Revelation and Creation in the Thought of Bernard L. Ramm and Carl F.H
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Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertations Graduate Research 2005 Revelation and Creation in the Thought of Bernard L. Ramm and Carl F.H. Henry: the Creation "Days" as a Case Study Warren H. Johns Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations Part of the Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Johns, Warren H., "Revelation and Creation in the Thought of Bernard L. Ramm and Carl F.H. Henry: the Creation "Days" as a Case Study" (2005). Dissertations. 71. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/71 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in the Andrews University Digital Library of Dissertations and Theses. Please honor the copyright of this document by not duplicating or distributing additional copies in any form without the author’s express written permission. Thanks for your cooperation. Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary REVELATION AND CREATION IN THE THOUGHT OF BERNARD L. RAMM AND CARL F. H. HENRY: THE CREATION “DAYS” AS A CASE STUDY A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Warren Harvey Johns October 2005 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3193056 Copyright 2005 by Johns, Warren Harvey All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3193056 Copyright 2006 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. © Copyright by Warren Harvey Johns 2005 All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. REVELATION AND CREATION IN THE THOUGHT OF BERNARD L. RAMM AND CARL F. H. HENRY THE CREATION “DAYS” AS A CASE STUDY A Dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy by Warren Harvey Johns APPROVAL BY THE COMMITTEE: Faculty Adviser, Director, Plfif.D./Th.D. Programs Miroslav M. Kis Roy E. Gane Professor of Ethics John T. Baldwin Dean, SDA Theolojgkfal Professor of Theology John K. McVay Richard M. Davidson J. N. Andrews Professor of Old Testament Interpretation 'I'J /A'fJ'W 'h/t b Woodrow W. Whidden II Professor of Religion __ s y Millard J. Erickson Date approved Distinguished Professor of Theology Western Seminary Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT REVELATION AND CREATION IN THE THOUGHT OF BERNARD L. RAMM AND CARL F. H. HENRY: THE CREATION “DAYS” AS A CASE STUDY by Warren Harvey Johns Adviser: Miroslav Kis Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Dissertation Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: REVELATION AND CREATION IN THE THOUGHT OF BERNARD L. RAMM AND CARL F. H. HENRY: THE CREATION “DAYS” AS A CASE STUDY Name of researcher: Warren Harvey Johns Name and degree of faculty adviser: Miroslav Kis, PhD. Date completed: October 2005 This study explores the relationship between the doctrines of creation and revelation within evangelical thought, especially focusing upon the writings of the two foremost leaders of “Neo-evangelicalism,” Bernard L. Ramm and Carl F. H. Henry. Neo-evangelicalism arose in America in the 1940s as a reaction against the Fundamentalism of the first decades of the twentieth century. One of its purposes was to free evangelicalism from the anti-intellectual tendencies of Fundamentalism while yet maintaining a belief in the full inspiration and historicity of Scripture. As a result, evangelicals have sought to harmonize the biblical record of creation with modem geological discoveries. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The goals of this study are twofold: First, to explain how and why Bernard Ramm and Carl Henry differ in their understanding of the doctrines of revelation and creation, and second, to uncover the reasons why Ramm, Henry, and most evangelical theologians and scientists adopt a metaphorical understanding of the days of creation, when the large majority of scholars in the past one hundred years have understood the creation days to be literal, twenty-four-hour days. The approach of this study is descriptive, comparative, analytical, and evaluative. The first two chapters introduce the subject and provide a survey of the historical background for the evangelical understanding of revelation and creation, while the next two chapters, which are also descriptive, examine in detail the thought of Ramm and Henry on the doctrines of revelation and creation, and especially their views on the days of creation. Chapter 5, which is comparative and analytical for the large part, consists of comparisons and contrasts between the thought of Ramm and Henry upon revelation and creation as well as upon the specific nature of the creation days. The evaluative phase involves a discussion of why this issue is important to evangelicalism, noted in the last part of chapter 5 and in the summary and conclusions found in chapter 6. The differences between Ramm and Henry on the doctrines of revelation and creation can be accounted for largely on the basis of the differing methodologies and philosophical positions of the two. The contrast between the evangelical approaches to understanding the days of creation and the approaches of non-evangelical scholarship is best explained on the basis of the evangelical understanding of revelation and inspiration. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS....................................................................................... viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................... ix Chapter 1. INTRODUCING THE PROBLEM WITHIN ITS EVANGELICAL CONTEXT........................................................................ 1 The Doctrines of Revelation and Creation ............................................ 3 The Need for This S tu d y .......................................................................... 7 Statement and Justification of the Problem ............................................ 11 Purpose and Scope of the Study ............................................................. 14 Research Methodology ............................................................................ 18 Statement of the Thesis ............................................................................ 18 Outline of the Research ............................................................................ 19 Review of the Literature .......................................................................... 20 2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND TO EVANGELICAL VIEWS ON REVELATION AND CREATION......................................................... 24 Survey of Christianity’s Understanding of the Days of Creation 25 Early Church and Medieval Periods ................................................... 25 The Period from the Reformation to the Enlightenment ................... 32 The Modem Period ............................................................................ 35 Evangelicalism and the Doctrine of Revelation ...................................... 40 The Identification of Evangelicalism ................................................. 40 Sociological Definition ................................................................ 42 Theological Definition ................................................................ 44 Historical Definition .................................................................... 48 Issues within the Evangelical Doctrine of Revelation ..................... 52 The Impact of Historical Criticism upon Revelation ................. 53 The Impact of Scientific Chronology on Biblical Studies 57 The Bible Considered to Be a Textbook of Science................... 60 iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Summary ................................................................................................. 62 3. BERNARD L. RAMM ON REVELATION AND CREATION................. 63 Introduction