Greetings,
The central foundation behind the science of creation science is a specific kind of flood geology where all of the layered sedimentary rocks around the world are remnant global flood deposits. All of todays young earth creationists hinge their entire arguments in the evolution/creation controversy around this claim, which can be traced directly to Henry Morris and John Whitcombs 1961 book, The Genesis Flood. Henry Morris has deceived his fellow young earth creationists:
Ellen G. (Harmon) White (1827-1925), cofounder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is today revered as a prophet. White claimed to have upwards of 2,000 visions from God with her first occurring in 1844. One particular vision was the beginning of creation. She states,
I was then carried back to the creation and was shown that the first week, in which God performed the work of creation in six days and rested on the seventh day, was just like every other week.
She then states that fossils were the result of the flood,
[humans, animals, and trees] were buried, and thus preserved as an evidence to later generations that the antediluvians perished by a flood. God designed that the discovery of these things should establish faith in inspired history; but the things which God gave them [i.e., to us humans] as a benefit, they turn into a curse by making a wrong use of them [scientists].
One particular early twentieth century creationist, George McCready Price (1870-1963), was the key anti-evolution creationist most influential to todays young earth anti-evolution creationist movement even though his beliefs were considered on the fringe by creationists at the time. Price promoted what he called Flood Geology. He claimed that geologists were completely wrong about the geologic history of the layered sedimentary rocks and the fossils they contained. While geologists were claiming that sedimentary rocks are the result of sediment (sand, clay, mud, etc.) being deposited and buried over millions of years, Price was claiming that they were flood sediments from Noahs global deluge approximately 4,000 years ago. The fossils were remnants of creatures that died during the global flood. He detailed his beliefs in his book, The New Geology (1923).
Price, a Seventh-day Adventist, had no choice but to believe in a restrictive literal interpretation. Ellen White claimed to have received a vision from God, showing her the creation of the universe, which was just like any other week. Accepting anything other than a young earth would be to deny White as a true prophet.
Price was not the first to come up with flood geology. The scientific community settled this issue at the beginning of the previous century. A convincing argument against a young earth literal interpretation of the Bible in the early 19th century was that no physical evidence for a global flood existed anywhere on the planet. A massive and violent global flood should visibly scar the surface of the Earth. English geologist and paleontologist (and originator of the Gap Theory) Reverend William Buckland (1784-1856) explained why this particular type of flood geology was not accepted by the scientific community. In 1836 he writes,
Some have attempted to ascribe the formation of all the stratified rocks to the effects of the Mosaic Deluge; an opinion which is irreconcilable with the enormous thickness and almost infinite subdivisions of these strata, and with the numerous and regular successions which they contain of the remains of animals and vegetables, differing more an more widely from existing species, as the strata in which we find them are older, or place at greater depths.
According to Dr. Numbers (a former Adventist himself), George McCready Price did not receive his education on flood geology from this early scientific debate. As stated earlier, Seventh-day Adventist founder, Ellen White, claimed to have seen in one of her 2,000 divine visions the rock layers and fossils being formed during Noahs flood. Price, believing White as a prophet, took this vision as gospel and developed young earth flood geology creationism around it.
In 1961, the anti-evolution fight was reenergized by the publication of one book, The Genesis Flood (1961). The authors, Henry Morris and John Whitcomb, Jr., were so convincing to fundamentalist Christians that it started a new creationist movement, in which they called creation science. Dr. Numbers comments upon this in his book, Creationists: The Evolution of Scientific Creationism:
At last, in the late 1950s, a breakthrough occurred. John C. Whitcomb, Jr. (b. 1924), a theologian at Grace Theological Seminary (Winona Lake, Indiana) of the Grace Brethren denomination, and Henry M. Morris (b. 1918), a hydraulic engineer of Southern Baptist background, had each been moving in a creationist direction for quite a while before finding confirmation in Prices work. Each was also disturbed by a book published in 1954 by the evangelical Baptist theologian, Bernard Ramm, The Christian View of Science and Scripture Soon after Whitcomb and Morris met each other they published The Genesis Flood (1961), an updating of Prices work, but one that, because of Whitcombs theological contribution and Morris scientific expertise, made Prices points more persuasively.
