Three Views on the Days of Creation: Framework

Science and Christianity              Dale Partin               January 11, 2009

 

Lesson 14

  

We continued the study of The Genesis Debate: Three Views on the Days of Creation.  We previously studied the “24 hour per day” view of Duncan and Hall.  Today we concluded the study of the Framework View of Irons and Kline. 

 

Brief review of last week:

 

The Framework view: what is it?   Irons and Kline

This view teaches that Genesis 1 only provides a theological framework for understanding God’s creation of the world.  It is not trying to tell us whether the “days” were 24 hours long or ages long.  That is not the point.  The things described are historical events, but the sequence and chronology of them are not relevant to the story that is being told.  The created things are arranged by topic to make a theological point, not to tell us the order and timing of their creation.  Again, the story is arranged to give us a framework in which to understand God’s message.  Three basic points are made to define and defend this view.  Most of the first point was covered in class today.  The rest of it will be given below.  This point is that the Genesis 1 account is structured as two triads of days followed by a Sabbath, and that the second triad (days 4 to 6) is actually a different perspective on the first triad (days 1 to 3).

 

Point ONE:  Two triads in submission to the Creator

            Creation kingdoms                        Creature kings

Day 1 Light                                      Day 4 Luminaries

Day 2 Sky and seas                       Day 5 Sea and winged creatures

Day 3 Dry land, vegetation          Day 6 Land animals, man

 

                                    The Creator King

                                    Day 7 Sabbath

 

Thus, the luminaries (Sun, Moon) “rule” or “govern” day and night.  The waters “teem” with creatures, and the birds “fly above the earth, and across the expanse of the sky.”  They are told to “be fruitful and increase in number”.  This is dominion.  Similarly, land creatures were made to move on (“rule”) the ground.  Finally, man was made to rule over all the rest of creation.  God rules over all.  Days 4 to 6 are the same as days 1 to 3, but the emphasis on days 1 to 3 is on the created “kingdoms”, and the emphasis on days 4 to 6 is on the “creature kings” that rule over them.

 

Thus, the story is about God creating kingdoms and creatures to rule over them, as God rests on His throne, ruling over all.  This is a theme that is repeated in the seven day week and in several other things in Scripture, which are given as 7 days, 7 weeks, 7 generations..., or multiples of 7.  This is so, even if the numbers do not strictly add up to 7.  This is not science; it is a message describing God and His creation.

 

How old is the earth and universe?

How old is the earth and universe?  The Framework View says that we need to find that out from General Revelation and science, since the Bible does not say.  Although many who hold to the Framework View accept that the earth is very old, one could hold to a younger earth interpretation of nature and still hold to the Framework view.  The Framework View does not bind the conscience of the Church to any position on the age of the earth.  The 24 hourand day-age views both understand that the Gen 1 text is chronological and sequential, while the framework view does not.  In the Framework view, the purpose of Gen 1 is covenantal and redemptive.  It is primarily about theology, not science.

 

From here on, the material presented today will be summarized.

 

Point TWO:  “Because it had not rained”.

5and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, 6but streams [mist/rain-clouds] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground  Gen 2  (text in red is Kline’s preferred translation).

The point here is that ordinary providence (means) are needed (rain, springs of water and/or human agriculture) to make plants grow, even during the creation period.  Everything was not miraculous.  No rain and no humans to irrigate, therefore no plants.  This implies that, in general, during the creation period, ordinary means were in force between creation events.

 

With the principle of using Scripture to interpret Scripture, Irons and Kline then reason that ordinary sunlight was present on day 1, since there is no statement that the light was supernatural in the text.  Thus, this reinforces the Framework View that the similarity between days 1 and 4 is real.  That is, the Sun was created on day 1.  The 24 hour view that the light on days 1 to 3 was supernatural is thus not favored.  Positing supernatural lighting on day 1 is regarded as an exegetical presupposition of the 24 hour view. 

 

[Note however, the day-age view also agrees that the Sun was present on the first day, so this is not a problem for it.  In fact, the same argument could be made in support of it.]

 

Point THREE:  Two Register Cosmology

In the Framework View, there are two created “registers”.  The upper register encompasses invisible dimensions of “heaven” where God and angels dwell.  The lower register, “earth”, encompasses the visible dimensions in which we live, including the planet Earth, Sun, Moon, stars, etc.

 

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  Col 1 

 

Heaven is the invisible dimension of the created cosmos.  While God is described as dwelling there, he is far “bigger” than it is.

 

The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to man.  Ps 115:16

 

This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.  Is 66:1

 

When heaven is “opened”, we see God enthroned in the midst of heavenly beings.  Here is what Isaiah saw.

 

1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3And they were calling to one another:  “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”  Is 6

 

Because it is invisible to us, believers ordinarily perceive the upper register only by faith. 

 

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  2 Cor 4:18

 

At times, God has given his people supernatural perception to see the upper register, as with Isaiah.  Jacob saw the “gate of heaven” Gen 28:16-17. Stephen “gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.”  Acts 7:55-56.  Elisha’s servant was enabled to see that “the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire” 2 Kings 6:17.  There are other examples, and many believers would say that the spiritual gift of discernment of spirits still exists today.

