A look at evolution from a Christadelphian perspective

We never shall get to know how everything really was created, until the moment Jesus has returned and will tell us or our Father in heaven will enlighten us.

Until then many options are possible, and lots of ideas are being uttered. The question of where we come from is a mystery man has explored throughout human history. 

Geocentrism (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Looking at Evolutionary Creationism: A Christadelphian Perspective you may find some interesting reading.


One hundred years ago, second editor of The Christadelphian CC Walker rebutted the arguments of a Christadelphian who thought the concept of a spherical earth was unbiblical and heretical, and based his arguments on a literal reading of the Bible.

Fundamentalists and the New Atheists are mirror images of each other in how they see the science-Bible debate. The former reject science because a literal reading of the creation narratives conflicts with it, while the latter reject Christianity because they know that reality contradicts a literal reading of Genesis which they think is the only possible way to read the Bible.

Nothing demonstrates the fact that Genesis 1 is ancient cosmology and not modern science more effectively than its declaration that the firmament was solid, separating waters above from waters below. It is this one fact more than anything else that destroys both literal and strong concordist readings of the Genesis 1 that seek to read it as a scientifically accurate account of origins. It also shows that contemporary special creationists - both YEC and OEC - not only fail to interpret Genesis 1 properly on this point but are also ignorant of how early Christian and Jewish expositors interpreted Genesis 1.

Read more in:

Karl Giberson: Geocentrism is what real Biblical literalism looks like

From the Dust - Conversations in Creation

Early Christians and Jews accepted that the firmament of Genesis was solid

 +++

Related articles

• Creationism is not a plain reading of the text (religionron.wordpress.com)
  Yom — which means day has other meanings.  None of them in ancient hebrew means a 24 hour day.  It means literally sunset to sunset.  So then how exactly can there be a sunset to sunset before the fourth yom in Gen 1:14-19?  Right there cant be.   That definition requires an earth, a sky, a moon and a sun.  Which didn’t exist until then.  So the other definitions of yom are this: a metaporic day,  an unspecified amount of time.   If we want to take it literally we are left with an unspecified amount of time.   Those of us that think its metaphoric don’t have a problem with either.  Why?  a day to God is an unspecified amount of time.  Either way the main reason for the belief is wrong.
• Genesis as a metaphor, does even that work? (skeptical-science.com)
  Most would dismiss the idea of 7 literal 24 hours days, as described in the book of genesis, as factual (except perhaps Ken Ham), and so Ken aside, one of the most popular views, one that I once personally embraced, is the thought that it is simply a metaphor, and that each day is a symbol that represents a geological age. Is even this credible?
  
• Ch. 6 - Non-Concordist interpretations (lookroundyou.wordpress.com)
  Non-concordist views- Genesis is divinely inspired and authoritative but does not contain historical or scientific information
  +
  the number and ordering of the “days” of Genesis 1 are chosen for poetic and thematic reasons rather than historical reasons; Genesis 1 is not typical Hebrew poetry, nor is it Old Testament historical narrative such as the books of Samuel and Kings;  It is a narrative but one with rhythm and repetition of ideas and phrases.  There is structure where the first three days correspond with the last three:
  +
  Both – let science drive the interpretation of Scripture rather than letting theological considerations and consistency with the rest of Scripture be the priority.
  Reminder: focus on living our lives according to the “clear messages of God’s Word” rather than debating the nuances of interpretation of less clear passages
  
