Biblical Case for an Old Earth, A [Paperback]

David Snoke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2006

The present creation-evolution debate is often cast as a choice between two positions: naturalistic evolution over millions of years or miraculous creation six thousand years ago. When simplified, this choice is often presented as one between science and the Bible, a choice that leaves much ground between the two views yet to be
discussed.

A Biblical Case for an Old Earth seeks to address the gap between theistic evolutionism and young-earth creationism by finally paying due attention to the biblical aspect of the debate. Both a scientist and a preacher, David Snoke presents a theological study of several themes in the evolution discussion, including the balance theme of Scripture and the day-age interpretation. Complete with an appendix that gives a literal translation of Genesis 1-11, this intriguing study will interest both scientists and lay Christians who want to dig into the faith-science intersection.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Young-earth creationism? Naturalistic evolution? Isn't there another choice?

Yes, there is.

Respected physicist and professor Dr. David Snoke argues that the Bible does tell us about the scientific history of our world, but it does not teach that the world was created recently. He offers a compelling biblical case that the young-earth position is theologically flawed.

Drawing out the deeper themes of Scripture often lost in modern discussion, Snoke shows how the biblical texts as well as modern scientific discoveries are better explained by a day-age model. He argues that the earth is millions of years old-and created miraculously by God.

Anyone interested in how science and faith relate and what the Bible says about the age of the earth will appreciate this readable, biblically grounded explanation of old-earth creationism.

"As both a respected scientist and elder of the Presbyterian Church of America, David Snoke brings great breadth and erudition to the question of whether an old earth is an orthodox interpretation of the teachings of the Bible. No matter what one's initial position, A Biblical Case for an Old Earth will certainly provoke Christians to think more deeply about this often divisive topic."--Michael J. Behe, author, Darwin's Black Box

"A marvelous book! Dr. Snoke gives us a powerful biblical warrant for an old earth, the best I've ever seen. You need to read this book, whether you're already convinced or not."--Robert C. Newman, professor, Biblical Theological Seminary; director, Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute

About the Author

David Snoke is associate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Pittsburgh, a licensed preacher, and an ordained elder in the Pittsburgh presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of America. He has published over seventy articles in scientific journals and two scientific books. He also has published five philosophical articles in the Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, a journal of the American Scientific Affiliation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801066190
• ISBN-13: 978-0801066191
• Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 5.5 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #739,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 79 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful and carefully reasoned September 12, 2006

By M. A. Covington

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

People of all persuasions, conservative, liberal, and skeptic, will find this book useful as a carefully reasoned exposition of what the Bible actually *says*.

All too often, we bring modern presuppositions to the Bible and misunderstand it. For example, we see the word "earth" and immediately imagine a globe seen from outer space. That was not part of the ancient Hebrew mindset. On that basis, Snoke argues convincingly that the Bible says Noah's flood was local (it covered "the land," not the entire planet). Also, the creation story in Genesis 1 is clearer if we understand that it describes the appearance of things seen by a person on the ground, not an aerial or outer-space view.

Snoke is very conservative; he does not accept Darwinian evolution at all. His conservatism makes the book all the more useful because he obviously is not trying to impose Darwinism or anything else onto the Bible. He is just trying to read it in the light of present-day knowledge of history, archeology, and physical science.

He does a good job of disposing of fundamentalist folklore. Young-earthers often add to the Bible a remarkable assortment of notions not explicitly taught there, such as the vapor canopy theory, an assortment of miracles associated with Noah's Ark, and so forth.

He also makes an interesting observation about the "appearance of age" theory (that God created the earth with the appearance of age). Suppose God created Adam miraculously with a 30-year-old body. That would make sense because in order to exist, Adam had to exist at *some* stage of physical maturity. But if God had created Adam with 30 years of false memories, that would make God a deceiver. In the same way, it does not seem plausible that God would create the universe with spurious evidence for huge numbers of specific prehistoric events, from supernovae down to the life and death of individual animals.

