Not likely to end the controversy, but an important book

books:


	• A Matter of Days: Resolving a Creation Controversy Hugh Ross NavPress Publishing Group, 2004 - 303 pages average customer review:based on 61 reviews view larger image
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not just for people with religious beliefs

This book serves many purposes.

One is to counter the claims by many dishonest and incompetent journalists that people with religious beliefs are stupid and ignore scientific evidence.

The second is to report that theologians of several respected denominations have made pronouncements that the Hebrew word Yom in Genesis can easily mean long time peroids. The pronouncements of theologians over the past two thousand years have indicated that Yom could mean time periods of a fraction of a second to thousands or more years.

The third is to summarize just how consistent vastly different ways of estimating the age of the universe are.

The fourth is that the universe age is too short to produce life by accident.

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A Matter of Incomplete Arguments

Dr. Ross does a commendable job of trying to explain complex astronomical data to laymen. Unfortunetely, he also obscures some issues wth selective data which paints a picture decidedly one-sided. He is not as objective as he tries to make himself out to be. Apart from that, this book is a reasonable attempt to summarize one side of the age of the universe issue and harmonize it with the Biblical story.

A specific example of one-side only rhetoric is in Dr. Ross's discussion of the Hebrew language case for an old universe. He discusses at length his own position, without reference to the fact that nearly all authoritiative experts in Hebrew language studies consider his position to be at odds with accepted interpretation.

Overall this book is well written and informative, but should be balanced with opposition arguments which will not be found between its covers.

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A matter of truth

It has been noted that the Christian faith has suffered as much at the hands of certain of its adherents as those of its enemies. A strictly literal or concretist interpretation of scripture alienates many ordinary people and of course many scientists, who would otherwise be receptive to the gospel message.

This book addresses the question of the duration of the creation days of Genesis in the light of both scripture and science. Still dividing the Christian community, the matter revolves around the Hebrew word "Yom" in the creation account. Young Earth Creationists ascribe a concrete meaning of 24 hours to these days whilst Old Earth Creationists consider the word to mean a long period of time.

In a spirit of civility, the author weighs up the evidence from the Bible and from nature, that is, God's revelation and God's creation. Sympathetically considering the reasons why Young Earthers are so dogmatic about the duration of these creation days, Ross firmly believes that the controversy ought not to divide the community of believers.

From the earliest times, Jewish and Christian theologians like Philo, Josephus, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Augustine and Eusebius have held a tolerant attitude towards differing interpretations of the length of the creation days. It was only in the 17th century that two British scholars, John Lightfoot and James Ussher introduced the dogma of 24-hour days.

Chapter 7: Anchored In Scripture, looks at 21 major scriptural passages that address creation. The meaning of the Hebrew words Yom, Ereb and Boqer are analyzed here in their biblical and linguistic semantic contexts. It is clear as daylight to this reader that the word Yom may signify a long time period; it certainly does so in the Bible itself, for example the end-time Day Of The Lord.

Amongst other fascinating insights, Ross demonstrates how the Biblical account and the Big Bang theory are in complete harmony. He addresses the evidence offered against an old earth and refutes it point by point. Ross deals patiently and respectfully with even the nuttiest of theories for a young earth.

Other topics include the reliability of radiometric dating, scientific signs of old age and the significance of mankind. Occasionally the writing becomes highly scientific but it is still accessible to the general reader. The author also provides information on several Creation Day Church Councils that attempted to resolve the differences in a spirit of reconciliation.

There are three appendices: A - The Meaning Of Faith In The Bible; B - Creation Passages In The Bible; C - The Voice Of Nature. The book concludes with 36 pages of notes, an index, short biography of the author and information on his organization Reasons To Believe. Illustrative figures and tables enhance the text.

A Matter Of Days is a well-written, thoroughly researched work written in an engaging style and a spirit of civility. It proves, inter alia, that belief in an old earth does not equate to belief in evolution. With this book, Ross has made a valuable contribution to the accumulating proof that science and logic support the message of the Bible. I also recommend the book Who Was Adam? by Fazale Rana.

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Not likely to end the controversy, but an important book

After I became a Christian at the age of 19, I followed the debate about origins with a great deal of interest. I read young-earth creationist literature, as well as liberal interpretations, none of which convinced me. But there are two major issues in origins. One is the evolution debate, the other is the age of the universe. Philip Johnson persuaded me that evolution was unsupported by the evidence in "Darwin on Trial." He did it by arguing from an old-earth perspective. Hugh Ross finally persuaded me that the universe is old with this book and some of his other works that I have read.

To clarify some misunderstandings, Ross does not support darwinian evolution in any way (other than the universally accepted principle of micro-evolution - change within species). But he does believe in an old earth, and that this is compatible with accepted interpretations of Genesis which date back to the early church. In other words, Christians who believe in the authority of Scripture (which Ross does) can have confidence that God's word is true without asserting that all secular scientists are blinded about the nature of the physical universe because of their unbelief.

For many people the interpretation of Genesis 1 is an integral part of their faith. To such people Ross (and I) would say at least realize that this is not a salvation issue. There are differing viewpoints on this issue, and there always have been. Belief in an old earth is itself an old idea, not a contemporary compromise with an evolutionary worldview that denies God's special creation. In fact, the Big Bang theory (which, unlike darwinian evolution, is supported by observable evidence) points inextricably to a creation event, and therefore to a creator. The fine-tuning of the universe points to a creator that had humans in mind from the beginning. As Ross convincingly demonstrates, nature and the Word of God both point towards the same conclusions about the universe.

To young earth proponents I would say read this book with an open mind. Even if you remain unconvinced, recognize that there is more than one perspective on this issue that genuine Bible-believing Christians can hold. To those who are undecided I would say read this book to get an important perspective on an important issue that continues to divide Christians where no division need be.

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An old-earth view takes on the challenges of young-earth proponents through a study of history, Scripture, and nature-and a testable creation model.