Arthur V. Chadwick
My Perspective. When dealing with a topic subject to as much controversy and interpretation as is this, I think it is appropriate for me to set forth my own presuppositions at the outset. This I will briefly do. While in college, I became convinced of my need of Christ, and committed my life to him, joining the Seventh-day Adventist fellowship because of my desire to follow Truth wherever it led. It wasseemed very clear to me at that time, and remains so to this day, that the Bible was intentionally teaching us lessons that we could not learn on our own. While I believed rational processes were essential to the establishment of a life philosophy, I recognized they would not be sufficient.
Belief in a literal Divine Creation event in the recent past is a given part of my philosophy. I do not need scientific evidence to support that position, but expect that, rightly understood, all scientific data will ultimately make sense within that framework. Thus, it is not my goal in doing science, to "prove" there was a global flood, or that creation was a literal event a few thousand years in the past. These are givens. Rather I expect that, taking advantage of these unique perspectives on science, I and others so equipped, will be advantaged in the insights we may have when viewing problems in the arena of science.
There are many unanswered questions about what, how and when in the natural world. For scientists, having more questions than answers is not at all unpleasant. After all, science is about answering questions from the natural world, and what could be better than to be surrounded by unanswered and challenging questions. I also understand that not everyone shares this perspective. In the paper that follows, I will attempt to lay out some of what we do know, what we can know, what we do not know, and perhaps what we cannot know from the Bible and Paleontology, about the history of life on the earth.
My Perspective. When dealing with a topic subject to as much controversy and interpretation as is this, I think it is appropriate for me to set forth my own presuppositions at the outset. This I will briefly do. While in college, I became convinced of my need of Christ, and committed my life to him, joining the Seventh-day Adventist fellowship because of my desire to follow Truth wherever it led. It wasseemed very clear to me at that time, and remains so to this day, that the Bible was intentionally teaching us lessons that we could not learn on our own. While I believed rational processes were essential to the establishment of a life philosophy, I recognized they would not be sufficient.
Belief in a literal Divine Creation event in the recent past is a given part of my philosophy. I do not need scientific evidence to support that position, but expect that, rightly understood, all scientific data will ultimately make sense within that framework. Thus, it is not my goal in doing science, to "prove" there was a global flood, or that creation was a literal event a few thousand years in the past. These are givens. Rather I expect that, taking advantage of these unique perspectives on science, I and others so equipped, will be advantaged in the insights we may have when viewing problems in the arena of science.
There are many unanswered questions about what, how and when in the natural world. For scientists, having more questions than answers is not at all unpleasant. After all, science is about answering questions from the natural world, and what could be better than to be surrounded by unanswered and challenging questions. I also understand that not everyone shares this perspective. In the paper that follows, I will attempt to lay out some of what we do know, what we can know, what we do not know, and perhaps what we cannot know from the Bible and Paleontology, about the history of life on the earth.
What is Paleontology?
One of the unique areas to explore would be to direct efforts toward constructing a model of the preflood world based upon what is known from Scripture and from the best efforts to interpret the natural world in harmony with Scripture. The effort required for such a project to be viable is staggering. Some of us have only just now begun to probe the Cambrian, with the view of understanding what was probably the beginning of the Flood of Genesis. We are using patterns of sedimentary deposits to discriminate potential source areas for sediment and fossils, the pattern of fossil distributions to attempt to reconstruct the kind or number of habitats, and paleocurrent data to attempt to reconstruct flow patterns and to help trace backwards to source areas. It is apparent that such a monumental undertaking can only succeed as a well-funded joint effort among as many well-trained, dedicated individuals as possible. Of course the goal would be to better understand the circumstances that gave rise to the fossil record, and to be able to explain some of the details hard to understand. Before we decide such an effort is or is not necessary or important, let us review the other aspect of this talk, paleontology.
