Last year I made a list of Biblical reasons to hold to a Young Earth. By that term, I mean thousands of years not millions. No one knows precisely the age of the earth, but that’s not what is being debated by, for example, Justin Taylor. What’s at stake is evolution. Since I’ve posted some negative things recently, here’s a positive list of pure love for YEC—which of course implies hatred for evolution.
- YEC is the only view of Creation that removes all forms of macroevolution. Day-Age, gap theory, and framework hypothesis all need millions of years for the sake of evolution.
- YEC is the overwhelmingly dominant view of the church until Darwin. Who can you find before Darwin to talk about millions of years? Not even Augustine. Church history, if we read before the 20th century, is not on the side of any Christian who thinks fondly of evolution.
- YEC supports perspicuity. Once upon a time, the Reformers actually thought the clarity of Scripture was a vital point in the spiritual war.
- YEC naturally supports the global flood of Noah rather than some local spillage. By getting Genesis 1 right, you are set up to get chapters 2-9 right. That’s 9 chapters for the price of one. Or you lose all 9 if you somehow find millions of year lurking between “the evening and the morning were the first day.”
- YEC keeps the antithesis clear. Especially these days, YEC says, “There are two sides that cannot be reconciled. One is founded on the authority of Scripture and the other is founded on the authority of man. Choose you this day.” Sure, maybe other views can try to use Scripture, but it takes more work for a theistic evolutionist to demonstrate to an unbeliever that he is really loyal to the Bible not merely the latest book.
- YEC fits the scientific record. The lack of missing links, tree fossils through multiple geologic “layers,” and animals that can only mate within their kind is just the tip of the iceberg of evolution’s difficulties.
