Nichole Acosta
CRST 290-B06 LUO
29 June 2015
Interview Paper
Kurt Wise once said, “If all the evidence in the universe turns against creationism,
I would still be a creationist because that is what the word of God seems to indicate. Here
I must stand.” While his statement reflects my own personal views, I realize that not
everyone thinks with the same mindset. Beginning my interviews, I had presuppositions of
what answers I would receive from my three interviewees. For this assignment, I took the
opportunity to ask my parents and aunt to share their views on the issue.
“Because the Bible says so…” was the repeated response from my first two
interviewees. Both my father and mother are devout Christians; therefore, their reasoning
and beliefs concerning the area of creation were based off of the word of God.
They both answered that creation was God’s six day, twenty-four hour creative
project to bring to life a world that would one day glorify Him. Even though their math was
a little off, neither saying the Earth was exactly 6,000 years old, both paralleled the Bible’s
inclinations of a young earth.
Continuing to utilize the Bible as reference for their reasoning, common ancestry
with apes was absolutely negated. My mother responded by quoting Genesis 2:7 that
states, “Then Lord God formed the man from dust…” My father agreed by emphasizing
that God created man and animal as separate beings. Just as my mother quoted Genesis
for the third question, she yet again pointed to the Word when asked if Adam and Eve
were real people. As a true believer in the power of God and His living Word, my father
concurred. Despite a little miscalculation for the age of the Earth, their answers reflected
their strong faith in the Lord.
However, my Aunt Mayra was a different story. Even though, she does believe in
the Bible and the existence of God, there are cracks within her so-called
Christian/Catholic grab bag faith. She admitted to not placing much thought into the origin
of life prior to the day of my interview. Therefore, her answers were mostly guesses,
lacking deep thought.
“Six months, 12 hour days!” She urged confidently. “Because I’m guessing,”
excusing her candid response just in case she was wrong. Even though she had professed
that she prayed to God and trusted in His word, I found it quite the contrary with her
answers. When questioned about the age of the Earth, she responded with the
evolutionistic answer of a billion years, based on what she had gathered by others
opinions. Nullifying the idea that humans and apes shared a common ancestor, she did
express her doubts in the validity of a real Adam and Eve. The creation of Eve from
Adam’s rib hindered her from believing whole-heartedly that the first human pair were
actual flesh.
Listening to the answers from my interviews, I found it to be an eye-opening
experience. Most of the answers from my parents were polar opposite from that of my
aunt. Their faith in God and supported Biblical worldview allowed them to answer the
questions with confidence and security- exactly what my aunt lacked. Even though it was
not the time or place to go into an extensive theological discussion, I believe that this
class has equipped me with tips on how to appropriately address these topics in the
future.
First things first, we must acknowledge that as Christians we are to approach
these situations without judgment (Matthew 7:1-29) and with love (1 Peter 4:8), as the
Bible commands. In order to properly discuss these issues, one must first explain the
authority of the Word and why Christians are so insistent on following what it says. The
Bible is internally consistent, even with over 40 authors and thousands of years, the Holy
text remains inerrant and non-contradictive. Because the Bible is the living word of an
omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent God, his word thus reflects His perfect nature
(Psalms 18:30). Lastly, because the Bible has accurately fulfilled prophecy thousands of
years in advance, it has proven to be a sound and reliable source.
Switching gears to the interview, the first question concerned the length of days of
the Genesis 1 creation. I would first point out the places where six real days are cross-
referenced in the Bible. The entire chapter of Genesis 1 provides the foundation for other
references in Exodus 20:11, Mark 13:19, and Luke 13:14, to name a few. To fully grasp
the meaning of the Scripture, we must dissect the word “day”. Outside of the book of
Genesis, the word “day” is accompanied either by a number or the words “evening”,
“morning” and “night”. In all occasions, except one prophecy in Hosea 6:2 that alludes to
a prophetic message of Jesus’ resurrection, the word signified an ordinary 24-hour day.
Luke 13:14 states, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and
be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.” Jesus confirms the teaching based on the
Law of Moses from the Old Testament in Exodus 20. In his article “Did Jesus Say He
Created in Six Literal Days”, Kevin Ham explains this verse to be where, “we find the
Ten Commandments- the six-day Creation week being the basis for the Fourth
Commandment.” Because of the contextual clues, one is called to believe that creation
consisted of six, 24-hour days.
