Context around any highly debated issue is very important and helps us to see our current arguments in perspective. Therefore, this post will sketch a brief history of the age of the earth debate. Someone might immediately ask: “Doesn’t the Bible directly say how old the earth is?” No, it does not. Christians make inferences from Scripture to try to determine how old the earth is, but no text directly states its age. As R.C. Sproul said, “When people ask me how old the earth is, I tell them I don’t know—because I don’t.”1
The Early Church
Beginning with the Patristic Era, some of the church fathers, like Theophilus of Antioch, used II Peter 3:8 (‘a day is like a thousand years’) to interpret the seven days of Genesis as consisting of seven ages, each lasting 1000 years. This led him to date the earth’s creation between 5000 and 5500 BC. Other fathers, such as Clément of Alexandria and Origen, took more of an allegorical approach. Still others, like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Augustine, interpreted the days non-literally.2 In City of God, Augustine wrote, “What kind of days these were it is extremely difficult, or perhaps impossible, to determine.”3
This quote alone should cause those who think that Christians only started discussing this topic and questioning a literal day interpretation as a response to Darwinistic evolution to stop in their tracks. The majority of the early church fathers did take a literal Genesis interpretation, but there was clearly not a complete consensus. The early chapters of Genesis are God’s beautiful account of His creation, some aspects are clear, others are not as clear as a first glance might make them seem.
Medieval Period, Newtonian Physics, and Modern Geology
In contrast to the early church, medieval scholars and reformation scholars did not show much interest in the topic. That said, Calvin and Luther both gave a rough age of less than 6,000 years, but they did not attempt a chronological account. In 1650, James Ussher published Annals of the World, where he gave the exact day the earth was created, October 22, 4004 BC. (Impressive right? John Lightfoot even gave the time! 9 AM!) At the time of Ussher’s publication, at least 140 other contemporaries gave different dates ranging from roughly 3000 BC to about 6500 BC. Ussher’s date gained popularity as it was written in the margin of many early King James Bibles.4
More significant changes in the debate were brought on by Newtonian physics, which saw a return to theories of eternalism by secular theorists and some members of the church. Eternalism is primarily what the patristic fathers were fighting against. Eternalism denies ex nihilo (‘out of nothing’) creation, which the Bible clearly teaches.
The rise of modern geology in the late 18th and early 19th centuries led to the eventual development of theories estimating an age range between 3 million and 1.5 billion years. Still, prior to Darwin’s work, many Christians had accepted an ancient cosmos without denying ex nihilo creation. By 1850, only 50% of American Christians believed in a young earth.
Of course, the only Christians embracing old earth ideas were liberal, right? Not at all. Charles Spurgeon, who is well known for fighting naturalistic thinking, embraced an old earth gap theory. B.B. Warfield, who came up with (and defended) the term biblical inerrancy, accepted theories of an old earth and even an ancient humanity. In 1857, Philip Henry Gosse published Omphalos (Latin for “navel”), which presents the “Appearance of Age Argument” that is utilized to some degree by nearly all young earth creationists today.
The Big Bang and Young Earth Creationism
The 1960s saw two great developments: Big Bang Theory and the resurgence of Young Earth Creationism. Evidence in astronomy and astrophysics caused most scientists to conclude that the universe came into existence 13.7 billion years ago. This general consensus finally came, but only after some strong secular resistance, as the evidence resembled a biblical ex nihilo creation.
At the same time, John Wickham and Henry Morris published The Genesis Flood, in which they defended a view of the universe being no more than 10,000 years old.6 One of the most persuasive arguments in the book was the Paluxy River Bed pictures which showed footprints of dinosaurs together with human beings. However, these photos have since become seriously doubtful to the point where they were removed in the third edition of The Genesis Flood. This book was monumental in its influence, and, unfortunately, it took a very hard-line stance against any other interpretation of the Bible. This included those views which strongly fought against naturalism and fought for Biblical Inerrancy. This aggressive young earth posture set the tone of the argument for the next half of the century.7
Old Earth Creationist Defenders of the Faith
Clearly, this debate is not as cut and dry as many people make it out to be by just assuming that Christians have been in full agreement throughout the history of the church. Although Scripture is always our final authority, I believe it is wise to just consider some of the more recent Christians who have undeniably contended “earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 3), who have also held to some form of an old earth view. This ought to provide some perspective on how a believer’s stance on the age of the earth clearly does not lead them outside of orthodoxy.
The following is a list of some Christians who have embraced old earth views, old universe views, or both: Charles Spurgeon, C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, J.I. Packer, Wayne Grudem, William Lane Craig, Alvin Plantinga, John Piper, Tim Keller, Gavin Otrlund, Rebecca McLaughlin, John Sailhamer, C. John Collins, B.B. Warfield, R.A. Torrey (co-founder of Moody Bible Institute and editor of The Fundamentals), Harry Rimmer, William Jennings Bryan (Christian defender during the Scopes Monkey Trial),8 Justin Taylor9, and Bryan Chapell.10 This list is by no means all-inclusive, nor should it make a believer lean one way or the other. It is simply to point out that there seems to be pretty strong evidence that a Christian’s stance on the age of the earth is not a determination of their orthodoxy.
Resources and Encouragement
For some further thoughts on this subject, here is a very short video from Michael Horton where he discusses interpreting Genesis, interpreting science, and the issues of “fundamentalism” on both sides. If you are looking for a little more, here is a good sermon by Gary McQuinn that gives a quick overview of different interpretations, but mainly focuses on What Genesis 1 is all About.
Questions about the age of the earth can be truly overwhelming for those who are seeking to take both Scripture and science seriously. There are good answers out there that have satisfied some of the greatest minds and devout hearts this world has seen. If you are not a Christian, but are exploring the faith, I encourage you not to be distracted or deterred by this debate. There is a lot of breathing room for dealing with the science while also taking the very Bible seriously.
If you are a Christian and are finding your faith challenged by these different views, I encourage you to keep moving forward. Trust me, I’ve been there. Nothing has challenged my faith more than thinking through science and faith issues. Don’t let this be a barrier to taking Jesus seriously. You can believe in a young earth and follow Christ well, and, you can believe in an old earth and do the same. Your view on the age of earth does not define your faith. Your faith in Christ is what does that. Keep studying, keep praying, and keep following the Author of Life. God can handle your doubts, fears, and questions. Don’t give up.
Notes
- Justin Taylor, “Biblical Reasons to Doubt the Creation Days Were 24-Hour Periods,” The Gospel Coalition, January 28, 2015, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/biblical-reasons-to-doubt-the-creation-days-were-24-hour-periods/
- Kenneth D. Keathley and Mark F. Rooker, 40 Questions About Creation and Evolution (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2014), 180-181
- Taylor, “Biblical Reasons to Doubt the Creation Days Were 24-Hour Periods,” The Gospel Coalition
- Keathley and Rooker, 40 Questions About Creation and Evolution, 181-182
- Ibid. 182-184
- Ibid. 185-188
- Theodor J. Cabal and Peter J. Rasor II, Controversy of the Ages: Why Christians Should not Divide Over the Age of the Earth (Wooster, OH: Weaver Book Company, 2017), 143
- Keathley and Rooker, 40 Questions About Creation and Evolution, 201-202
- Taylor, “Biblical Reasons to Doubt the Creation Days Were 24-Hour Periods,” The Gospel Coalition
- Albert Mohler and Bryan Chapell, “Were Adam and Eve Really Historical Figures?” The Gospel Coalition, March 10, 2017, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/tgc-podcast/were-adam-and-eve-really-historical-figures/
Further Reading
Moore Thinking 