Paleontology is the scientific investigation of the past history of life on earth through the study of fossil remains of animals and plants. This discipline is of considerable interest to the Christian community because it concerns itself with interpreting past history and particularly the past history of life on the earth. Paleontology as a profession has occasioned fear or distrust among Christians because many of the conclusions reached by paleontologists are considered a threat to the integrity of the Bible, and particularly to the biblical account of origins. Thus the title of this paper might be taken to suggest a certain tension between the two subjects, as if paleontology and the Bible were somehow in contradistinction to one another. I am going to propose that this attitude is an unhealthy one that cannot be entertained by those who hold a holistic view of revelation.
The Bible as a Record of Life on Earth.
What the Bible Says. Our purposeful concern is the relationship between the revelation in Scripture and the revelation in the historical record of life on earth. Let us begin with an excursion into the Bible. What can we learn about the history of life on earth from Scripture?
It turns out that we can learn a great deal. While the Bible says virtually nothing about fossils directly, it tells us explicitly where living forms came from, and insofar as chronological connections are sustained, tells us when as well. We shall examine this source because it forms the foundation and framework upon which everything else will be fastened.
The Genesis account describes the world prior to Creation Week as dark and covered with water (Gen. 1:2). This absence of light precludes the existence of life as we know it, since without light, there can be no plants, and plants form the base of the food pyramid. A world covered with water also precludes the existence of life forms not suited for survival in water. Taken together, these two phrases strongly suggest a lifeless world. When God began the creation of life forms on day three with plants, and days five and six with animals of the waters, land and sky, He left no domain of living forms empty. Whatever may have transpired on the planet prior to the beginning of Creation Week, it could not have involved the life and death of myriads of life forms. There were none. God lays claim in the initial chapter of the Bible, and repeatedly throughout Scripture, to all life forms. At the time of Noah, God asserts: "And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them" (Gen. 6:7). John implicitly seconds this assertion in John 1:3: "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." This would give Him sovereignty over the life forms represented asby fossils as well.
Paleontology is the scientific investigation of the past history of life on earth through the study of fossil remains of animals and plants. This discipline is of considerable interest to the Christian community because it concerns itself with interpreting past history and particularly the past history of life on the earth. Paleontology as a profession has occasioned fear or distrust among Christians because many of the conclusions reached by paleontologists are considered a threat to the integrity of the Bible, and particularly to the biblical account of origins. Thus the title of this paper might be taken to suggest a certain tension between the two subjects, as if paleontology and the Bible were somehow in contradistinction to one another. I am going to propose that this attitude is an unhealthy one that cannot be entertained by those who hold a holistic view of revelation.
The Bible as a Record of Life on Earth.
What the Bible Says. Our purposeful concern is the relationship between the revelation in Scripture and the revelation in the historical record of life on earth. Let us begin with an excursion into the Bible. What can we learn about the history of life on earth from Scripture?
It turns out that we can learn a great deal. While the Bible says virtually nothing about fossils directly, it tells us explicitly where living forms came from, and insofar as chronological connections are sustained, tells us when as well. We shall examine this source because it forms the foundation and framework upon which everything else will be fastened.
The Genesis account describes the world prior to Creation Week as dark and covered with water (Gen. 1:2). This absence of light precludes the existence of life as we know it, since without light, there can be no plants, and plants form the base of the food pyramid. A world covered with water also precludes the existence of life forms not suited for survival in water. Taken together, these two phrases strongly suggest a lifeless world. When God began the creation of life forms on day three with plants, and days five and six with animals of the waters, land and sky, He left no domain of living forms empty. Whatever may have transpired on the planet prior to the beginning of Creation Week, it could not have involved the life and death of myriads of life forms. There were none. God lays claim in the initial chapter of the Bible, and repeatedly throughout Scripture, to all life forms. At the time of Noah, God asserts: "And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them" (Gen. 6:7). John implicitly seconds this assertion in John 1:3: "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." This would give Him sovereignty over the life forms represented asby fossils as well.
Institute for Christian Teaching1
2501 Old Columbia PikeSilver Spring,
MD 20904 USA
Symposium on the Bible and Adventist Scholarship
Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic
March 19-26, 2000
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