Morris and Whitcomb repackaged Prices discarded flood geology creationism into something that the fundamentalist and evangelical community finally embraced. The Genesis Flood was an instant success with 29 reprints and sales in excess of 200,000 by the 1980s. It became the scientific support and justification for the belief in young earth creationism, especially since this movement was named creation science. One reason for its success, besides the more refined methods of persuasion in the book, is because Morris came from the mainline Baptist community rather than the fringe Seventh-day Adventist community as did Price. This made it more palatable for mainstream evangelicals. Morris and Whitcomb seemed to have predicted this Christian bias. In The Genesis Flood they do not credit George McCready Prices work, The New Geology (1923), as being their single most influential resource. Again, The Genesis Flood is merely an updated version of The New Geology. Don Stoner in his book A New Look at an Old Earth, states:
The connection to Price and the Adventists worried Whitcomb and Morris . Fearing that Prices Adventist-tinted reputation might hinder the acceptance of The Genesis Flood, Whitcomb and Morris tried to avoid any visible connection with Price. Although they left the substance of their arguments unchanged, they removed nearly every mention of Prices name from their book.
Timothy Martin points out in his book, Beyond Creation Science, that after 23 years and after the fundamentalist Christian community had fully embraced his book, Morris finally gives credit where credit is due. In his 1984 book, History of Modern Creationism, he states,
I encountered his name in one of Harry Rimmers books and thereupon looked up his book The New Geology in the library at Rice Institute, where I was teaching at the time. This was in early 1943 and it was a life-changing experience for me.
The significance of their deception upon fellow believers cannot be overemphasized. In order to avoid the McCready Price connection, Morris and Whitcomb claimed that sedimentary rock flood geology was common knowledge even in early Christianity, and in so doing, hinted that this was the source of their modern sedimentary layer flood geology. On page 90 of The Genesis Flood, Morris and Whitcomb state,
Before 1800, some of the outstanding theologians of the church were of the opinion that the Genesis Flood not only was universal in extent but also was responsible for the reshaping of the earths surface, including the formation of sedimentary strata. Among those who held this view were Tertullian, Chrysostom, Augustine, and Luther.
This statement can be nothing but a deception. A thorough review of these early Christians writings will demonstrate that they never commented upon sedimentary rock strata being the result of Noahs flood. Besides, Christian leaders prior to the 19th century believed Genesis clearly states that the land, which includes all sedimentary rocks, was formed BEFORE the creation of life. Since sedimentary rocks contain billions of fossils (evidence of life), it can only mean these rocks were formed AFTER life began.
Sincerely,
Mike
The central foundation behind the science of creation science is a specific kind of flood geology where all of the layered sedimentary rocks around the world are remnant global flood deposits. All of todays young earth creationists hinge their entire arguments in the evolution/creation controversy around this claim, which can be traced directly to Henry Morris and John Whitcombs 1961 book, The Genesis Flood. Henry Morris has deceived his fellow young earth creationists:
Ellen G. (Harmon) White (1827-1925), cofounder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is today revered as a prophet. White claimed to have upwards of 2,000 visions from God with her first occurring in 1844. One particular vision was the beginning of creation. She states,
I was then carried back to the creation and was shown that the first week, in which God performed the work of creation in six days and rested on the seventh day, was just like every other week.
She then states that fossils were the result of the flood,
[humans, animals, and trees] were buried, and thus preserved as an evidence to later generations that the antediluvians perished by a flood. God designed that the discovery of these things should establish faith in inspired history; but the things which God gave them [i.e., to us humans] as a benefit, they turn into a curse by making a wrong use of them [scientists].
One particular early twentieth century creationist, George McCready Price (1870-1963), was the key anti-evolution creationist most influential to todays young earth anti-evolution creationist movement even though his beliefs were considered on the fringe by creationists at the time. Price promoted what he called Flood Geology. He claimed that geologists were completely wrong about the geologic history of the layered sedimentary rocks and the fossils they contained. While geologists were claiming that sedimentary rocks are the result of sediment (sand, clay, mud, etc.) being deposited and buried over millions of years, Price was claiming that they were flood sediments from Noahs global deluge approximately 4,000 years ago. The fossils were remnants of creatures that died during the global flood. He detailed his beliefs in his book, The New Geology (1923).
Price, a Seventh-day Adventist, had no choice but to believe in a restrictive literal interpretation. Ellen White claimed to have received a vision from God, showing her the creation of the universe, which was just like any other week. Accepting anything other than a young earth would be to deny White as a true prophet.