 

Thus, the upper and lower registers relate to each other spatially, not as different locations, but as different dimensions of the one cosmos.  We cannot get there by spaceship or see it with telescopes.  Christ is seated in the upper register as King and Priest.  From there, he will come with angels to bring judgment and to unite the two registers.  The New Jerusalem will come down out of heaven and the dwelling place of God shall be with men.  Rev 21:2-3, 10-11.

 

Application to the Framework View:

These things can be appreciated apart from the Framework View.  The upper register is an archetype, and the lower register is an analogous replica of the upper register.  Lower register features can be used to describe upper register realities.  “Clouds” are used to describe the Son of Man coming with “the clouds of heaven”,  Dan 7:13.  A “rainbow” overarches the divine presence, Ezek 1:28, Rev 4:3.  “Lightning” and “thunder” are sometimes associated with the upper register, Ps 29:3, 7.  The “wind” is God’s “chariot”, Ps 18:9-14.  “Stars” are figures for angels, Is 14:13, Rev 1:20, 12:4.  By analogy, Scripture uses the language of the “days” and “evenings and mornings” of creation describe upper register reality (heavenly time).

 

Upper and lower register analogies. 

 

First analogy:  “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”.

 

In Gen 1:1, the heavens are the upper register, and the earth is the lower register (1). Support for this comes from verses cited earlier.  The authors also do exegesis to show that in other instances, heaven and earth can both be used to describe the lower register (2).  These two uses of the terms are diagrammed below.

 

Upper register – Invisible Cosmos (Heaven₁)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lower register – Visible Cosmos (Earth₁)

            Upper: Star-studded Sky (Heaven₂)

            Lower: Planet (Earth₂)

 

Second analogy: “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over thewaters.”  Gen 1:2

 

The Spirit of God here is upper register, and the waters are lower register.

 

Third analogy:  There are many “fiat” commands and fulfillments.  “God said…and it was so.”  Gen 1

God speaks commands (upper register), and they are fulfilled (lower register).

 

Fourth analogy, “Let us make man” Gen 1:26.

While “us” is typically taken as referring to the Trinity, Irons and Kline take it to refer to God and the heavenly council.  Thus, God (upper register) speaks of making man (lower register).

 

Fifth analogy, God rested.  Gen 2:2. 

God rests in the upper register, but this rest has an earthly, lower register parallel.  God sanctifies the seventh day for man’s weekly rest in lower register time.  Just as God’s keeping vigil on the first Passover night was the archetype for Israel’s repeated observance of the Passover vigil (Ex 12:42), so God’s Sabbath rest became the pattern for man to follow. 

With these five analogies, the authors argue, it is not unreasonable to think that the “days” and “mornings and evenings” are lower register analogies for upper register time.

 

Upper register time?

God’s seventh day of rest is everlasting, since it symbolizes him sitting on his throne, ruling.

4b And on the seventh day God rested from all his work. 

 9There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Heb 4:4b, 9-10

These verses speak of God’s rest as ongoing, so that it can still be entered.  If it is still the seventh day of God’s rest, then this refers to upper register time. If this is upper register time, then the other days are, too.

 

What is upper register time?

Answer:  it is real time, but God has not revealed how to compare it quantitatively to lower register time.

 

What about the Fourth Commandment?

We are to labor for six days, and then keep the seventh day as a Sabbath.  These are literal, 24 hour days, aren’t they?

17It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested (literally, naphash, was refreshed, NASB).’” Ex 31.  This word, naphash, is used elsewhere to refer to people who were weary and needed to be refreshed.  Does anyone think that God is literally weary, or tired?  If God is not literally weary, must the seven days be literal? 

This is anthropomorphic language.  It is analogy, not identity of meaning.

 

What about the word, yom?

The day-age view argues that yom “day” in Genesis 1 refers to a long period of (earthly) time.  However, the Framework View holds that yom denotes an ordinary, lower register, solar day.  Yet it is being used in an analogy to describe an upper register unit of time that is not defined by the Earth’s rotation with respect to the Sun.  Similar considerations apply to the term, “evening and morning”.  This does not necessarily mean that events really unfolded on earth in six, 24 hour days.  This is lower register language used by analogy to describe upper register reality.

 

Summary of the Framework View

Thus, there are three main lines of support for the Framework View:

The two triads (nonsequential recapitulation)

“Because it had not rained” (ordinary processes occurred between creation events)

Two register cosmology (many analogies between heavenly and earthly realities, including the analogies of “days” and “evenings and mornings”)

 

“Divine work is done in divine time.”

 

Next Sunday, we will consider responses to the Framework View, and the reply of Irons and Kline.

Three Views on the Days of Creation: Framework

Science and Christianity              Dale Partin               January 4, 2009

 

Lesson 13

 

 

We continued the study of The Genesis Debate: Three Views on the Days of Creation.  We previously studied the “24 hour per day” view of Duncan and Hall.  Today we began the study of the Framework View of Irons and Kline.

