Integrity of God's creation
I believe it is very important to recognize the works
of God in the natural realm, His creation, as a source of truth about the Creator. Faith
in a rational orderly God whose created works are orderly and comprehensible
to those creatures in
whom He invested His image is foundational to the practice of modern science. If
the natural world does not contain a reliable record of its past history, on
what basis can it be studied and to what purpose? Even more significantly,
what would such a world communicate about the character of its Creator?
God's creation, as a revelation to His creatures of who
He is, should provide an accurate record of God's creative activity: of the
way the
universe
actually
was and is. Progressive change through time, whether in cosmology, geology,
or biology is the overwhelming conclusion from a reading of the creation record. Placed
within this context, any "creation with age" scenario is untenable.
A true and potentially comprehensible record of creation affirms
the meaning of both natural history and human history. Christianity is
fundamentally a
historical religion, and our understanding of God is based on His historical
interaction
with His people. Human history flows backward seamlessly into natural
history, and anything which brings into question the validity of the latter
threatens
also our confidence in the former. As stated by Menninga, "...if
we accept the concept of 'apparent age,' we are left with no assurance of the
reality
of any history whatever." [3] The integrity of creation upholds
the trustworthiness of God's character. The God revealed in nature is
the same God who has revealed
Himself in scripture and in human flesh — that is, the God of history and
the God of truth.
[3] Clarence Menninga, quoted from Creation, Time, and Apparent Age (PSCF, 1988)
"Integrity of God's creation" is one section in The Theological Implications of an Evolving Creation by Keith Miller.
Related ideas are in the homepage for Appearance of Age: Theology and Science.