April 25, 1968 Mit Vol. 145 No. 17 VP' REVIEW AND HERALD • GENERAL CHURCH PAPER OF THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS MEET the R. Allen Jamison family arriving at the port of Valparaiso, Chile. Mrs. Jami- son is the former Judy Verlo, from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The children are Bradley and Laurie. ;t* For the past five years Pas- tor Jamison, whose home town is Napa, California, has worked in the Illinois Conference. He recently accepted the call to mission service and will serve as a Bible teacher at the col- lege at Chilton, Chile. The Jamisons are but two of the 736 missionaries sent out by the church during 1967. A complete list of these mes- sengers of the gospel begins on page 18. The DOUBLE-REVELATION Theory A TIONAL AERONAJ CS Am./ arA•._:E RA I HE term "double-revelation greatly in their character and scope, theory," used by John C. they cannot contradict each other, TWhitcomb, professor of Old since they are given by the same self- Testament, Grace Theological Sem- consistent God of truth. The theolo- inary, Indiana, for a viewpoint ex- gian is the God-appointed inter- By FRANK LEWIS MARSH pressed by certain evangelical schol- preter of Scripture, and the scientist Professor of Biology ars, is, in my opinion, an apt name. is the God-appointed interpreter of Andrews University Whitcomb, who does not hold the nature, and each has specialized tools theory and who attempts to point for determining the true meaning of out its basic fallacies, defines it as the particular book of revelation follows: which he is called upon to study. "Briefly stated, this theory main- The double-revelation theory also tains that God has given to man two maintains that whenever there is ap- revelations of truth, each of which is parent conflict between the conclu- fully authoritative in its own realm: sions of the scientist and the conclu- the revelation of God in Scripture sions of the theologian, especially and the revelation of God in nature. with regard to such problems as the Although these two revelations differ origin of the universe, the solar sys- 2 REVIEW AND HERALD, April 25, 1968 This remarkable photograph of the crescent of the earth was taken by a spacecraft from the vicinity of the moon and was transmitted to earth by the United States Lunar Orbiter I. This is the view the astronauts will have when they come around the back of the moon and face the earth. Remarkable as are the discoveries of science, they need to be supplemented by revelation for a correct understanding of the origin of our world. claims is held by a rather large group science must answer questions on of Bible-believing evangelical Chris- "When?" and "How?" tians. * According to Whitcomb, advocates This theory, found among the the- of the double-revelation theory hold ological instruments of certain theists that since a literal reading of the (believers in God), is never found Genesis account is contrary to the among atheists. The atheist scientist prevailing views of trained scientists, is of the opinion that, insofar as it and since a God of truth cannot lie, can be approached, reality may be therefore Genesis must be inter- discovered, studied, and explained preted in such a way as to agree with exclusively by means of his physical the generally accepted views of mod- senses and his own mind, all in the ern science. Too often it does not natural realm. The conservative the- seem to occur to these men that they ist scientist, on the other hand, be- may be mistaken in their interpreta- lieves that special revelation is neces- tion of nature, or that the observable sary to a correct understanding of the facts of the natural world may make natural world. All of us, like Mother the discovery of natural truth in cer- Eve, of course, have a strong urge to tain areas impossible without special accept the testimony of our senses. revelation. We want to believe what we think To the Seventh-day Adventist the we see. Like the disciple Thomas practice of giving modern science's also, we want our beliefs supported generally accepted views on origins by evidence from touch, taste, smell, a place of precedence over the asser- or hearing. tions of the Holy Scriptures, is unac- ceptable. There was a time when the- Undue Confidence ologians held nonreligious scientists The discoveries in natural science under suspicion, and rightly so, be- during the past four centuries have cause one of the most basic require- led many scientists and science devo- ments of the scientific method is the tees to place undue confidence in the insistence that all scientific problems ability of man, unaided by supernat- must be approached with an open ural