 

The Framework view: what is it?   Irons and Kline

This view teaches that Genesis 1 only provides a theological framework for understanding God’s creation of the world.  It is not trying to tell us whether the “days” were 24 hours long or ages long.  That is not the point.  The things described are historical events, but the sequence and chronology of them are not relevant to the story that is being told.  The created things are arranged by topic to make a theological point, not to tell us the order and timing of their creation.  Again, the story is arranged to give us a framework in which to understand God’s message.  Three basic points are made to define and defend this view.  Most of the first point was covered in class today.  The rest of it will be given below.  This point is that the Genesis 1 account is structured as two triads of days followed by a Sabbath, and that the second triad (days 4 to 6) is actually a different perspective on the first triad (days 1 to 3).

 

Point ONE:  Two triads in submission to the Creator

            Creation kingdoms                        Creature kings

Day 1 Light                                      Day 4 Luminaries

Day 2 Sky and seas                       Day 5 Sea and winged creatures

Day 3 Dry land, vegetation          Day 6 Land animals, man

 

                                    The Creator King

                                    Day 7 Sabbath

 

Thus, the luminaries (Sun, Moon) “rule” or “govern” day and night.  The waters “teem” with creatures, and the birds “fly above the earth, and across the expanse of the sky.”  They are told to “be fruitful and increase in number”.  This is dominion.  Similarly, land creatures were made to move on (“rule”) the ground.  Finally, man was made to rule over all the rest of creation.  God rules over all.  Days 4 to 6 are the same as days 1 to 3, but the emphasis on days 1 to 3 is on the created “kingdoms”, and the emphasis on days 4 to 6 is on the “creature kings” that rule over them.

 

Thus, the story is about God creating kingdoms and creatures to rule over them, as God rests on His throne, ruling over all.  This is a theme that is repeated in the seven day week and in several other things in Scripture, which are given as 7 days, 7 weeks, 7 generations..., or multiples of 7.  This is so, even if the numbers do not strictly add up to 7.  This is not science; it is a message describing God and His creation.

 

How old is the earth and universe?

How old is the earth and universe?  The Framework View says that we need to find that out from General Revelation and science, since the Bible does not say.  Although many who hold to the Framework View accept that the earth is very old, one could hold to a younger earth interpretation of nature and still hold to the Framework view.  The Framework View does not bind the conscience of the Church to any position on the age of the earth.  The 24 hourand day-age views both understand that the Gen 1 text is chronological and sequential, while the framework view does not.  In the Framework view, the purpose of Gen 1 is covenantal and redemptive.  It is primarily about theology, not science.

 

Genesis is a real, historical story.

In this view, the institution of the solar day, on the fourth day of the creation week, is an indication that the days are not to be understood literally as solar days.  Nevertheless, the Framework View teaches that creation was a historical event.  Jesus and the apostles referred to creation events as being real. For example,

 

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female…’” Jesus, Matt 19:4

 

The Framework View affirms a historical creation, Adam, and Fall.  Gen 1-3 is a historical narrative of events that actually took place in space and time with the angels of God as “eyewitnesses” of everything except the initial ex nihilo creation event.

 

Sequential vs nonsequential.

The creative works of God are viewed as being arranged topically, not sequentially.  Most obviously, the creation of the luminaries (Sun, Moon, stars) on Day 4 actually coincides with the creation of daylight on Day 1.  There is some sequence in the days, however.  For example, man is created last since he is to rule over all creation.  Also, the Sabbath must follow the other days. 

 

Nonsequential narration is common.

Nonsequential (topical) narration is common in Scripture.  For example, the Documentary Hypothesis of critical scholars claims that instances of nonsequential narration in the  Pentateuch shows that it was written by many authors over a long period of time (not by Moses).  However, this can be alternatively viewed as a normal feature of Hebrew writing style.  Irons and Kline cite other Scriptural examples, including differences in the topical arrangement of narration of some events in the Gospels. 

 

Recapitulation is common.

Not only may stories be nonsequential, but they can be recapitulated.  For example, Genesis 1:1 to 2:3 gives the “big picture”, including the creation of man, male and female. Then Genesis 2:4 to 2:25 goes “back” and gives more detail, especially on the creation of Adam and Eve, referring to the sixth day of Gen 1.  Also, there is an example of recapitulation within Gen 2.  In vs 8, Adam is placed in Eden.  After describing the garden in vss 9-14, vs 15 repeats that Adam was put into the garden, with emphasis this time on his relationship with plants, especially with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

 

Thus, this story is about God creating kingdoms and creatures to rule over them, as God rests on His throne, ruling over all.  The role of man is not only to rule, but to find rest in submission to God.  The days and nights, evenings and morning, are thus a literary framework for this story. 

 

Material beyond this point was not covered in class, but is given here for coherency.  I will briefly review this material next Sunday.  The other two points that define and defend the Framework View will also be covered next Sunday.

 

Sabbatical Symbolism.

Sabbatical symbolism is often used to structure biblical history, to show God’s covenantal and redemptive purposes.  Thus, the Babylonian captivity lasted 70 years (actually 66-67), a multiple of 7 (approximately).  These were “Sabbatical years” in which the land rested. 

