Old-Earth Creationism on Trial: The Verdict Is In

Posted on by November 18, 2010
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Old-Earth Creationism provides a respectful critique of the arguments used by those who seek to mix the Bible with billions of years.

[originally posted on my old blog (12/4/08)]

Since this is my first post on my first blog, I suppose I don’t mind doing a plug for my first book. It is entitled Old-Earth Creationism on Trial: The Verdict is In, and was co-authored by Dr. Jason Lisle, Ph.D. in Astrophysics.

This book examines the arguments used by Christians who accept the common belief that the Earth and universe are billions of years old. Many of these Christians make claims that Scripture allows for this belief and they have promoted numerous arguments to support their view. Our book compiles all of these “biblical” arguments into one place and cross-examines them from a biblical perspective.

To accomplish our goal, we divided the book into three sections. The first section deals with the age of the Earth. Does the Bible teach that the Earth is appx. 6,000 years old or does it allow for billions of years? The second section deals with the extent of the Genesis Flood. Most old-earth creationists believe it was a local flood because they accept that the rock layers are evidence of billions of years (a worldwide flood would completely re-work those layers). Young-earth creationists believe the Flood was worldwide, just as Genesis clearly states. Finally, Dr. Lisle wrote two chapters on the philosophy of science to show people how science works and doesn’t work. These chapters explain how Christians need to base their thinking on the revealed word of God because no other foundation can lead to the truth.

So just what is the verdict? Well, there are a few ways to find out. You can contact me or you can read the book. However, there is a better way. Read the Bible for yourself and see what God has to say about this issue. The Bible is His message to us and He is capable of communicating His message to us in an understandable manner.

Of course, I would strongly recommend the book to all believers—especially church leaders. The church has bought the lie for far too long that this is just a side issue. What so many fail to understand is that too many people raised in Christian homes have rejected the Gospel because they were also taught that Genesis is inaccurate or irrelevant. If they don’t believe the first part of the book, they don’t feel they can believe the rest of it either. Sadly, too many church leaders are content to assist them in their apathy and/or unbelief. Old-Earth Creationism on Trial is designed to correct this problem by demonstrating that the Bible can be trusted from its very first verse.

We took great care to use gentleness and respect in dealing with old-earth creationists in this book. They are fellow believers and should be treated as such. We have received some great reviews so far. Here’s one from a fellow blogger named Angie: (Read Review)

I invite you to take a look for yourself. It is available at Amazon.com, Answers in Genesis, Christianbook.com, and practically anywhere else that books are sold.

If you have already read it, would you consider posting a review here in the comment section or at Amazon and/or Christianbook.com? Thanks for reading!

Q & A Series: What Happens to Babies When They Die?

Posted on by August 10, 2015
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Question:
What happens to babies when they die? Do they go to heaven or hell?

Answer:
This is a question that has perplexed many people. I think everyone would like to believe babies go straight to heaven, but is that what the Bible teaches?

There are a few possible answers to this question. Some Christians would say that it depends on whether they were elect or not. From this position, the elect babies go to heaven, the non-elect would go to hell. Those who hold this view often hold to some form of Reformed theology. Some have even suggested that it depends on whether or not the baby’s parents were believers. Another possibility is that they all go right to heaven. A fourth position, is that they go where they would have gone had they lived a long enough life to make a decision. So which is the correct answer?

Although there is not one particular verse that specifically addresses this question, I believe that all babies who die, either in infancy or while still in the womb, go straight to heaven. There are a few passages that seem to indicate this. I’m not sure that any of these provide a watertight argument, but taken together, I believe they build a stronger case than what can be built for any of the alternative views.

First, when David’s infant son died, David said that he could go to his son, but his son could not come to him (2 Samuel 12:23). Although David may have simply been indicating that he would someday die, it seems likely that he believed his young son was with the Lord. After all, David certainly believed he would eventually be in heaven with God (see Psalm 23:6). It should be pointed out that even if David did believe infants go to heaven, it doesn’t prove this view is correct since he could have been mistaken.

Second, Jesus made an interesting statement about young children. He said that a person better not despise a little one because “in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father” (Matt. 18:10). There really isn’t a consensus among scholars what He meant by that, but it seems that these little ones were under God’s loving care.

Third, Isaiah 7:16 may hint at what many people have called an “age of accountability.” That is, a person is not held responsible for their sin until they reach an age at which they can understand the consequences of their actions. The verse states, “For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted” (ESV).

Perhaps the best argument for this position has to do with the final judgment. In Revelation 20:11–15, all the wicked people throughout history who are destined for the lake of fire are judged. The Bible tells us that all of these people are judged “according to their works” (none of them are going to heaven, but this seems to indicate there may be degrees of punishment). An infant, especially the unborn, does not have any works by which he or she could be judged. This leads me to believe that there won’t be any babies at this judgment, so they must be elsewhere—heaven.

This brings up another issue. Are they not condemned for Adam’s sin like the rest of us? Based on the passage in Revelation mentioned above, I do not believe that a person is sentenced to an eternity in the lake of fire based on Adam’s sin, but for the sins they commit. We die and are born with the propensity to sin because of what Adam did, but I don’t believe we are judged eternally for it.

The other views would seem to make God unjust. Of course, I cannot fully comprehend the mind of the infinite God (only some of what He has revealed in His Word and world), but I cannot understand how a perfectly just God could condemn someone for something that they did not or could not ever do. The idea that babies go to heaven also seems to fit the character of God, who is love (1 John 4:8, 16).

Whatever the answer is to this question, we can be sure that the Judge of all the earth will do right (Genesis 18:25).