Creation and Science

Beginning February 2014 in the Cooper House

Quick Links:  Synopsis  -  Instructor  -  Documents  -  Field Trip  -  Audio

Course Synopsis:

Many Christians find the findings of Western science troubling to their faith. The assertions that the universe is 13 billion years old and that all living species share a common descent from a single-celled ancestor seem to flatly contradict the Bible’s account of natural history and human origins. It is small wonder that the West is becoming increasingly secular and Christians have lost confidence in the trustworthiness of scripture.

This course is an introduction to the topic of science and theology. While there is much more that could be said, my goal is to build your faith and give you the information you need to work out your own position on the topic.

The course centers upon the three dominant views among Christians: Young-earth creationism, Old-earth Creationism, and Theistic Evolution. We will take each view in turn, spending a week on each to (1) explore what it teaches about the origins of the universe, life, species, and humans; (2) assess its agreements and disagreements with the findings of science; and (3) examine its theological problems. In general we will find that none of the views is problem-free. Each of the views has certain strengths but also corresponding weaknesses.

The Young-earth Creationist position rejects much of contemporary Western science and so has been forced to come up with alternative explanations for the age of the universe and the origins of life. A comparatively recent and controversial proposal of theirs is Flood Geology, the view that much if not most of the earth’s geological features were formed as a consequence of Noah’s Flood. Because it is so interesting and controversial, we will devote an additional week to explain the Flood Geology model and assess its validity.

Course Instructor:

Dr. Douglas H. Walker, Professor of Theology at Huntsville’s Heritage Bible College, taught theology and apologetics at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and the Moody Bible Institute. He has an earned PhD in Systematic Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and a Master of Divinity degree from Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham. Dr. Walker’s professional interests lie in the area of gender studies, apologetics, and the philosophy of religion.

The current series on science and theology is an offshoot of his life-long love of science. In April of 2013, Dr. Walker participated in an eight-day rafting expedition to view the geology of the Grand Canyon. The expedition was organized by Flood geologists to showcase their theory that both the landscape and the canyon were formed by Noah’s Flood.

Dr. Walker is married to the former Betsy Mathews of Athens. He and Betsy are the parents of Julia Hedrick, son Douglas, Jr. of East Lansing, MI, and daughter Christy Walker of Athens. Former residents of Huntsville, they returned to the area this past summer to be near Julia and Christy and grandchildren Heather and Gwynneth.

Documents:

Introduction (2/2)  :  Young Earth Creationism (2/9)  :  Flood Geology (2/16)  :  Old Earth Creationism (2/23)  :  Thesistic Evolution (3/2)  :  Creation, Evolution, and Christian Lay People by Tim Keller

Field Trip: 

Family Creation Adventure (2/15)  Lookout Mountain Field Trip      Driving Directions to Little River Canyon

Course Audio: