What is progressive creationism?
Progressive creationism (also called process creation) is the belief that God created the heavens and the earth over a period of billions of years, not the six 24 hour days that is the basis for the traditional creationism view. Progressive creationists can be liberal or conservative in their theological belief system, but they generally agree on the following…
- The “big bang†is interpreted as God’s way of producing stars and galaxies through billions-of-years of natural processes.
- The earth and universe are billions of years old, not merely thousands of years old.
- The days of creation were overlapping periods of millions and billions of years.
- Death and bloodshed have existed from the very beginning of creation and were not the result of Adam’s sin. Man was created after the vast majority of earth’s history of life and death had already taken place.
- The flood of Noah was local, not global and it had little affect on the earth’s geology which shows billions of years of history.
It is obvious that progressive creationism is a belief which opposes both atheistic evolutionism and historic Christianity’s understanding of Biblical creationism. The teachings of progressive creationism are not new or original, but, in recent years, have received favorable publicity through Christian radio, television, as well as Christian magazines and books.
The error of progressive creationism rests on the assumption that God merely started the process of creation and let the heavens and the earth develop on its own. The Bible teaches otherwise. We see God tending to His creation and creatures after the initial creation in Genesis 1:1, 2:4, 2:7, 3:22-24, 6:5-8, 6:17-18, 8:4-5, 9:1. We see God overseeing His creation and creatures in Psalm 104:27-30. We see God in control of His creation and creatures in Psalm 102:23-28. We see God bringing an end to the original creation and making a new heaven and a new earth in Matthew 24:35-36 and Revelation 21:1-5. We see God referred to as a “faithful Creator†by Peter in I Peter 4:19, and indeed He is!
Another error of progressive creationism is that death existed prior to the fall, which undermines the Bible’s clear teaching that death is a result of sin (Romans 5:12 and 1 Corinthians 15:21-22). Any theory which places man or animal death prior to the fall of Adam must be rejected.
Clearly, progressive creationism is an attempt by some Christians to harmonize the teachings of modern science with the Bible. However, the theory actually ends up supporting the tenets of evolutionary science and causes greater anxiety among believers about whether God’s Word can be trusted. After all, the so-called “proofs†of progressive creationism come mainly from the field of science, not from the simple teachings of the Bible.
May the Lord bless you as you trust the Scriptures as the authority on creation, as well as salvation, for each of us must make peace with our Creator, God the Father, through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16).