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The Nineteenth Century Engagement Between Geological and Adventist Thought and Its Bearing on the Twentieth Century Flood Geology Movement

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The Nineteenth Century Engagement Between Geological and Adventist Thought and Its Bearing on the Twentieth Century Flood Geology Movement Avondale College ResearchOnline@Avondale Theses PhD Theses 12-2016 The Nineteenth Century Engagement Between Geological and Adventist Thought and its Bearing on the Twentieth Century Flood Geology Movement Cornelis Siebe Bootsman Avondale College of Higher Education, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://research.avondale.edu.au/theses_phd Part of the Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons Recommended Citation Bootsman, C. S. (2016). The nineteenth century engagement between geological and Adventist thought and its bearing on the twentieth century flood geology movement (Doctoral dissertation, Avondale College of Higher Education, Cooranbong, Australia). Retrieved from https://research.avondale.edu.au/ theses_phd/7 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses at ResearchOnline@Avondale. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses PhD by an authorized administrator of ResearchOnline@Avondale. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Nineteenth Century Engagement Between Geological and Adventist Thought and its Bearing on the Twentieth Century Flood Geology Movement Cornelis Siebe Bootsman BSc, MSc (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), PhD (Witwatersrand) Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Discipline of Science and Mathematics Avondale College of Higher Education September 2016 Statement of Original Authorship I declare that the work contained in this thesis has not been submitted previously for a degree or diploma at this institution, an Australian or overseas university or any other institution of higher education. To the best of my knowledge and belief, this thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made. i Copyright Statement I grant to Avondale College of Higher Education the rights to archive in the College library, and to make available my thesis in whole or in part for study now and in the future. I retain all propriety rights. I also retain the right to use in future works all or part of this thesis. ii Acknowledgements First of all, I am ever grateful to God the Creator for providing me this opportunity and granting the capability to embark on this fascinating research journey. This dissertation could not have reached this stage without the help of my supervisors; library staff in Australia, the United States, and New Zealand; my work colleagues at the Auckland Seventh-day Adventist High School; and my family. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my principal supervisor Associate Professor Dr Kevin de Berg and associate supervisor Dr Lynden Rodgers who took over the role from Dr Arthur Patrick after his untimely death. I am greatly indebted to my supervisors for keeping me on track with their gentle and astute advice. I must make special mention of the support I have received from the library staff of Avondale College of Higher Education. My sincere thanks goes especially to Mrs Marian de Berg of the Ellen G. White/SDA Research Centre who has helped me with problematic searches and practical administrative support but also sustained me with wonderful dinners at her home. I also greatly appreciate the assistance that I have received from researchers at various places around the world when I was stuck with puzzling questions or needed help in finding obscure references. I would like to thank in this respect (alphabetically) Dr Victor Baker, Dr Ben Clausen, Dr Warren Johns, Dr Ronald Numbers, Dr Nicolaas Rupke, and Dr Gil Valentine. I sincerely acknowledge the financial assistance I received from the New Zealand Pacific Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and especially the support of the Education Director Ms Rosalie McFarlane who saw the benefit of such a study. I also acknowledge the fee-waiver scholarship for the duration of my study that I received from Avondale College of Higher Education in Cooranbong, NSW, Australia. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my loving wife Phumelele and daughter Maaike who have tirelessly supported and encouraged me. I sincerely thank them for their love, understanding, and for being a sounding board when I wanted to share some exciting aspects of my study. iii Dedication This thesis is dedicated to Dr Arthur N. Patrick (1934-2013). I met Dr Patrick in February 2009 during the Science and Faith Conference at Avondale College of Higher Education. Circumstances put me in the seat next to him and the casual encounter quickly developed into a proposal for this research where he became one of my supervisors. His impeccable intellectual integrity, research skills, and knowledge of Adventist history have been a great inspiration to finish this thesis. Unfortunately, he passed away too early to see this work completed. iv Abstract The Seventh-day Adventist Church has from the early years of its existence reacted to the perceived challenge of geological thought to their nascent theology. In particular, the Sabbath of the fourth Commandment in Genesis 2 and the catastrophic global Flood described in Genesis 7 and 8 were targeted. The nineteenth century Adventist response has been one of shifting focus, changing strategies, and increasing intensity. Ellen White, the church’s co-founder and prophetess, was one of the first to sound a warning on theological implications of geology. Her perception of geology contained many pre-nineteenth century concepts disconnected from contemporary geological thinking. Long-time editor Uriah Smith used external documents, notably Presbyterian writings to guide the Adventist congregation with ways of responding to geological thought as it impacted on their faith. The first authentic Adventist evaluation of geology and its perceived link with evolution by Alonzo Jones took place in the mid-1880s. With his spirited response, Jones criticised geological stratigraphic concepts in order to neutralise the threat of burgeoning theistic evolutionary thought. His searching in the geological literature involved the use of contextomy. George McCready Price next ventured to nullify the established stratigraphic principles of geology in order to justify a single, global flood-based hypothesis to explain all fossiliferous sedimentary formations. To achieve this, he presented from established scientists selected citations out of their intended context. A special case is presented on Price’s questionable use of the reports of American field geologists McConnell and Willis on thrust faults in the Rocky Mountains. Price modified diagrams and failed to convey unmistakable evidence of a dynamic cause of complex stratigraphy to present his case for the global existence of reverse sequences of rock strata. He argued that since the geologists’ evidence for a fossil sequence of life in the rock stratigraphy is so greatly flawed, there must have been a single catastrophic event that better explained this. Adventist engagement with geological thought during this period saw a noticeable increase in the disregard of intellectual integrity. This study argues that intellectual dishonesty is not a valid way to support a preconceived interpretation of the scriptural narrative. History provides several examples where skewed accounts of events due to questionable intellectual sincerity have eventually been corrected. This research provides access points for interested persons to further investigate the historical aspects of the nineteenth century geology and Adventist thought engagement. v Table of Contents Statement of Original Authorship ............................................................................................... i Copyright Statement .................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. iii Dedication ................................................................................................................................. iv Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................... vi Tables ........................................................................................................................................ ix Figures........................................................................................................................................ x Glossary ................................................................................................................................... xii Chapter 1 .................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 A Denominational Context .............................................................................................. 1 1.2 Benefiting from Tension .................................................................................................. 2 1.3 The Rationale for the Study ............................................................................................. 4 1.4 Aims and Objectives ........................................................................................................ 5 1.5 Methodology ...................................................................................................................
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