 

20 He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. 21The land enjoyed its Sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah. 

2Chron 36 (and see also Lev 26:43)

 

Sabbatical Symbolism.

Daniel prophesied 70 “weeks” of years until the coming of “The Holy One” (Dan 9:24-27).  In Matthew 1, the genealogy of Jesus lists 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 more to Jeconiah, and 14 more to Jesus.  Four generations were skipped, not because of a mistake, but to emphasize the redemptive plan of God.  The pattern of six sevens emphasizes that God still rules from his throne, and seeks to care for and redeem us as we submit to him.  It is not about exact numbers of generations.  While not explicitly said in Scripture, Irons and Kline argue that the Messiah initiates the ultimate “seventh seven” of those who are saved by faith in him, no matter how many human generations this may involve.

 

The Two Triads.

Irons and Kline note that it is possible to recognize the symmetry of the triads without endorsing the Framework View.  The account could still be viewed as sequential and chronological, but have thematic parallels in it.  However, they note that there are so many detailed textual similarities (too many to cover here) between days 1 and 4, 2 and 5, etc that the Framework View is favored.

 

Two additional major points favoring the Framework View will be covered next Sunday.

The Genesis Debate - Part 2

The Day Age Response: (by Hugh Ross and Gleason Archer)

In the last lesson, we covered Duncan and Hall’s opening essay concerning a defense of the 24 hour view. We also partially covered Ross and Archer’s day-age response. In this lesson, after a quick review of that response, we will complete it, cover the framework view response, and the 24 hour reply.

Review:
Agreement on some basic things was noted, such as the transcendence of the Creator, the singularity of the creation event , the Biblical case as well as a growing scientific basis for the recent, special creation of Adam and Eve and for the literal descent of all humanity from them. There were disagreements about church history. While many held to a 24 hour day view, there was also a diversity of views by some. Generally, evangelical Old Testament and Hebrew scholars do not think that the Genesis creation account mandates six consecutive 24 hour creation days

Duncan and Hall repeatedly assert creation ex nihilo where Genesis 1 does not. For example, in the case of “light” in Gen 1:3, the word for God’s creative activity is haya, not bara. This suggests that the light appeared (shone through clouds), and was not the original creation ex nihilo of light. This is exegesis, which is Duncan and Hall’s emphasis. It also makes the account agree with science. Similar arguments can be made for other things (Sun, continental land masses, etc). Duncan and Hall misrepresent the physics of stellar burning (with implied great age) as uncertain and widely disputed. It is not. On this basis, they discount generally astronomical research, which is much more certain than Darwinian evolution.

Sin’s impact on nature.
Duncan and Hall maintain that pre-Adamic and/or pre-Noahic physics has no bearing on anything we observe today.
According to Gen 1, stars were created before Adam. Stars depend upon all four forces of physics (gravity, the strong nuclear force, electromagnetism and the electro-weak force), the gas laws, the first and second laws of thermodynamics, relativity, and quantum mechanics.
According to Gen 2 and 3, Adam and Eve were moving, breathing, working, and eating before the Fall, all of which involve the laws of physics.
Romans 8:20-22 concerning “bondage to decay” is reviewed. (See the summary of lesson 6 for details.)

Sin’s impact on the mind
Duncan and Hall maintain that sin corrupts man’s ability to correctly learn truth from nature, since truth learned from nature is much harder to learn than truth from Scripture. This enormously downplays the immense contribution of science to civilization and technology. It also implies that there would be good agreement on the interpretation of Scripture.
There are large areas of physics and related mathematics on which there is no disagreement, such as Newtonian mechanics, statistical mechanics, and linear differential calculus. Both Christians and non-Christians agree. Of course, limitations imposed on Newtonian mechanics by quantum mechanics and relativity effects under extreme conditions are understood, but within those constraints, Newtonian mechanics is simply accepted as correct. One cannot imagine “decontructionist” physicists.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. Ps 19

God is not a man, that he should lie. Num 23:19a

Denying that we learn valid truth from nature is denying a theological treasure and an evangelistic gold mine.
Christianity’s uniqueness relies not only on the gospel message, but also on the many ways in which it can be tested, such as fulfilled prophecy, historicity, and agreement with science.
Test everything. Hold on to the good. 1 Thess 5:21

Long sixth day.
And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. Gen 2:9
Adam did a lot of things on the sixth day, and trees grew out of the ground. This implies a long sixth day.


Long seventh day.
All agree that God finished his creation work on the sixth day. Science apparently agrees that since the creation of mankind, new species are not being created.
Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” John 5:17
In Duncan and Hall’s view, God is no longer at rest, but is again working, although not creating.
Response: Jesus repeatedly declared that the Sabbath is not a cessation from all activity, and especially not from spiritual activity. This is just what he was saying here. God’s creation Sabbath is on-going, even today. The type of work he does now is different.


And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. 4For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.” 5And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”
6 It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Heb 4:3-6
Duncan and Hall: Believers enter God’s rest, a reflection of the original 24 hour day of rest.
Response: These verses picture God’s rest as on-going, even today, and that believers can still enter His present rest.


