Hugh Ross. Hugh is an astrophysicist, old earth creationist, and the director and president of Reasons to Believe.
Before Hugh, I dabbled into the old earth creationism position, but I was still a little unclear about how to interpret Genesis 1 and 2 in light of the fall. Well after this weekend, Hugh crystallized my old earth position. Every question I presented, he provided a scientific, theological, and philosophical response.
Progressive Creationism
1. Do you believe in the literal translation of Genesis 1? You a young earth or old earth? Why?
I am an old earth creationist. Like Ross I refer to the Anthropic purpose, which means the earth has been in a fine tuning process in order to make life possible here on earth. The earth needed 14.1 billion years to perfectly align its gravitational force so the earth matter would be enacted when humanity arrived. Do you know right now in the history of the earth, is the perfect time and place to observe the universe. If we’re created earlier, our creation light lacks time to reach us. If we’re created later, dark energy would have expanded our universe.
2. Do you believe the science and the Bible are friends or enemies? Why?
I see that science and the Bible compliment each other. Science answers the hows and the Bible answers the whys of the universe. It is my belief that Genesis and science can be reconciled.
3. How should we interpret: Jeremiah 33:25 This is what the LORD says: ‘If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed laws of heaven and earth? Were the laws of the universe alter when sin entered the world?
Hugh argues that these fixed laws are the laws of: physics, natural, and thermodynamics that govern earth. Hugh also argues that these fixed laws were not alter when sin entered the world. Humanity was only directly impacted by the actions in Genesis 3, not animals or the planet. If Hugh’s assertion is correct, then that means that God is in control of the fixed laws he set in motion, but not in control of how humans interferes, interacts, and disrupts them. Thus, I am Calvinist and an Arminianist and to be honest I am okay with that. As I read scripture I definitely see a Calvinist and an Arminianist God.
