Debunking the Seven Myths That Deny the Historicity of Genesis, Creation, and Noah’S Flood
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DEBUNKING THE SEVEN MYTHS THAT DENY THE HISTORICITY OF GENESIS, CREATION, AND NOAH’S FLOOD A video-based training program to help students keep their faith in college Daniel A. Biddle, Ph.D. Copyright © 2019 by Genesis Apologetics, Inc. E-mail: [email protected] www.genesisapologetics.com A 501(c)(3) ministry equipping youth pastors, parents, and students with Biblical answers for evolutionary teaching in public schools. The entire contents of this book (including videos) are available online: www.genesisapologetics.com/sevenmyths Debunking the Seven Myths that Deny the Historicity of Genesis, Creation, and Noah’s Flood: A video-based training program to help students keep their faith in college by Daniel A. Biddle, Ph.D. Printed in the United States of America ISBN-13: 9781690180111 All rights reserved solely by the author. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the permission of the author. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Print Version October 2019 Dedication To my wife, Jenny, who supports me in this work. To my children Makaela, Alyssa, Matthew, and Amanda, and to your children and your children’s children for a hundred generations—this book is for all of you. We would like to acknowledge Answers in Genesis (www.answersingenesis.org), the Institute for Creation Research (www.icr.org), and Creation Ministries International (www.creation.com). Much of the content herein has been drawn from (and is meant to be in alignment with) these Biblical Creation ministries. “Guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’—which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.” 1 Tim. 6:20–21 “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” Psalm 118:23 v Contents About the Author ....................................................................... 9 Preface: On Roots and Batons.................................................. 10 Introduction .............................................................................. 24 Myth 1: “While the Bible may be ‘inspired,’ by God, it’s not ‘inerrant’ and parts of it are just myth” ......................... 38 Myth 2: “The Bible’s account of Creation is only metaphorical, the six creation days are not ordinary days, and creation really unfolded over millions of years” ................................................................................... 53 Myth 3: “Genesis 1 and 2 provide two different accounts of creation” .......................................................................... 71 Myth 4: “Adam and Eve were not real people, only allegories used to describe the first humans” ...................... 75 Myth 5: “The Bible’s account of Noah’s Flood is just myth and was drawn from writings from the Ancient Near East” .......................................................................... 106 Myth 6: “Moses actually did not write the first five books of the Bible” ............................................................ 144 Myth 7: “Dinosaurs died out millions of years ago, did not walk with man, and are not mentioned in the Bible” ................................................................................. 150 Helpful Resources .................................................................. 207 Prayer of Salvation ................................................................. 208 Technical Appendix ............................................................... 212 Endnotes ................................................................................. 245 vii About the Author Dr. Daniel A. Biddle is president of Genesis Apologetics, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to equipping youth pastors, parents, and students with Biblical answers for evolutionary teaching in public schools. Daniel has trained thousands of students in Biblical Creation and evolution and is the author of several Creation videos, books, and other publications. Daniel holds a doctorate in the Behavioral Sciences from Alliant University in San Francisco, California, and has worked as an expert consultant and/or witness in over 100 state and federal cases in the areas of research methodologies and analysis. About the Ministry Genesis Apologetics (www.genesisapologetics.com) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) ministry that equips Christian students and their parents with faith-building materials that affirm a Biblical Creation worldview. We are committed to providing Christian families with biblically and scientifically accurate answers to evolution as taught in public schools. Our doctrinal position on Biblical Creation aligns with ministries such as Answers in Genesis, the Institute for Creation Research, and Creation Ministries International which take Genesis at face value, including its testimony of a miraculous creation and global Flood that occurred only thousands of years ago. Genesis Apologetics offers the following free online training resources: Mobile App: Search for “Genesis Apologetics” in the iTunes or Google Play stores. www.debunkevolution.com www.genesisapologetics.com YouTube Channel (Genesis Apologetics). Our channel includes over 100 videos that promote Biblical Creation. 9 Preface: On Roots and Batons On Roots: Personal Reflections from my Daughter’s Wedding The day was June 10th and it came way too fast. The culmination of weeks of planning and setup were ready to be tested by 200 people convening to celebrate my daughter’s wedding. Time is the great companion or foe that takes us through every situation in life—ready or not—and time had me on autopilot for the day’s activities. Before I knew it, I was standing before the pastor and all the witnesses giving my daughter away. But this day didn’t have to come. They might have missed it, making other choices with relationships, occupations, friends, and most importantly, spiritual decisions that could have stood in the way of their wedding day ever coming. But come it did, and we were all grateful. As the day progressed, I continued reflecting on the day’s festivities: the flowers, the people who poured in their time and resources, and the gifts being showered into their lives. To some, the day’s event could be chalked up to “luck”: “Isn’t it nice they met each other—what a lucky couple!” To others, it was just a “self-made” event—two people falling in love celebrating their special day with friends and family. The more I reflected about these various perspectives, the clearer the reality came to me: It’s all about roots. The outward and visible wedding that day—like the opening of a flower representing their new lives together—was all about roots. It was the quiet, God-centered choices that each of them made years before their wedding day that led to the now-visible outcome of their celebration together. When we study the beauty of a flower we seldom think about its roots, but it’s those very roots—hidden beneath the soil—that are responsible for the flower’s expression of beauty and design. What we really see when we’re looking at the flower is what the roots are expressing. 10 “Rooted” Vase by Ashley Rowley (Sister of the Groom) Membership and Education Manager at American Museum of Ceramic Art / AMOCA These roots were established over time through the silent, unseen process of growing their lives in the Lord through His Word. This process later resulted in a once-in-a-lifetime celebration now seen by hundreds. To look at the wedding as luck or a self-made occurrence doesn’t accurately represent what happened that day, especially according to scripture. Psalm chapter 1, verses 1–3: Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. 11 Right out of the gate, before the reader dives into the remaining 149 Psalms in the book, the writer establishes that the person who does not walk, stand, or sit in the counsel, path, or seat of the ungodly, sinner, or scornful person is blessed, meaning to receive favor from God, the maker of heaven and earth. The passage continues to assure that the person whose delight is in the law (specifically the Torah, the first five books of the Bible) and who meditates day and night on its truths will be likened to a tree that is planted (i.e., rooted) by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in its season and whose leaf shall not wither. The passage even promises that whatever this person does will prosper. The passage is saying that the person who separates themselves from the world and its ways and saturates themselves in God’s Word will thrive (not forbidding, of course the persecutions and challenges that Scripture also assures believers). Breaking down the passage, there are three key terms to unpack: delight, meditate, and law. Let’s review each. The Hebrew term for delight is chêphets and means to take pleasure or desire something concrete and valuable and (by extension) a matter (as in having something in mind). Solomon certainly expressed this when he said in Proverbs 3:15 that [God’s] wisdom is “more precious than jewels” and “nothing we desire” can compare with it.