How did it all begin?  The book of Genesis in the Holy Bible says that GOD created the heavens and the Earth.  On the other hand, certain ones in the scientific community say that the universe came into being suddenly and evolved to its present order and condition.  Creation or the Big Bang?  Is there a major conflict between these two ideas?  It is certain that one or the other did happen because the universe is and we are.

Okay, when did it all begin to happen?  Some conservative Christians, and perhaps others also, believe that the Earth was created in six literal days with Adam being created on the sixth day.  According to Archbishop Ussher, a highly respected  Irish clergyman who lived in the seventeenth century, the creation of Adam took place in 4004 BC.  He determined this by counting up all the years from the creation of Adam to the birth of Jesus Christ, as close as he could reckon it, from his perception of the chronology recorded in the Bible.  Some of those who believe in the Genesis account of creation use his chronological calculations to establish the Earth’s age which would make it only about 6,000 years old.  Some scientists strongly disagree.  They say that the Earth is about 4.6 to 4.8 billion years old.

Wow!  What a difference!  What should we believe?

Does the true age of the universe and the Earth disagree with the story of creation as written in the Bible?  Does there have to be intense and constant rigid disagreement between science and the scriptures?  The answer is a resounding no!  That is my confident assertion.

Now, before we go any further in this lesson a couple of things must be considered.  First, right now you should try to decide in a tangible way what you believe, or think you believe, about the subjects of creation and evolution.  And then secondly, after sorting out what you think you believe, you must try to perform the difficult task of laying aside those beliefs for the moment, and keep an open mind as you read through this essay.

As to the when thing, a quick reality check reveals that the universe and the Earth are indeed billions of years old.  This has been determined by dating methods called radiometric and relative dating.  They aren’t perfect but they are reasonably accurate, and they firmly establish that the Earth is very old indeed and the universe is even older, by far. 

With that in mind, the things we have to determine now then isn't so much as when the beginning occurred, but by whom, and by what method.  If we can determine these things then the old conflicting ideas concerning evolution and creation may become suspect, disappear, or at least be seen in a new light.

With respect to the theory of evolution, it presents a reasonably logical sequence of events and conditions for us to consider, but the conclusions it draws are iffy.  It is true that inanimate things such as rocks, minerals, and the basic elements of the Earth’s crust, do change or evolve over time due to radioactive decay and environmental changes or disturbances, whether natural or unnatural.  And, it is also true that living things can have variation and mutation, and it is evident that the ecosystem is constantly changing.  Species become extinct everyday while new species are being discovered.

But think for a moment, these things aren’t necessarily hard proofs that the theory of evolution as taught in the classroom is correct.  With little effort they could  also be construed as manifestations of a creative intellect logically managing the cosmos.

With respect to the Genesis version of creation, it also presents a reasonably logical sequence of events and conditions for us to consider when understood rightly.  Curiously, the events in Genesis essentially agree with the sequence of events postulated by the purveyors of evolutionary theory and natural selection.  Where the mainstream churchianity ideas of the Genesis creation fall down miserably is that it all took place within the last 10,000 years or less.  That idea is bogus and should be discarded.  In fact, to continue to teach that in view of the scientific evidence available is patently stupid.

So, the theory of evolution and the conservative Christian concept of the Genesis account of creation can both be lacking and come up short on substance.  Consider this alternative idea.  Is it also possible that a Creator created not once, but continually?  The cosmos being carefully conceived and established in the beginning, now being constantly monitored and managed as required to maintain order and balance?  Are new species being created and introduced continually to keep the ecosystem in perfect balance?  Is it possible that old species serve their purpose and become extinct because their world has changed in some fashion, usually by the encroachment of man?  Is it also possible that others which are more suitable and more refined for current conditions replace them from a Creator’s hands?  In other words, could a Creator and Controller exist, Who had and still has, a definite plan in mind and works to that end tirelessly, never stopping?  It is entirely conceivable, at least as much so as Darwin's idea of natural selection.

No statement of theistic evolution is intended here, or evolutionary creation.  I'm simply suggesting that the Creator is still on the job doing whatever is necessary to keep the ecosystem in order and balance by continuing to create new stuff as required.  Nothing evolutionary about that, just continuous hard work creating and re-creating.

You Christians say that you believe in a Creator God.  Well, if so, is He still alive?  If you can believe that He is still alive, why can't you believe that He is still on the job, and has been throughout all time as we know it?

As stated above, an inspection of the creation events in Genesis reveal that they somewhat follow the progression of events that evolutionists and good science say occurred, but they would make more sense if a re-creation was being described here.  In Genesis chapter 1, why can't the time frame between verse 1 and verse 2 actually cover several billion years and the creation account starting in verse 2 be describing restoration of the earth following a catastrophe?

Go to Catastrophe and Reconstitution at  Doorway Papers by Authur Custance for more on this subject from a biblical perspective.

It is an accepted fact in the scientific community that the earth has been destroyed, partially or totally, more than once since life began by natural disasters, especially by meteor and asteriod impacts.

Extensive information and links on this subject are provided by Phil Burns at Catastrophism.

A huge crater, 100 miles or more in diameter, at Chixulub, Mexico (on the Yucatan Peninsula) is said to be about 65 million years old.  This coincides with the disappearance of the dinosaurs.

The Manicouagan Crater in Quebec, Canada is 60 miles in diameter.  This impact had global implications as well.  Its age has been determined at over 200 million years.

In my country, the U.S.A, there is evidence of smaller impacts such as Meteor Crater in Arizona and another at Wetumpka, Alabama.  It has been estimated that the one in Alabama generated energy in the range of 1,500 megatons of TNT.  That is 30 times more powerful than the largest thermonuclear bomb ever detonated.

Contrary to the hardliner conservative Christian creationists who believe in a literal six day creation, I can confidently tell you that God did not create the Earth and the cosmos we see around us in six literal days or even six thousand years.  It has been here for a very long time, eons and eons.  But even so, it is possible that He completed restoring the Earth to its present order some 8 to 10 millenia ago, give or take a millenia or so, after it was overthrown in a catastrophic event.  If that is what is described in Genesis, then it would lend some credence to the calculations of Archbishop Ussher.  Adam may have actually been created about 6,000 years ago.  So what?  That doesn't mean that the Earth, or the universe, or even other species of men are not older, actually much, much older.

So, I ask the questions.  Why can't the Genesis account of creation, when understood correctly, and the Big Bang theory both be viable?  Why can't the sequence of events in Genesis and the assertions of Darwin and evolutionists be favorably compared, with some exceptions.  What if the cosmos was conceived and brought into being suddenly from pure energy billions of years ago, and came to its present orderly condition, not by chance, not necessarily by evolution or natural selection, but by a “hands on” Creator who still constantly monitors and maintains it?

Is your mind open?  Can you see it?  I can!

God bless with understanding of His word.