ACADEMIC INSTITUTION SOUTH AFRICAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY QUALIFICATION Mini-Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Theology THESIS SUPERVISOR Dr Mark Pretorius STUDENT: #8482 Edward Cunningham Brown MINI-THESIS TITLE A Critique of the Scientific Dating Methods Used by Young Earth Creationism to Prove a Global Cataclysmic Deluge: A Case Study of the Grand Canyon’s Geology. SUBMISSION DATE: March 2017 DECLARATION By submitting this work to the South African Theological Seminary (SATS), I hereby declare that it is my own work, that no one did it for me, and that I did not plagiarise any other person’s work. I have cited all the sources such as books, journals and websites that I used. I understand and accept that should this declaration be proven false, I will automatically fail the course and be subject to disciplinary action by SATS. Please note that unless expressly indicated otherwise, all scriptural quotations are from the “The Holy Bible, New King James Version” (1995), Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville. 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks to my wife, Charlene, for her unflagging encouragement over the last fifteen months, and for proof reading this document and offering suggestions as to style and grammar. And also to my son, Aiden, whose technical skill was invaluable in the setting up of the Word document parameters, and the transferring of data bases between computers when operating systems threatened to lose hundreds of resource documents. My thanks to Dr Mark Pretorius for his invaluable guidance over the last three and a half years of my journey into the deeper waters of academia. 2 CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... 2 GENERAL INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM. ....................... 7 1. A CRITIQUE OF YOUNG EARTH CREATIONISM DATING METHODS WITH RESPECT TO MODERN NATURAL SCIENCE DATING METHODS...................... 12 1.1. A Synopsis and Historical Introduction to the dating of the Earth Debate. ......... 12 1.2. An Introduction to Current Modern Dating Methods ........................................... 16 1.2.1. Fossil Remains. ........................................................................................... 16 1.2.2. Dendrochronology. ...................................................................................... 17 1.2.3. Ice-Core Chronology. .................................................................................. 19 1.2.4. Varves. ........................................................................................................ 20 1.2.5. Magnetic Mineral Orientation and Mineral-core Dating. .............................. 20 1.2.6. Coral Reef Dating. ....................................................................................... 21 1.3. An Overview of Radio-metric Dating, with Reference to its use in Geology. ...... 22 1.4. Radiocarbon Dating. .......................................................................................... 27 1.4.1. An Overview of Early and Current Radiocarbon Dating Instruments. ............. 27 1.4.2. A Simplified Explanation of the Principles behind Radiocarbon Dating. ......... 30 1.4.3. Reservoir Effects. ........................................................................................... 33 1.4.4. Poor Scientific Practices that Detract from Radiocarbon Dating’s Reliability. 37 3 1.4.5. Modern Radiocarbon Technologies and Procedures. .................................... 38 1.5. Young Earth Creationist Challenges to Carbon-14 Dating. ............................... 42 1.6. Self-Correction in the Natural Sciences. ............................................................ 43 1.7. Assessment of Current Radiocarbon Dating Technologies. .............................. 43 2. THEOLOGICAL AND BIBLICAL EXAMINATION OF THE YOUNG EARTH CREATIONIST POSITION. ...................................................................................... 44 2.1. Overview of Young Earth Creationist Thought and Hermeneutical Approach. .. 44 2.2. Questions on the Authority and Reliability of Scripture as Underpinnings for Young Earth Creationist Theology............................................................................ 46 2.2.1. The Arguments for the Independence of the Genesis 1-11 passages in the Light of other Ancient Near Eastern Writings. .......................................................... 46 2.2.2. Man’s Origins in Young Earth Creationist Theology. ...................................... 48 2.3. Perspectives on the Genesis Flood Narrative ................................................... 50 2.3.1. Introduction..................................................................................................... 50 2.3.2. The World Wide Culture of Deluge Narratives. ............................................... 50 2.3.3. Some Current Perspectives on the Genesis Flood Narrative. ........................ 51 2.3.3.1. The Genesis Deluge: Universal or Localised? ............................................. 51 2.3.3.2. God’s Grace towards Noah Amidst Judgment on Sin. ................................ 52 2.3.3.3. The Deluge: Universal Judgement and death, or Specific only to Mesopotamia? .......................................................................................................... 53 2.3.3.4. An Overview of the J and P Flood Narratives Argument. ............................ 54 4 2.4. Interpreting the Ancient Scriptural Texts. .......................................................... 56 2.4.1. The Septuagint’s Perspective on the Flood Narrative. ................................... 56 2.4.2. Historical Protestant Understanding of the Flood. .......................................... 56 2.4.3. Genesis 7:11. “The Great Deep’s Fountains” and “The Windows of Heaven”. 58 2.4.4. “Mabbuwl”, God’s Divine Flood. ..................................................................... 59 2.4.5. The Depth of the Flood. .................................................................................. 59 3. THE YOUNG EARTH CREATIONIST PERSPECTIVE. ....................................... 59 3.1. The Young Earth Creationist Model. ................................................................. 59 3.2. Contra Perspectives within Young Earth Creationism. ...................................... 61 3.3. Some Modern Geological Responses to the Young Earth Creationist Subterranean Water Postulate. ................................................................................ 62 3.3.1. A Vulcanological Explanation for the Waters of the “Great Deep”. ................. 64 3.4. Some Erosional and Depositional Models in Young Earth Creationist Geology.64 3.6. The Structure of the Grand Canyon. ................................................................. 70 3.6.1. The Geography, Geological Column and Stratigraphy of the Grand Canyon. 70 3.6.1.1. The Geography and Formation Models for the Grand Canyon.................... 70 3.6.1.2. The Geological Column of the Grand Canyon Region. ............................... 73 3.6.2. The Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks of the Grand Canyon. ......................... 75 3.6.2.1. The Crystalline Core Rocks. ........................................................................ 75 5 3.6.2.2. The Igneous Lavas of the Grand Canyon. ................................................... 76 3.6.2.3. Volcanic Dams in the Grand Canyon. ......................................................... 78 3.6.3. The Great Unconformity. ................................................................................ 85 3.6.4. Selected Sedimentary Deposits in the Grand Canyon Geological Column. ... 87 3.6.4.1. Tonto Group: Deluge’s First Deposits? ....................................................... 87 3.6.4.2. The Redwall Limestone Fossils: “Proof” of the Deluge? .............................. 90 3.6.4.3. The Coconino Sandstone: A Study of Sediment Transport and Deposition in the Grand Canyon Region. ....................................................................................... 91 3.7. Flooding and Archaeology in the Grand Canyon. .............................................. 98 4. THE FUTURE OF YOUNG EARTH CREATIONISM: SCIENCE OR DOGMA? ... 99 4.1. An Overview of the Problem .............................................................................. 99 4.2. Poor Young Earth Scholarship Practices. ......................................................... 99 4.3. The Way Forward For Young Earth Creationism. ............................................ 101 GENERAL CONCLUSION ..................................................................................... 102 Evaluation of Young Earth Creationist Claims for a Young Grand Canyon. ........... 102 WORKS CITED ...................................................................................................... 107 WORKS CONSULTED ........................................................................................... 118 6 GENERAL INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM. Science is always performed from one perspective or another, because prejudice, bias or inclination is inherent in our human nature. Arie Leegwater (2009) believes that for Christians, science is done from within the perspective of a relationship with God. This is particularly relevant in the discussion over the age of the Earth to the Young Earth Creationist (YEC)1 movement whose literal interpretation of the Bible guides their science. Young Earth Creationism believes,