The seventh day is long, but not infinitely long. There will be an eighth day when God resumes creating things.
Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. Is 65:17

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. Rev 21:1

Thus, the seventh day is a long, but finite period of time, just like the first six days in the day-age view. Thus, the analogy to a conventional seven day week makes sense. This is not six long days and then one infinitely long day.


But in the seventh year the land is to have a Sabbath of rest, a Sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Lev 25:4
This Sabbath is one year long, and this “week” is seven years long.


“… but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when [literally in the day, yom] you eat of it you will surely die.” Gen 2:17
The problem here is that Adam lived for several hundred years after he ate from the tree. Often commentators distinguish between physical and spiritual death to explain this. But if Adam sinned on a long seventh day, then he did die “in the day” he ate.


By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Heb 11:3
Duncan and Hall say that God did not use natural processes to create. We know this by faith, not by science.

Response: The above Scripture is consistent with science and a single, cosmic creation event. God also created out of nothing (bara) with regard to plants, animals, and people. It still takes faith to believe that God did it.


Was everything directly created and sustained?

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Col 1

Duncan and Hall note that Jesus Christ directly, miraculously both created and sustains.
Response: He also created natural processes that he uses to sustain us. Physics exists, because he created it and sustains it. Some things mentioned in the first 6 days were natural results of other things that were themselves directly created.


What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Eccl 1:9
Duncan and Hall: This verse implies that new interpretations are not favored.
Response:
See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare;
before they spring into being I announce them to you.” Is 42:9

In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. Luke 22:20

And they sang a new song:
“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. Rev 5:9

The Bible says that there are new things since the time of Solomon. Also, Solomon would have been amazed at all of the new technology in our day that came from science. Thus, we have had new truth from both special and general revelation. Solomon’s saying is from the genre of wisdom literature. It is true, but not as universally applicable as basic Bible doctrine.


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The Framework Response: Irons and Kline

Duncan and Hall argue against the Framework view mostly by arguing against positions that advocates of the Framework view do not hold, but are held by day-age advocates. They do not seem to have a good understanding of the Framework position.

The seventh day.
16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. 17 Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” John 5
Duncan and Hall argue that these verses imply that God is no longer at rest. However, here Jesus was healing on the Sabbath. He said that the Father is still working on the Sabbath, therefore it is okay for Jesus to do it, too.
Response: In the Framework view, this implies that the Sabbath/seventh day is ongoing. God is no longer directly creating things. Therefore, the seventh day is eternal, since God will never cease to rule.


And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. 4For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.” 5And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”

6 It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Heb 4:3-6

Here, God is still resting, and since he does this on the seventh day, the seventh day is ongoing. If the seventh day is not just 24 hours long, then the other six days do not need to be either.

Church history.
Duncan and Hall maintain that church history supports a 24 hour view. However, Augustine disagreed with the 24 hour view because of exegesis, not Darwinism. He noted that days 1 – 3 are mentioned before the creation of the Sun, and therefore are not to be taken literally. Also, he read Gen 2:4 as stating that God made the heavens and earth and all the stars in one day.
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens… Gen 2:4 (NIV)
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day [yom] that the Lord God made earth and heaven. Gen 2:4 (NASB)

Furthermore, Augustine influenced subsequent theologians such as Anselm, Lombard, and the early Aquinas. Others, such as Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Ambrose, and Chrysostom had a 24 hour approach, while some church fathers tried to find middle ground between them. Thus, the debate over this issue is not strictly recent.

Furthermore, Duncan and Hall say that Scripture should only be interpreted based on exegesis, and never on science. However, for many centuries the church used exegesis to maintain that the earth is immobile (Josh 10:12-23, Ps 104:5). Why didn’t any interpreters discover alternative explanations of these texts until after certain scientific discoveries? Those who support views other than the 24-hour “day” can at least point to early church fathers who disagreed with it on the basis of exegesis alone. Thus, Duncan and Hall are inconsistent in saying that the church has never let science influence Scripture.
He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. Ps 104:5

Duncan and Hall say: if the scientist, as Kline has argued elsewhere, may be “left free of constraints when hypothesizing about cosmic origins” by a literary approach to the meaning of the days, why shouldn’t he also be left free of constraints when hypothesizing about human origins?
Response: Duncan and Hall misquote Kline to say that the Framework view accommodates Darwinism. The complete quotation is as follows. “The conclusion is that as far as the time frame is concerned, with respect to both the duration and sequence of events, the scientist is left free of biblical constraints in hypothesizing about cosmic origins.” Kline (1996)
[Note that this same Kline is one of the present authors of the framework view response.]


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The 24 hour Reply: Duncan and Hall

Despite some areas of agreement, “the response essays do not interact with our compelling challenges or refute the massive weight of hundreds of previous commentators who loved Scripture. Neither do they represent a comprehensive Biblical theology, surveying Biblical texts from Genesis to Revelation, as we have. … Furthermore, to agree with our esteemed counterparts would require us to disagree with Solomon; for if they are right, they have discovered – where others have not – something new under the sun.”

