Re: [asa] Advice for conversing with YECs

As Randy says, the personal factor is often more effective than
either discussing science or theology. Many YECs seem to have a
pseudo-gnostic approach toward nature and science (nature is bad,
Scripture is good). Many do not really understand or trust theology
or hermeneutics (Henry Morris once said that the Scriptures do not
require any interpretation).

Besides getting to know non-YECs personally, it can be helpful to
point YECs to scholars whom they trust. E.g. I like this quote from
Merrill F. Unger, who is widely trusted in conservative Baptistic and
Dispensationalistic circles: "The Naïve View that creation was
effected in one ordinary week about 4,000 B.C. is shaky on
hermeneutical grounds and absurd on scientific grounds." ("Creation,"
Unger's Bible Dictionary, 1966 edition. Note that not all editions
have this description, in particular the New Unger's Bible
Dictionary.) Other possibilities might be B.B. Warfield (a champion
of inerrancy but open to theistic evolution) and James Orr (one of
the original Fundamentalists).

Kirk

On Nov 2, 2008, at 5:46 PM, Randy Isaac wrote:

> In my own transition from YEC to whatever it is I believe today, I
> can't pinpoint a single dramatic argument that turned me around. A
> major factor was simply getting to know and respect Christians in
> science who weren't YEC, mainly Wheaton faculty. I had been taught
> to think non-YEC scientists were duped compromisers. But getting to
> know them personally made all the difference. (ok, I confess, it
> also helped greatly that one of them was not just an ASA member but
> the father of the woman I was dating and later married!!) Studying
> physics and going to grad school just gave me the tools and methods
> to understand and analyze the claims myself.

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Received on Mon Nov 3 12:13:45 2008