Today’s broadcast is brought to you from the Cotswolds! I’m away for a few days with the in-laws, celebrating birthdays 🙂 Yesterday we wandered around Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. We’d a really great day, and I bought a super-dooper, ye-olde-world-looking notebook. #happywriter
Anyway, on to today’s term, and it is Gap Theory.
I’ve gone back to CARM Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry for this one. They say that “the gap theory is the idea that there is a gap in time between Genesis 1:1 in Genesis 1:2. The gap lasted for millions of years and accounts for the dinosaurs.”
So if I’m understanding it right, Gen 1:1 says ‘In the beginning God made the heavens and the earth.’ Then the writer of Genesis forgot to, or didn’t bother to, add a note to say, “skip forward a few million years, we pick up the story again here… Gen 1:2 ‘And the earth was formless and void... etc etc’
In fairness, I can see why Gap Theory might be attractive to some. It certainly appears to do away with many questions. It accounts for stuff that can’t be accounted for and anything that doesn’t fit, or that we can’t agree on, can be put down to events during that time period. So rather than answering questions, it suggests a reason why they can’t be answered.
I know that not all Christians agree on the basic 6 day creation story. I personally know Christian scientists who believe in a form of evolution that is governed by God. I’m a 6 day girl myself, but it’s not a deal breaker for me.
I have no problem with mystery, unexplained things or unanswerable questions. In fact it’s what yesterday’s post was all about. I would much prefer a mystery that I can trust God about, than an answer that appeases much but settles nothing.
So Gap Theory gets the thumbs down from me I’m afraid…
See you tomorrow for the ‘H’ instalment. 🙂 x
Just another Christian woman... 
This is a very interesting subject. It is my understanding that there are more than just one teaching of the gap theory. There is a teaching that is creationist…not evolutionist, and holds to a literal 6 days of creation. I was a member of a type of Baptist church for 5 years that actually taught it. Let me see if I can briefly explain it.
It has to do with Genesis 1:2. Here are both verses 1 and 2:
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2
According to this pastor, the word “was” in verse 2 actually means “became”, so it would read like this:
” And the earth ‘became’ without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
I agree with you that these things are mysterious, but it really is interesting to read about these things. Here is a link if you are curious how he can still believe in a literal 6th day creation and a “version” of the gap theory all at the same time:
Blessings,
Theresa
http://tribulationperiod.com/blog/?p=10315
Theresa thanks a million. That is helpful. I’ve heard similar from some Christian scientists. I suppose I didn’t put the ‘Gap Theory’ label on it – but it makes sense. Will definitely have a read of that article.
I don’t understand it all, but it’s good to be discussing it and thinking about it 😀
I’ve never heard of The Gap Theory, though am pretty new to reading and trying to comprehend The Bible, so will be interested in following up on this a bit. Nice post.
Thank you Sandy. I suppose what I’m trying to do is think out loud about what some of these terms mean.
I hope that for someone new to it all like yourself, I’m making it a bit MORE accessible, rather than less! 🙂
Keep reading (I mean the Bible -not my stuff lol )
I’m a six day girl too … I figure if I can’t even trust the first chapter of the Bible to be true, then how on earth am I supposed to trust the rest of it? I love to read the writings of creation scientists from the Institute of Creation Research and Creation Ministries International. 🙂
HI Paige. Excellent point re chapter ! 🙂
Yes I’ve read some ICR stuff. I find it really encouraging – even if I don’t always understand it all 😀
We have a few in our Christian homeschool cooperative that argue about new earth versus old earth. I don’t have any problem with a Big Bang Theory as long as you remember that God made the BANG! If you have real faith, who is afraid of what science might say? God has already told us how it happened, but the Bible is not a manual for re-creating the earth…it’s never going to read like a science text. That’s not in the main theme, eh?
Great blog, by the way! Glad to see you on the A-to-Z!
Cherdo
http://www.cherdoontheflipside.com
thanks Cherdo! You are so right, I think the blanks dismissal of science is wrong – mainly because I believe that all knowledge is His anyway.
Thanks for the encouragement. Will be catching up on reading over the weekend – will pop by 🙂 x