“We do not so much fear the slippery slope arguments of our counterparts as we view their positions as needlessly conceding to modernity in many ways.”

Exegesis
1. The predominant use of “day” in Scripture is for 24 hours.
2. “Evening and morning” supports a 24 hour interpretation.
3. The ordinals “first”, “second”, etc. supports 24 hours.
4. No reasons are given in Gen 1 for yom meaning a long time period.
5. “God said… and it was so” indicates immediate fulfillment.
6. The flow of redemptive history after Genesis gives no indication that the creation days are anything other than ordinary days.

Church history
“The day-age view first arose when jazz was on the rise in America, while the framework view only surfaced in English just before the Beatles!” Before that, it was the 24 hour view. If ever the church agreed on anything, it has been on the days of creation.
The authors then again review the early church fathers, the middle ages, the Reformation, etc. They maintain that until around 1800, the overwhelming consensus was the 24 hour view.

Natural and special revelation
“We are to interpret nature in light of Scripture, not vice versa.”
“The two often are harmonious, but sinful observers frequently misinterpret natural revelation. Special revelation, with its own Scripture-interpreting-Scripture hermeneutic, has a corrective built into it that nature is lacking.”

[Note differences in interpretation concerning infant baptism, veneration of Mary, predestination vs free will…]

Ross – Archer statements on the age of the stars is simply “immaterial” and require no reply. We simply have no Biblical information on this subject, and we refuse to speculate or let the state of scientific orthodoxy call into question the accuracy of Genesis.

Distinctions between haya and bara are specious, as if those words alone somehow prove that the celestial lights only “appeared” on the fourth day.

[Definition of specious: “plausible but false”, “deceptively attractive”]

“We would rather maintain a heavily miraculous creation and call on science to conform to that truth than to dilute the faith.”
“The Genesis text is and always has been clear. The record of church history is and always has been clear. The theological and apologetical consequences of succumbing to secularism are now clear. Let God be found true!”

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[Note: these are the views of Duncan and Hall. Their arguments may have strengths and weaknesses. Other young earth creationists who share the 24 hour view may use somewhat different arguments which may not share any particular weaknesses of the arguments of Duncan and Hall. Also, some young earth creationists believe that science gives important truth and does agree with the 24 hour view.]

The Genesis Debate

This lesson concerned the book below, which is a debate between scholars holding three views on creationism. The authors and their views are listed below.

The Genesis Debate: Three Views on the Days of Creation

J. Ligon Duncan III and David W. Hall
The 24 - Hour View

Hugh Ross and Gleason L. Archer
The Day – Age View

Lee Irons and Meredith G. Kline
The Framework View

The debate is structured as shown below. Each team writes an essay giving their view. Both of the other teams then write a response critiquing it, and then the first team writes a reply.

PART ONE: The 24 – Hour View Duncan and Hall
The Day – Age View response
The Framework View response
The 24 – Hour Reply
PART TWO: The Day – Age View Ross and Archer
The 24 – Hour Response
The Framework Response
The Day – Age Reply
PART THREE: The Framework View Irons and Kline
The 24 Hour Response
The Day – Age Response
The Framework Reply

From the Foreword of the book, written by Norman Geisler, and other materials in the book, five of the authors have advanced theological backgrounds. One (Hugh Ross) has a scientific background. All hold a high view of Scripture. The debate is not over the inspiration of Scripture, but its interpretation. None supports macro evolutionary theory of human origins. Each team vigorously argues that its view is more Biblical, without denying the sincere and genuine faith of the other teams.


From the back cover, here are two endorsements by well-known theologians.

For years those who affirm the Bible is without error have had differences about the days of creation. Here six able men, each committed to the absolute authority of Scripture, charitably discuss those differences. Regardless of which view you hold, The Genesis Debate is a powerful read for anyone interested in the creation debate. It will make you think and deepen your faith, helping you to see that God not only made the world, and all that is in it, but that He did it by the Word of His power, and for His glory.
R.C. Sproul

The Genesis Debate makes for interesting reading and serious discussion among all who hold the Bible in high esteem. The three positions defended here are clearly all within the boundaries of orthodoxy. Each view receives a fair hearing and each is well critiqued by those who hold the differing positions. Perhaps the best contribution this excellent book will make is the way it forces the reader to see three differing ways to read Genesis 1-2 without unnecessarily dividing the church into three argumentative and polarized camps. I am more resolved to encourage this discussion to greater depths of study and earnest discussion after reading this important book.
John H. Armstrong

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Since many people are not familiar with the Framework view, I will briefly introduce it here. This view teaches that Genesis 1 only provides a theological framework for understanding God’s creation of the world. It is not trying to tell us whether the “days” were 24 hours long or ages long. That is not the point. The things described are historical events, but the sequence and chronology of them are not relevant to the story that is being told. The created things are arranged by topic to make a theological point, not to tell us the order and timing of their creation. The story is arranged to give us a framework in which to understand God’s message.


