by Bill Nugent
Article #94
In the late 1800s when Darwin’s theory began to be promulgated the biological sciences were in their infancy. The evidence put forward by biologists and paleontologists seemed plausible. Many people, including many Bible believing Christians, began to accept evolution as a theory of how living organisms could change over time.
Theologians at the time began to reinterpret the book of Genesis to incorporate long ages of history into the Genesis creation account. (As evolution became popular the belief that the earth was extremely old also became popular because it would require millions, even billions of years for evolution to take place.) The doctrine of “Theistic Evolution” which claims that God guided the process of evolution became standard fare at almost all seminaries.
Christians did, of course, reject atheistic evolution and objected to the teaching of atheistic evolution in the schools. Over the ensuing decades many Christians began to notice the gathering scientific evidence that disproves both evolution and old earth theory.
As time wore on and as more and more fossils were discovered it became evident that there was a lack of transitional forms in the fossil record. The missing links are still missing. Many transitional fossils are put forward but close scientific examination of them reveals that the are not transitional at all. For instance,Archaeopteryx, the alleged transition between lizards and birds has been shown to be fully bird. Colin Patterson, senior paleontologist at the British Museum of Natural History, said that he knows of no transitional fossil for which an airtight case can be made.
People also noted the lack of transitional forms in the very place where we would most expect them. Fully 95% of all fossils are of marine invertebrates such as clams and crabs. Clams and crabs were supposed to have evolved from trilobites yet there are no transitional forms even here. Where the fossil record is most complete is exactly where it is most undarwinian. There are also no transitional forms among insect fossils. All 32 orders of insects appear fully developed in the fossil record. Famous evolutionist S. J. Gould barely mentions insects in his magnum opus.
Christians also began to take notice of the mounting evidence for a young age of earth. The vast majority of natural “clocks” point to an age of earth in the thousands and not billions of years. Polystrate fossils are a good example. Polystrate fossils are fossils that extend through several layers of rock strata that were supposedly laid down over millions of years. A fossil such as a petrified tree that pokes through several layers of rock certainly would have rotted or eroded away long before another layer was gradually laid down. It is apparent that sedimentary rock and other geologic strata were laid down rapidly during global catastrophes such as a global flood or continentwide volcanic convulsions. For other evidence for young earth visit www.icr.org.
Many years ago an engineering instructor at a secular university who considered himself a “Christian evolutionist” became convinced of the scientific unsoundness of evolution. Part of the reason he was convinced that evolution was a philosophical theory of natural history and not true science was because of what he read in books and articles written by evolutionists! This man, Dr. Henry M. Morris, went on to write a book called The Genesis Flood (pub. 1960) that helped launch the creation science movement.
Morris’ book and many others since, argue that the book of Genesis is a sober, accurate historical account. The book of Genesis does not have to be stretched or hammered or allegorized. (I will also mention that many other ancient historical accounts mention a worldwide flood and this also witnesses to the historical accuracy of Genesis.)
Since the 1960s there has been a flood of books and articles by hundreds of Ph.D. scientists who support young earth geology and the historical accuracy of Genesis. There are several organizations of creationist scientists including The Institute for Creation Research based in El Cajon California. Another organization called Answers In Genesis was founded in Australia and now has a very large and active U.S. affiliate.
Answers In Genesis has a very helpful website containing reams of useful information in online articles and a question and answer section. The address is www.answersingenesis.org. There is a parallel movement called the Intelligent Design Movement. It is composed of scientists who reject evolution but who don’t necessarily embrace Christianity. It is interesting that the most vocal opponents of evolution are the scientists. Like any academic movement, it takes time for their findings to filter down to the masses of people.