Every few years it seems this issue flares up. Challenge Weekly newspaper (24.08.09) contained an article from Adrian Bates, CEO of Creation Ministries International, putting their view (Genesis not a myth). The same paper contained a letter critical of a recent conference Faithful Science and one from the organiser defending it.

For the record, the most authoritative work on biblical inerrancy in the 20th century was probably that done by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy over a 20-year period ending in 1988. In 1982, ICBI produced a document called the Chicago Statement signed by 300 theologians including Jim Packer, Roger Nicole, Carl Henry, Norman Geisler, J.P. Moreland, John Warrick Montgomery, Francis Schaeffer, and R.C. Sproul. Their words should carry a lot of weight for those concerned about being true to the Bible. Read more...

The position represented by Mr Bates was presented to the ICBI by Duane Gish. In response the ICBI said formally, "WE DENY that Biblical infallibility and inerrancy are limited to spiritual, religious, or redemptive themes, exclusive of assertions in the fields of history and science. We further deny that scientific hypotheses about earth history may properly be used to overturn the teaching of Scripture on creation and the flood." But the ICBI refused to be pinned down to any particular interpretation of age of earth, length of creation days, manner of creation, etc.

The ICBI Chicago Statement therefore allows Christians to hold the Bible to be inerrant and authoritative, but hold different views on Genesis and the manner and timing of creation.

On another note, we need to be more careful of the word evolution. The weight of scientific opinion from Christians, including that from evangelical Christians, leans towards theistic evolution. But regardless of whether theistic evolution or young-earth creation ends up being right, the form of evolution presented in our schools is predominantly atheistic. This is a situation that visionnetwork is keen to see addressed.

Interested readers may find helpful the visionnetwork publication Three Views on Creation. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for details.

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