The framework: two triads in submission to the Creator
Creation kingdoms Creature kings
Day 1 Light Day 4 Luminaries
Day 2 Sky and seas Day 5 Sea and winged creatures
Day 3 Dry land, vegetation Day 6 Land animals, man
The Creator King
Day 7 Sabbath
Thus, the story is about God creating kingdoms and creatures to rule over them, as God rests on His throne, ruling over all. On day 4, the luminaries (Sun, Moon, and stars) are said to “rule” over day and night. On day 5, the birds and sea creatures were told to “be fruitful and multiply”. This language is similar to the command to Adam and Eve, and implies a kind of rule. This is a theme that is repeated in the seven day week and in several other occasions in Scripture, which are spoken of as 7 days, weeks, years, generations, etc., or as multiples of 7. This is so, even if the numbers do not strictly add up to 7. This is not science; it is a message describing God and His creation.

The lesson today covered the opening essay of the 24 hour view by Duncan and Hall, and part of the day-age response by Ross and Archer. This topic will be continued in our next class.

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The 24 Hour View, by Duncan and Hall

Duncan and Hall claim:

The “days” of Genesis 1 are literal, 24 hour days.
They are only concerned with interpreting Scripture (exegesis) and with the history of its interpretation of “day” (yom). Only these two sources of information will be considered. Science changes with time and is irrelevant. It will eventually agree with Scripture when scientists “get it right”. Thus, Duncan and Hall are not like some young earth creationists who claim that science agrees with a young earth creationist view.
Strict exegesis of Scripture is only consistent with 24 hour days. It is the only orthodox view.
Believers of all ages have been able to correctly interpret Scripture.

The controversy over the “days” of Genesis is a recent one, basically of the last two centuries, and is driven by evolution.
Eminent scientists such as Isaac Newton were young earth creationists.
Augustine was a rare exception who did not support the 24 hour view.
The 24 hour view is the only literal interpretation.
“What is primary is what God intended to communicate about the creation days to Moses and his original audience and whether the rest of Scripture corroborates such original intent.”

1. God created the world from nothing and is distinct from it.
2. God shaped His creation from formlessness into order.
3. God’s world was originally good and, therefore, different from the corrupted world in which we live.
4. Man’s sin is entirely responsible for corrupting original creation.
5. God’s character (justice and mercy) is revealed as He responds to the Fall, the Flood, and Babel.

All evangelicals acknowledge these theological truths.

[Comment: some evangelicals do not agree with all of these points, as previously discussed in class.]

Two triads in Genesis 1:

God creates form (order) on days 1 – 3.
God creates fullness on days 4 – 6, filling the world.
He creates light on both days 1 and 4.
The glory of God is reflected in order, fullness, and light.

Historically, most interpreters have taught 24 hour days.
Creation reveals God’s goodness.
Beware of accommodating Scripture to science. Science can change.
If you let science influence your interpretation on this topic, where will it end? The slippery slope to evolution!
The Flood changed a lot of things that may fool scientific studies of the early earth.
The Fall affected mankind’s reasoning ability, and hence science.

The seventh day
The seventh day was a normal, 24 hour day. It marked completion of creation, but God still is active in other ways.
Calvin: “Inasmuch as God sustains the world by His power, governs it by His providence, cherishes and even propagates all creatures, he is constantly at work.”
Day-age supporters are wrong to say that there is no end to the seventh day, attempting to support long “days”.
The conventional, 7 day week makes sense if the creation days were seven 24 hour days.

Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” John 5:17

This verse supports the idea that God is not currently at rest. He nurtures, but does not create.

And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. 4For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.” 5And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”
6 It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Heb 4:3-6

The Sabbath day is a gift to man and a promise for believers about entering God’s rest. It is a reflection of God’s original, 24 hour day of rest.


Some anticipated problems and responses:
The creation of light on day 1 and the Sun on day 4 is not a problem. God can do as He wishes, creating light on day 1 with or without the Sun.
The busyness of the sixth day implies longer than 24 hours?
Answer: Adam before the Fall was capable of more than he was after the Fall.
Yom has at least three meanings in Gen 1-2, therefore how can one be dogmatic that the creation days are 24 hours? Answer: what matters is the exegesis of Gen 1-2. “Evening and morning” indicate literal, 24 hour days.

Did trees have time to grow? If we take the words of Gen 1:12 and 2:9 in their plain sense, don’t they present us with instances of plants growing gradually over a period of time?

12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. Gen 1

And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. Gen 2:9

Answer: This was during the creation week, so the growth was supernatural, not natural.


Scripture never teaches that the creation days were anything other than 24 hours long.

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. Ex 20:8-10

For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. Ps 33:9
Taking these and many similar passages to refer to creation days as long periods of time only comes from extra-biblical sources in the nineteenth century or later, not from Biblical exegesis.

Many similar verses from Genesis to Revelation are reviewed. While they do not explicitly teach that the creation days were 24 hours long, they give that impression very strongly.

God directly creates and sustains:
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Heb 11:3

God did not use natural processes to create. God directly creates and sustains. We know this by faith, not by science.

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Col 1

Jesus Christ directly created and sustains.


