George Sayour
(Genesis 1:1, 31) "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... God saw all that he had made, and it was very good."
But There s a Debate About this
God s Providence Primary & Secondary Causes In Him we live and move and have our being Acts 17:28 In Him all things hold together - Col 1:17 He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. - Psalm 148 You Knit me together - Psalm 139
Historic Theistic Scientists Nicholas Copernicus Sir Francis Bacon Johannes Kepler Galileo Galilei Rene Descartes Blaise Pascal Sir Isaac Newton Robert Boyle Michael Faraday Gregor Mendel William T. Kelvin Max Planck
Sir Isaac Newton "The most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being. (Principia, 2 nd ed.)
So What Happened? Charles Darwin No, not Darwin Enlightenment Thinking -The Rise of Modernity Romans 1 It s the Human Condition
The Church and Science Galileo & the Church: Geocentric vs. Heliocentric The Columbus Flat Earth Hoax Bible - Literal / Figurative? Phenomenological Language What Science Questions does the Bible Answer?
Wisdom of the World Romans 1:19-23 1 Cor 1:19 30 :: see Is 29:14, Is 19:12, Is 33:18, 1 Cor 3: 18-20 see Job 5:13, Psalm 94:11
Naturalism Methodological Naturalism Scientific inquiry is limited to the natural realm The Scientific Method Not concerned with Metaphysical / what exists outside of nature Ontological Naturalism (ie. Naturalism) Ontology Philosophical study of the nature of being/existence The natural order & physical realm is all there is.
Ontological Naturalism It is a Worldview & a Philosophy No Transcendental, No MetaPhysical, No SuperNatural No God, No Soul, No Miracles, No Afterlife Closely related to : Materialism, Reductionism, Darwinian Evolution, Big Bang Cosmology In Search of a TOE Theory of Everything
Ontological Naturalism The natural order & physical realm is all there is. All knowledge in the universe comes through Scientific Inquiry / Scientific Method There are only natural and empirical causes for everything in the Universe Questions that can t be answered scientific inquiry are meaningless & irrational
Course Outline Intro / The Debate Genesis 1 & 2 / Bible The Theory of Evolution Fossil Record & The Flood Age of Earth & Dating Methods Big Bang Cosmology/ Anthropic Principle Genetics, DNA, Design Technology & Bioethics The Environment & Global Warming Summary Class
Genesis 1
Survey Results: Origin of Life 11 2 8 1 Fiat Creation of Kinds? Darwinian Evolution unguided, random? Theistic Evolution directed by Personal God? Theistic Evolution - by Impersonal God
Survey Results: Age of Universe 8 12 Young 6,000-10,000 years old Old Billions of Years Don t know 1 (Don t really care)
Origin and Nature of Universe 6 4 2 2 4 3? Big Bang Theory and all it entails? Steady State (meant Static)? Expanding Universe? Multi-verse Other God s Word, God Spoke, God Created Not Sure
5 2 5 12 3 2? Micro Evolution? Macro Evolution Natural Selection Intelligent Design? Irreducible Complexity I don t know
Genesis 1 & 2 13 The Accounts are Compatible? 2 Separate Stories that Conflict 1 6 8 Genesis 1 is Poetry Genesis 1 represents 6 Literal Days Genesis 1 : 6 Symbolic / Framework days Not mentioned was the Day- Age or Gap Theories
Genesis 1: Pattern & Repetition Then God Said. Let there be ( Fiat ) And it was so And God Saw.That it was good So the Evening and the morning were the _ day After their own kind / According to its kind
Genesis 1: Order and Progression 7 Days sets the course of our week Exodus 20:8-11 God Said used 10 times in Chapter 1 vs: 1,3,6,9,11,14, 20,24,26, 28, 29 Brings Natural Order out of Chaos It is.good 10 times in Chapters 1 & 2
Genesis 1 Verse 1 In the Beginning TIME Sets of 3s Past, Present, Future God Created The Heavens And the Earth ELOHIM SPACE MATTER Father, Son, Spirit 3 Physical Dimensions Solid, Liquid, Gas
Genesis 1 Literary Structure Forming / Separating Day 1: Light / Darkness Day 2: Waters / Sky Day 3: Land / Vegetation Filling Day 4: Sun, Moon, Stars Day 5: Fish, Birds Day 6: Animals, MAN
Worldviews Biblical (Gen 1-3) vs. Naturalistic God is creator, infinite, and personal Life created according to kinds Humans in God s Image given Dominion Universe was designed for man, With purpose and originally GOOD Matter/Cosmos is all there is and is infinite Animals & Humans result of Random Chance processes & are = Universe came into being in Chaos, is hostile toward man Death, Decay, Entropy is result of the Fall and sin Death brings Heaven or Hell Only a Redeemer can make There is no sin, No cohesive view of history Death brings end to existence Science & Technology can cure the ills of society
Genesis 1 Chronological Views 24 Hour Day View Mature Creation & Flood Geology answer Science Day Age Theory Chronological but days are actually long ages Gap Theory Long gap in between vs 1 and 2 ( 24 hour days) Intermittent Day Theory 24 hour days w/ long periods between them
Gen. 1: NonChronological Views Framework View Gen 1 is a literary framework to explain the truths about God in the context of creation Analogical View Serves as an analogy for 6 days of work 1 day of rest Revelatory Day Theory God revealed this to Moses in 6-24 hr days Religion Only View Gen 1 is only meant to teach Spiritual truths
Read Genesis 2 What Does it Teach? How does it harmonize with Genesis 1? What are the literary difficulties? What are the scientific difficulties? Other Questions?
Read Genesis 3 What Does it Teach? What are the scientific difficulties? What are the Theological difficulties? What other questions do you have?
Homework Read the Flood Narrative Found in Genesis Chapters 6 9 What is it teaching? Compare to the Creation Account What difficulties do you have with it?