Price was not the first to come up with flood geology. The scientific community settled this issue at the beginning of the previous century. A convincing argument against a young earth literal interpretation of the Bible in the early 19th century was that no physical evidence for a global flood existed anywhere on the planet. A massive and violent global flood should visibly scar the surface of the Earth. English geologist and paleontologist (and originator of the Gap Theory) Reverend William Buckland (1784-1856) explained why this particular type of flood geology was not accepted by the scientific community. In 1836 he writes,
Some have attempted to ascribe the formation of all the stratified rocks to the effects of the Mosaic Deluge; an opinion which is irreconcilable with the enormous thickness and almost infinite subdivisions of these strata, and with the numerous and regular successions which they contain of the remains of animals and vegetables, differing more an more widely from existing species, as the strata in which we find them are older, or place at greater depths.
According to Dr. Numbers (a former Adventist himself), George McCready Price did not receive his education on flood geology from this early scientific debate. As stated earlier, Seventh-day Adventist founder, Ellen White, claimed to have seen in one of her 2,000 divine visions the rock layers and fossils being formed during Noahs flood. Price, believing White as a prophet, took this vision as gospel and developed young earth flood geology creationism around it.
In 1961, the anti-evolution fight was reenergized by the publication of one book, The Genesis Flood (1961). The authors, Henry Morris and John Whitcomb, Jr., were so convincing to fundamentalist Christians that it started a new creationist movement, in which they called creation science. Dr. Numbers comments upon this in his book, Creationists: The Evolution of Scientific Creationism:
At last, in the late 1950s, a breakthrough occurred. John C. Whitcomb, Jr. (b. 1924), a theologian at Grace Theological Seminary (Winona Lake, Indiana) of the Grace Brethren denomination, and Henry M. Morris (b. 1918), a hydraulic engineer of Southern Baptist background, had each been moving in a creationist direction for quite a while before finding confirmation in Prices work. Each was also disturbed by a book published in 1954 by the evangelical Baptist theologian, Bernard Ramm, The Christian View of Science and Scripture Soon after Whitcomb and Morris met each other they published The Genesis Flood (1961), an updating of Prices work, but one that, because of Whitcombs theological contribution and Morris scientific expertise, made Prices points more persuasively.
Morris and Whitcomb repackaged Prices discarded flood geology creationism into something that the fundamentalist and evangelical community finally embraced. The Genesis Flood was an instant success with 29 reprints and sales in excess of 200,000 by the 1980s. It became the scientific support and justification for the belief in young earth creationism, especially since this movement was named creation science. One reason for its success, besides the more refined methods of persuasion in the book, is because Morris came from the mainline Baptist community rather than the fringe Seventh-day Adventist community as did Price. This made it more palatable for mainstream evangelicals. Morris and Whitcomb seemed to have predicted this Christian bias. In The Genesis Flood they do not credit George McCready Prices work, The New Geology (1923), as being their single most influential resource. Again, The Genesis Flood is merely an updated version of The New Geology. Don Stoner in his book A New Look at an Old Earth, states:
The connection to Price and the Adventists worried Whitcomb and Morris . Fearing that Prices Adventist-tinted reputation might hinder the acceptance of The Genesis Flood, Whitcomb and Morris tried to avoid any visible connection with Price. Although they left the substance of their arguments unchanged, they removed nearly every mention of Prices name from their book.
Timothy Martin points out in his book, Beyond Creation Science, that after 23 years and after the fundamentalist Christian community had fully embraced his book, Morris finally gives credit where credit is due. In his 1984 book, History of Modern Creationism, he states,
I encountered his name in one of Harry Rimmers books and thereupon looked up his book The New Geology in the library at Rice Institute, where I was teaching at the time. This was in early 1943 and it was a life-changing experience for me.
The significance of their deception upon fellow believers cannot be overemphasized. In order to avoid the McCready Price connection, Morris and Whitcomb claimed that sedimentary rock flood geology was common knowledge even in early Christianity, and in so doing, hinted that this was the source of their modern sedimentary layer flood geology. On page 90 of The Genesis Flood, Morris and Whitcomb state,
Before 1800, some of the outstanding theologians of the church were of the opinion that the Genesis Flood not only was universal in extent but also was responsible for the reshaping of the earths surface, including the formation of sedimentary strata. Among those who held this view were Tertullian, Chrysostom, Augustine, and Luther.
This statement can be nothing but a deception. A thorough review of these early Christians writings will demonstrate that they never commented upon sedimentary rock strata being the result of Noahs flood. Besides, Christian leaders prior to the 19th century believed Genesis clearly states that the land, which includes all sedimentary rocks, was formed BEFORE the creation of life. Since sedimentary rocks contain billions of fossils (evidence of life), it can only mean these rocks were formed AFTER life began.
Sincerely,
Mike