RE: OUCH

Paul Adams (ADAMS_P@msb.flint.umich.edu)
Tue, 20 Feb 1996 10:39:50 EDT

To those who wish to use the term old earth creationist as a contrast to
young earth creationist, let me ask what you would like the term to mean. Do
you see it as roughly similar to progressive creationist (including the
concordist variant day-age theory)? Or would it be a broader term that would
include theistic evolution? In conversations at ASA meetings, I have met
progressive creationists who think that any label that includes the term
"creationist" in reference to a theistic evolutionist is inappropriate.
These individuals apparently feel that "creationist" means "special
creationist" in which supernatural physical creations are required after the
creation of nature itself. If the term is to include both PC and TE, then it
would have a meaning that no other term, that I can think of, would have and
thus could be quite useful. (This would be like the term special creation as
it bridges YEC, PC, and the gap theory.) If, on the other hand, OEC is
merely to be a synonym for PC (and possibly including GT?), then the value
would be quite limited.

Paul A. Adams
Biology Department
University of Michigan-Flint
Flint, Michigan 48502-2186
810-762-3016
padams@umich.edu