Using remnants of good ‘ol high school Biology and chats from her friends, my
aunt professed her belief in an old earth. Scientists love to fill textbooks with so-called
facts that have not been directly confirmed. Arguing with evidence like the fossil record
and radiometric dating, they project to the common individual that evolution is real and
the earth is millions of years old.
The Fossil Record is still recognized as monumental evidence for evolution.
Although large numbers of extinct animals have been discovered dating over 60 million
years old, evolution calls for progression of species. While this is stated as fact, the
greatest crack in evolution, besides derailing from Scripture, is the lack of evidence. Pre-
Cambrian explosion fossils were not found, especially a primordial ancestor. Organisms
are left without ancestors and transitional fossils. If their strongest argument is so faulty,
then should one adhere to their belief of the age of life?
Radiometric Dating is also considered main evidence for an old earth, aging 4.5
billions years. Here, scientists take a rock or sample and measure the ratio of parent to
daughter isotopes. Based on this ratio, along with a half-life, the scientist can determine
how old a fossil is based on the surrounding rock. Scientists are continually finding
discrepancies and inconsistencies among their dating procedures. For instance, Carbon 14
was found in a 300 million year old coal, with a half-life of less than 5,700 years. If the
piece of coal was truly that old, then the Carbon 14 should not have been there. Another
example examines helium production in the decay of uranium into lead. While the
radioactive decay appeared to have been 1.5 billion years in process, RATE scientists
found the helium to indicate only 6,000 years of age. This supports the young earth
model that is spoken about in Biblical text.
These are only two of many discrepancies found within the evolutionary studies
of dating. Because of the inconsistencies in the theory that preaches the world is billions
of years old, we should not jump to conclude that evolution is the only proof to support
our beliefs in the age of the earth. Reading the Bible, it is clear that the text advocates a
young Earth. Because Genesis 1 is a historical passage (as proved by Steven Boyd’s
statistical analysis of verb tenses and authority explained above), we should lend an ear
as to what it says how old our Earth truly is. Dr. DeWitt explains this perfectly in his text,
“In a world of change and uncertainty, there is one rock that holds firm and this is the
Bible. Though we may be tossed in a sea of doubt and uncertainty, God’s Word is a sure
anchor and one that can hold us through the storms of life” (138).
Grateful to hear that my aunt believes that she was made independently from an
ape, I would reinforce her thoughts with Scripture. I would encourage her to read
passages that speak of man being created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) with
purpose (Jeremiah 29:11), specially made superior to other species of creation (Matthew
6:25-26), and made beautifully and uniquely in her mother’s womb (Psalms 139).
While she may have doubts about the idea of a real Adam and Eve, I would also
show her John 5:45-47 which exclaims,
“Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you-
Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for
he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe in
My words?”
In this passage, Jesus makes it clear that if one decides to believe part of the Scripture,
how she says she does, then one must believe it all- this includes the creation and validity
of Adam and Eve. Because we have established the fact that Genesis is not poetry, but a
historical narrative, we can believe whole-heartedly that the story of Adam and Eve was
in fact real.
While the debate over Scripture and its validity towards the origin of life prevails,
as Christians, we are called to believe what the Bible says first. As Dr. DeWitt states,
“Scripture should inform our interpretation of scientific evidence…” (56). I am so
Bibliography:
grateful for the opportunity to have conducted these interviews. It showed me how much
I have lacked to speak about my faith, especially with my aunt and family. I pray to be
able to utilize all that this class has taught me in order to effectively convey His cause,
specifically in an area that has erased the faith in so many.
Word Count: 1,669
Bible Gateway. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 June 2015. <https://www.biblegateway.com>.
DeWitt, David A., Ph.D. History of Life EPack. 2012 ed. Curriculum: Creation, 2012.
CRST 290 Summer 2015 B. Web. 29 June 2015.
Ham, Kevin. "Did Jesus Say He Created in Six Literal Days?" Answers in Genesis. N.p.,
20 Dec. 2007. Web. 29 June 2015.
