Thursday, December 21, 2017

Glaring Biblical Errors in the Movie: "Genesis: Paradise Lost" part III

“[They Examined] the Scriptures daily to see if these Things were so.” (Acts 17:11)

4.       GPL’s assertion that its 24-hour day, young-earth creationist (YEC) interpretation of Genesis 1 is “unassailable” is far from substantiated.  Even though Martin Luther held to the 24-hour day view, he conceded on the first page of his Genesis lectures that the text of Genesis 1 is “difficult to understand(Jaroslav Pelikan, ed. Luther’s Works: Genesis, v. 1. (American Edition, Concordia, 1958), p. 3).  In spite of Luther’s honesty, my own Church body, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), refuses to entertain even a conversation on this state of affairs, despite my requests (see my correspondence with the Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) of the LCMS titled, “Debate Challenge CTCR”).  In reply to the following challenge that the LCMS has publically posted: “Unless there is compelling reason on the basis of the biblical texts themselves…we are to believe God created the world in six 24-hour days,” I have picked up the gauntlet with my list of ten substantial grounds for holding that the creation days are indeed longer than 24-hours.  To give a few examples, firstly I challenge the claim that the Genesis “evening…morning” refrain proves the days are 24-hours each.  I reply that such phrasing utterly deviates from the text of Leviticus 23:32, which by contrast specifies duration: “from evening to evening.”  Secondly, although the movie narrators use the definite article (DE) “the” in reference to the creation days (e.g. “the third day,” etc.), with few exceptions the DE is not found in the Hebrew text.  This implies the “days” are indefinite.  Thirdly, since God exists outside of our time (2 Peter 3:8), it is entirely conceivable that His “days” are not ours.  Fourthly, on the YEC view, there is no Sun on days 1-3, which would be the normal indicator that the days are 24-hours.  See my essay, “The Biblical Demand to Take Another Look: Ten Exegetical Reasons the Creation Days of Genesis are Non-24 Hour.”


5.       When GPL insists that its YEC interpretation of Genesis alone is God-honoring, it misrepresents the Bible’s own claims as to how its authority is established in the face of scientific knowledge.  GPL’s dismissive posture contradicts St. Paul’s stricture in Romans 1:18-20 which forbids suppressing the testimony of nature.  There are NO biblical passages which pit revelation against the witness of nature as though they conflict. To the contrary, the Holy Spirit speaking through St. Paul not only deems it wickedness to suppress that testimony, He further elevates the same to the status of a convicting law (Rom. 3:19-20) thereby rendering unbelievers culpable for refusing to honor God as Creator.  As v. 20 states, “Ever since the creation of the world [God’s] invisible nature, namely His eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made.  So they are without excuse.”  For this reason GPL ought to renounce its participation in blunting this convicting aspect of God’s law by its suggestion that the witness of nature can’t trusted!  See my essay. “The Bible Expressly Forbids Suppressing the Testimony of Nature.”

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