Introduction
The topic of the age of the earth has been argued throughout the ages. Young earth supporters turn to Genesis one and state that the Hebrew word used for day–yom–is meant to be a literal 24 hour period. However, old earth supporters turn to the earth and how it appears to be 4.5 billion years old (https://www.space.com/24854-how-old-is-earth.html), countless fossils that support evolution, and undeniable evidence that ultimately points to an apparently unbiblical view of creation. Finally, theistic evolutionists that, “God started it all and he is still watching over his creation.” (https://answersingenesis.org/theistic-evolution/). In light of the Bible and what it states about creation, how can Christian teachings contradict compelling evidence regarding the earth’s age? how do Christians deal with fossils that support evolution when the Bible states that God created man? and most importantly, which view is both Biblically and scientifically accurate.
Exegesis
What exactly is young earth creationism? Young earth creationism is the idea that the earth was made my God in a literal six day period and that the earth–when compared with other views–is relatively young (https://www.gotquestions.org/young-earth-creationism.html). Young earth creationists look at Genesis 1 to be literal; words like “day”, “evening”, and “morning” imply that there was a literal 24-hour day period and that the sequence of events happened exactly as it is written in the creation account in the Bible. Now we shift to the polar opposite view. Old earth creationism is the idea that God created the universe and all living things–including Adam and Eve–over a much longer lime period that the young earth creationists allow (Newman 105). Ultimately, the earth is several billion years old and the Genesis account for creation should not be taken literally. Old earth creationists turn to Psalm 90:4, “A day is like a thousand years.” Theistic evolution has one main similarity with old earth creationism: bot believe in an earth that is several billion years old. Theistic evolutionists also believe one of two things: God created the world and everything in it and then he stepped back and let creation take the reins or God has performed a myriad of miracles throughout history that have accumulated and caused to earth to become how it is today (Van Till 161). Theistic evolutionists turn to the Genesis account of creation to support their claims.
Analysis
What evidence is there for young earth creationism? First, the Genesis account clearly describes the days to be normal, 24-hour days. Moses writes, “And there was evening and there was morning,…” Also, Moses describes the events of creation as “the [x] day” (“the first day”, “the second day,” etc). Second, the idea of lunar recession states that every single year, the year is distancing itself from the earth by an average of 1.5 inches. At that rate, the match would have had to be approximately 15,000 miles away–compared to the 238,900 miles that the moon is currently away from the earth–if the earth is 4.5 billion years old; whereas the moon would have only moved 800 feet if the earth was formed six thousand years ago (Stephenson 136). Third, recently a woman by the name of Mary Schweitzer has discovered a femur from a tyrannosaurus rex in Montana that had intact cells, complete blood vessels, and even flexible connective tissue (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dinosaur-shocker-115306469/). Last, Exodus 20:9-11 says that the Lord created the heavens and the earth in six days and then he rested on the seventh. Here we see evidence that points to the Genesis account being a literal 24-hour time because it is referred to again when God is giving Moses the Ten Commandments.
What evidence is there for old earth creationism? First, the Hebrew word for day–yom–is used else where in the Bible. Psalm 90:4–which is then again cited by Peter in II Peter 3:8–says, “A day (yom) is like a thousand years.” Even with this in mind, a thousand years does not equate to a billion years. However, the Psalms are littered with figurative language such as simile, metaphor, metonymy, alliteration, and in this case, hyperbole. Second, Adam is given the task to name all the living creatures. It would be nearly impossible for Adam to be able to name all the animals in a mere 24-hour period. Third, the speed of light. The speed of light is measured at 299,792,458 meters per second. By using astronomy, we know that Andromeda galaxy is approximately 2.5 million light years away. Meaning, we are seeing the Andromeda galaxy in the state that it was in 2.5 million years ago because we have to allow the light to travel the appropriate distance.