• Without science, and the center of our own universe (themorningsun.com)
  Since the universe isn’t fixed, you can make an argument that every spot is its center. The case for the other is a touch dicier, especially if you understand anything about gravity.
  +
  Geocentrism is a fringe idea among fringe ideas in scientific circles. Alas, scientific circles aren’t the same as popular circles. Most polls tag public belief in it at between 20 and 25 percent. That is, at least one in five Americans believe that Copernicus got it wrong in the 16th century.
• Creationist: Science Begins with the Bible, Not the Facts (patheos.com)
  Over at Answers in Genesis, Ken Ham asked fellow Creationist Steve Golden to review a book promoting, among other things, the idea that evolution is real but God has a hand in the process.
  Of course, this is all blasphemy to them because Christians who buy into theistic evolution are obviously the wrong kinds of Christians
• Creationist Ham Claims Fossil Is Proof Humans And Dinosaurs Lived Together (americanlivewire.com)
  To most of you who have probably grown up with the belief that dinosaurs lived millions of years ago and that humans have only recently come into existence, this claim may seem a little far fetched. Creationist Ken Ham is claiming that an Allosaurus fossil that the Creation Museum is going to put on display will prove that human lived right alongside dinosaurs only a few short thousand years ago. Ham claims that the great Biblical flood took place a little more than 4,000 years ago, which wiped out the dinosaurs at that time. His whole claim has traditional scientists metaphorically standing around and scratching their heads.
• Biblical Science You Were Never Taught In School (bblessedtoday.net)
  Even if you are not a scientist, I want you to know that you don’t have to be a scientist to believe the bible over the smartest scientists on the planet.  My first thought was, “this can’t be, this is crazy.”  As you dig a bit into the matter and the shock dies down, your next phase will be that you will not knock down Geocentricity and say it is not so and let it be a possibility and not make a full decision. Perhaps after you see some of these videos and links, you will say, this is not crazy, this is biblical. And you will realize God is always right.
• The Mind of Creationists and Our Communication Gap (skepticalteacher.wordpress.com)
  Like many who call themselves skeptics of pseudoscience, the paranormal, and religion, I have some friends who are into one of more of the aforementioned areas. Specifically, I have friends who proudly call themselves creationists, in the sense that they adhere to the most common variant called Young-Earth Creationism (where their reading of the Bible says the Earth/universe is roughly 6000-10,000 years old). What I want to do here is to recount a conversation I had with one of these friends and how it opened my eyes into how the creationist mind seems to work.
• Geocentrism? Seriously? (blogs.discovermagazine.com)
  I have to scratch my head over Geocentrists. These are people who believe that the Earth is fixed in space, unmoving and unmovable, and the Universe literally revolves around it. Without exception, in my experience, these followers of Geocentrism believe in it due to a literal interpretation of the Bible. Finding passages in the Bible to support this belief isn’t hard; Genesis is loaded with them.
  However, like young-Earth creationism, the problem here is in that "literal" part^*. If you take the Bible to be true word for word, then you have to deny a vast amount of reality, and almost everything we’ve learned about the Universe since the Bible was written.
  
• Geocentricity: Cosmology of the Bible (bblessedtoday.net)
  Many Christians are falling for deceptions of all kinds. They are falling into cult and occult false denominations, false good, false evil….they are being attacked on every aspect of life. Why would the area of science be any different? I already did an earlier post with longer videos to look at. Biblical Science You Were Never Taught In School  Please just look at what it is. You don’t have to believe it if you don’t want to but I think the argument is compelling and you know what else is more important? I trust God’s word over what the godless humanists say about anything.  As Christians we should follow God’s word over man’s in all things.

Cosmogony

Book of Genesis, Hainanese Bible. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cosmogony: the study of the origin and development of the universe or of a particular system in the universe, such as the solar system + a theory of such an origin or evolution.

One hundred years ago, CC Walker wrote, in response to a correspondent who believed that a literal reading of the Bible obliged a believer to reject the idea of a spherical earth:

'Moses’ testimony was given to Israel in what might be called the infancy of the world, when men did not know the extent of the earth, let alone that of the sun, moon, and stars. And, as we believe, it was given (by God through Moses), not so much to instruct Israel in cosmogony in detail, as to impress upon them the idea that The Most High God is the Possessor of Heaven and Earth (Gen. 14:22)."

CC Walker's comment that Genesis was written not to instruct Israel about cosmology in detail, but to teach them that God - and not the surrounding deities - was creator looks positively prescient when we look at what contemporary OT scholarship is saying about the creation narratives. Take the time to look at John Walton's presentation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY4nKNrEZaI

Genesis 1 in Ancient Eyes - John Walton www.youtube.com the audio gets much better around 13 minutes in download the ppt presentation (6mb) here... http://m...

Related articles

• Hannukah Comet with a prophetic story
• 'The Evolution of Adam' by Peter Enns: Mini Book Review