The Common Factor

On my summer speaking tour across Australia, I visited a number of major museums … and something really “hit” me.

At two of them, there were no major displays dealing with Darwinian evolution or the supposed evolutionary history of man. But almost everywhere I looked, there were references to millions or billions of years of history.

In the other museums, while they had displays dealing with biological evolution (including that of man), the major issue raised over and over and over again was millions and billions of years.

For two of the weeks in Australia, my wife and I led a tour of about 30 American AiG supporters (we’ve conducted this tour now for 14 years) up Australia’s beautiful east coast. Touring Sydney’s famous Blue Mountains, signs and commentaries continually confronted us with millions of years. Walking around various animal displays, we were also confronted with millions of years.

Also, the tour guide driving the bus up to Cape Tribulation in far northern Queensland seemed to utter more about millions of years than anything else. And then the guide at the Rainforest Center began his talk with millions of years.

In fact, in virtually every country—while visiting their zoos, museums etc., or watching TV—people are continually bombarded with the idea of an earth that is millions of years old. Even though “evolution” might be mentioned, there’s no doubt that the most prevalent influence throughout the world in regard to the topic of origins and history is the teaching of millions (and billions) of years.

Now, think about this: churches, Bible colleges, seminaries, Christian colleges, various Christian ministries and organizations hold a variety of positions regarding the Book of Genesis—progressive creation, theistic evolution, gap theory, framework hypothesis, day-age/local flood and so on.

And all such compromise positions have one common factor. In various ways, they incorporate millions of years into the Bible.

Beginning in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the teaching of millions of years has been (and still is) the issue that Satan has used to undermine biblical authority and undo the effects of the Reformation (which challenged the church to get back to biblical authority).

Yes, many in the church will reject Darwinian evolution—BUT most will be adamant that the earth, fossils, etc., are millions of years old.

When the church by and large adopted millions of years, thus “reinterpreting” the days of creation and the global Flood, the world saw the church giving up God’s Word as infallible, but still trying to hold on to its authority in other areas.

Over generations, the world recognized this inconsistency; today, it increasingly scoffs at the Bible. Many won’t listen to the message of salvation or morality found in the Bible—it is no longer considered authoritative.

Until the church rejects the world’s teaching of millions of years and reclaims the authority of the Word beginning in Genesis, the world—and its museums, schools and media—will continue to close its ears to the Christian message.