power, to discover truth. The mind. This might be a safe procedure wonderful success of science in un- if one's mind were open to truth derstanding and explaining natural from the Inspired Word, as well as phenomena, and thereby often bring- nature. ing great benefit to man, has led To the scientist who does not ac- many into a worship of natural sci- cept the Bible as an inspired volume ence, that is, into scientolatry or sci- this means that all biases and pre- entism. Scientolatry claims that it conceived ideas, such as all assertions can solve most human problems "sci- of special revelation on natural sci- entifically." ence, must be laid aside so that the Because of its accomplishments, student is free to give full play to his natural science has acquired tremen- physical senses and his mental facul- dous prestige and, in spite of itself, ties. However, under such conditions has risen to a position of prominent how hardly will the right conclusion authority in our age. Those who in every area be reached when the claim to be Bible believers are in scientist refuses to be directed by the tern, the earth, animal life, and man; danger of being overawed by the pro- clear assertions of the Scriptures the effects of the Edenic curse; and nouncements of science, ephemeral upon natural phenomena! the magnitude and effects of the No- though many may prove to be, and One of the most obvious conclu- ahic Deluge, the theologian must re- of being inclined to believe that sions from the inspired account of think his interpretation of the Scrip- "worldly" scientists must be right in man's origin and early history is the tures at these points in such a way as their assertions, even in areas outside observation that God did not endow to bring the Bible into harmony with of their rightful jurisdiction. Even man at Creation with omniscience; the general consensus of scientific Bible-believing scientists are in dan- nor with the ability through unaided opinion, since the Bible is not a text- ger of being so strongly impressed by application to discover all natural book on science, and these problems their own discoveries and the inter- truth. Instead of creating him, drop- overlap the territory in which science pretations of their nonbelieving col- ping him behind a bush, and leaving alone must give us the detailed and leagues that they begin to wonder him to scramble to his feet in amaze- authoritative answers." — Origin of whether the clear, authoritative ac- ment, and try, all alone, to discover the Solar System (Philadelphia: Pres- count of beginnings in Genesis is his origin and that of things about byterian and Reformed Publishing after all only a myth. Some have him, his Creator remained with him Co., 1964), p. 8. been led to assume that Genesis was and, assisted by angels, gave him The theory as here expressed is written to give answers to the ques- through special revelation all basic Whitcomb's analysis of a position he tions "Who?" and "Why?"; but that information necessary for correct ori- REVIEW AND HERALD, April 25, 1968 3 Versus Creation—In Retrospect and Prospect,' entation in the natural world. "Adam manifested to the world."—Testimo- Gordon Review (Summer, 1959, p. 79); John De . learned from the Creator the nies, vol. 8, pp. 256, 257. Vries and Donald C. Boardman, Essentials of Phys- ical Science (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans history of creation" (Patriarchs and Added to the confusion in nature Pub. Co., 1958), p. 304; Walter R. Hearn and Richard A. Hendry, 'The Origin of Life,' in Prophets, p. 83). Even in our earth's is the fact that man's mind is no Evolution and Christian Thought Today, edited by pristine state, special revelation was longer at its original high level of Russell L. Mixter (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerd- mans Pub. Co., 1959), pp. 67-70; Ulric Jelinek, 'A necessary to obtain the truth about keenness, clearness, and power. We Scientist Contemplates the Universe and Its Creator,' The Collegiate Challenge (Oct., 1961, p. 14); Ed- origins. read, "It is sin that darkens our ward L. Kessel, 'Let's Look at Facts. Without Bent When pondering God's two books, minds and dims our perceptions."— or Bias,' in The Evidence of God in an Expanding Universe, edited by John C. Monsma (N.Y.: G. P. the Bible and the natural world, the The Ministry of Healing, p. 464. For Putnam's Sons, 1958), p. 52; J. Laurence Kulp, `The Christian Concept of Uniformity in the Uni- Bible student needs to hold in mind that reason "the greatest minds, verse,' His (May, 1952), pp. 15-24; Arthur W. that the thoughts of the scriptures if not guided by the word of God, Kuschke, Jr., in a review of John C.