Science in Christian Perspective

Letter to the Editor

It is So Simple
Bruce H. Erkkila 
Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory 
Los Alamos, New Mexico


From: JASA 22 (March 1970): 34-35.

The dialogue on evolution in the Journal ASA has been both interesting and disappointing. I really wonder if we know that the "Holy Scriptures are the inspired Word of God, the only unerring guide of faith and conduct." Can we as human beings put absolute trust in the Word of God when the "word" of men in the world today is so opposed to God's Word and at the same time is more popular than God's Word?

Here I would like to point out several real possi bilities which would shed light on the credibility of God's Word.

(The author here summarizes (1) the gap theory of Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, utilizing I Car. 14:33 and Isaiah 45:18; (2) the rebellion of Satan-and-other-spiritual-beings theory utilizing Isaiah 14:12-17 and Rev. 12:4; (3) the preciouspopulation-of-the-earth theory utilizing Gen. 1:28; (4) a preNoochian-flood theory based on Genesis 1:2; and (5) the following "evidences" from today's observations: the random distribution of heavenly bodies, the absence of life on the moon, evidence of great flooding even billions of years ago, disappearance of life forms in the past, existence of very different life forms many years before man. A more detailed treatment of this theoretical interpretation (first scientifically discussed by Rosenmouller in 1776) may be found in The Christian View of Science and Scripture, B. Ramm, Eerdmons (1955), pp. 195-210.)

I claim then that our creator has revealed to us what truly happened in the past if we will only believe him instead of man! Furthermore, all the evidence we can observe today reveals what truly happened in the past, but we must interpret that evidence properly in light of the Holy Scriptures. John A. McIntyre (Journal ASA 21, 59 (1969) ) has pointed out that there is an apparent discrepancy between scientific data and the scriptural record as far as the age of the earth is concerned. I am not sure this is true if we truly interpret the facts properly and understand the scriptural record. I claim that scientific facts and the Bible are reconciled if we believe God! God does not inspire or reveal a process of evolution. Our creator reveals a creation process. Will we not believe Him? It is that simple.