In passing, he remarks that it is a breach of scientific ethics for young-earthers, presenting themselves as scientists, to take their claims directly to popular audiences, often with church sanction, without submitting them to any kind of expert criticism (even from their allies). He also suggests a possible reason for widespread ancient belief in dragons: a few dinosaur skeletons must have been found, and recognized as reptiles, at various places in ancient times.

In short: This book is very strong on logic in a field where shoddy reasoning is common. It is the best exegesis of Genesis 1-2 that I've ever seen.

39 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Delivers what the title promises August 19, 2006

By Paul R. Bruggink

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Since Young Earth Creationists believe that God's Word trumps God's works every time, the only approach that would have a chance of succeeding in getting YECs to consider the possibility of Old Earth Creationism would be to demonstrate that the Bible can be interpreted to support (or at least not preclude) OEC.

David Snoke's "A Biblical Case for an Old Earth" takes a giant step in this direction. First he builds a case for the legitimacy of allowing experience to affect our interpretation of the Bible. After a chapter in the scientific case for an old earth, he presents an extensive and well-reasoned discussion of animal death before the fall, which he perceives as one of the significant issues in the YEC vs. OEC debate.

He then covers the leviathan, the Sabbath rest, miracles, interpreting Genesis 1 & 2, and Noah's Flood, using all of these discussions to gently support Old Earth Creationism. He clearly states his own personal views on each issue.

Throughout the book, he demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the entire Bible, particularly in bringing out relevant parallelisms in Hebrew Scripture. His knowledge of science (Ph.D. in physics) benefits the text on numerous occasions.

This book is written for the Christian layman, both YEC and OEC.

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid, Level-headed Discussion September 21, 2006

By David W. Opderbeck

Format:Paperback

In this book, David Snoke, a professor of Physics at the University of Pittsburgh, presents a case for a "day-age" view of Genesis 1. Snoke's twin goals are to establish that the "day-age" view is a valid alternative for Christians who hold to Biblical inerrancy and to argue for a concordist understanding of the Genesis texts and modern science. He succeeds admirably at the first goal, but is less persuasive concerning the second.

The book is organized into nine chapters and includes an appendix with a "literal" translation of Genesis 1-12. The first two chapters identify Snoke's underlying assumptions and recite the scientific evidence for an old earth. Snoke does an excellent job of explaining why and when extra-Biblical evidence can be used to interpret the Bible, and provides a calm, concise summary of the physical evidence against the young earth view. These chapters are particularly useful and admirable because they avoid the argumentative tone that so often creeps into this sort of discussion.

After laying this groundwork, Snoke responds to two key objections against the old earth view: the problem of death before the fall and the relationship between the creation week and the Sabbath. His insights concerning animal death before the fall are particularly helpful. In particular, he suggests that the wild, untamed aspects of creation, including things such as carnivorous animals, may have served before the Fall as a reminder to Adam and Eve of God's power, and as a sort of warning about life outside the protected confines of Eden. Just as Aslan in C.S. Lewis' Narnia books is not a "tame Lion," he notes, these aspects of creation that don't seem "nice" to us remind us that God is also a "dangerous" God.

After presenting his Biblical case for an old earth, Snoke turns to the case for a concordist view of science and scripture. He defines "science" as "nothing but a way to organize and analyze the things of the world around us," and concludes that since the Bible also makes observations about the physical world, there should be areas of overlap where "things in the Bible are open to scientific investigation."

Many readers will take issue with this definition of "science." At first blush, it seems as though this definition is too broad, as "science" is a specific and limited way of analyzing the world around us. In fact, those in the theistic evolution camp argue that "science" is limited to investigating natural causes and that it cannot therefore be applied to the questions raised by the Bible. Many readers also will question why Snoke discounts Darwinian evolution based on an a priori reading of the creation story concerning Adam and Eve, while remaining willing to consider alternative interpretations of related texts that superficially seem to suggest a recent creation. Nevertheless, on the question of the age of the earth, this is a fair and well-balanced book that deserves a wide reading, particularly in the evangelical community.