam and Eve and that as such all people equally bear the image of God, their Maker. We therefore affirm that there is only one race of human beings and that the various people groups (with their various languages, cultures, and distinctive physical characteristics, including skin color) arose as a result of God's supernatural judgment at the Tower of Babel and the subsequent dispersion of the people by families. |