History of interpretation of “days”:
“… since the twenty-four hours fill up the interval of one day.” Basil (329 – 379)
“But Scripture established a law that twenty-four hours … should be given the name of day only” Ambrose (339 – 397)
Augustine (354 – 430) was anomalous, teaching that all of creation happened in a fraction of a second.
“… one day is made up of twenty-four hours.” Aquinas (1224 – 1274)
Calvin (1509 – 1564) did not explicitly comment on the 24 hour view, but apparently would have supported it.
Luther, Ussher, Lightfoot, Newton, and others in the 1500 to 1700 time frame supported a 24 hour view.

[Note: Ussher and Lightfoot are the scholars who worked “backwards” through Scripture and other historical records to compute the date of creation (around 4004 B.C.), and many other dates along the way. Their computed dates were commonly included in footnotes or section headings in the King James Version of the Bible for a very long time, giving the impression to many that these dates were part of the Biblical text.]

Don’t modern interpreters know more than ancient ones?
Answer: Only if their exegesis is better than that of the ancient ones.

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Eccl 1:9

This verse indicates that new interpretations are not favored.

The authors quote James Barr, who stated that no credible Old Testament scholar at any “world class university” construes the days of creation as anything other than literal 24 hour days.
The 24 hour view is the only historic, orthodox position.


What about natural revelation?
We should not grant natural revelation (which is always filtered by the interpreter) a status equal to, or greater than, special revelation as it has been interpreted by the community of the faithful and circumscribed by the analogy of faith… When forced to choose between conflicting sources of authority, we join the chorus begun by the apostle Paul,

“Let God be true, and every man a liar.” Rom 3:4

[Note: these are the views of Duncan and Hall. Their arguments may have strengths and weaknesses. Other young earth creationists who share the 24 hour view may use somewhat different arguments which may not share any particular weaknesses of the arguments of Duncan and Hall. Also, some young earth creationists believe that science gives important information and does agree with the 24 hour view.]

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The Day Age Response: (by Hugh Ross and Gleason Archer)

There is agreement on many things such as the transcendence of the Creator, the singularity of the creation event, the Biblical case as well as a growing scientific basis for the recent, special creation of Adam and Eve and for the literal descent of all humanity from them. However, on many points these authors have different conclusions.


Revisiting church history.

Duncan and Hall view the day-age view as arising in the last two centuries to accommodate Darwinian evolution (1859).
However, Issac Newton did not support the 24 hour view. From the same letter (1680 A.D.) and paragraph from which Duncan and Hall think that Newton implied an agreement with the 24 hour view, Newton wrote, “Now for ye number and length of ye six days: by what is said above you may make ye first day as long as you please, and ye second day too.” In the same paragraph, Newton wrote that Earth’s first rotation took at least a year to complete. In the following paragraph, he said that the mountains were formed by gradual, natural processes. He also says that many of his contemporaries had similar views.

The views of some of the early church fathers are discussed. Some of them apparently did not agree with the 24 hour view, and held a variety of views on this topic in the first few centuries. All agree that Augustine (354 – 430) taught that creation actually happened in a fraction of a second. While this is not in agreement with the day-age view, it still illustrates that there was a diversity of interpretation of the “days” in early centuries.


Do all Old Testament scholars support the 24 hour view?
Duncan and Hall quoted James Barr, who stated that no credible Old Testament scholar at any “world class university” construes the days of creation as anything other than literal 24 hour days. The irony is that Barr’s statement comes from his attempts to discount, rather than support, biblical inerrancy and the integration of scientific fact with Scriptural truth. His definition of “world class university” apparently refers to schools such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and many European theological schools in which unbelief is common. Many of them would say that the 24 hour view is the only credible interpretation of Genesis as a way of demonstrating that the Bible is in error, since this does not agree with conventional science. But the statement was wrong when made because Gleason Archer and Walter Kaiser, among many other highly reputable Bible scholars, did and do support the long-day interpretation. Also, no evangelical Old Testament or Hebrew professor who participated in the 1982 International Council on Biblical Inerrancy concluded that the Genesis creation account mandated six consecutive 24 hour creation days. No doubt many of them supported the 24 hour view, but felt that other views were reasonable and acceptable.

What about science?
Duncan and Hall repeated assert creation ex nihilo (out of nothing) where Genesis 1 does not. For example, in the case of “light” in Gen 1:3, the word for God’s creative activity is haya, not bara. This suggests that the light appeared (shone through clouds), and was not the original creation ex nihilo of light. This is exegesis, which is Duncan and Hall’s emphasis. It also makes the account agree with science. Similar arguments can be made for other things (appearance of the Sun, continental land masses, etc). Duncan and Hall misrepresent the physics of stellar burning (with implied great age) as uncertain and widely disputed. It is not. On this basis, they discount generally astronomical research.

Duncan and Hall frequently equate astronomy with Darwinian evolution in terms of uncertainty. Biological history is inferred, astronomical history can be directly observed. All the life stages of stars can be currently observed. Biological evolution deals with incredibly complex systems, stellar burning involves very simple, well-understood physics. While the cessation of biological speciation requires no change in even a single law of physics, the cessation of star formation and stellar development would involve the overthrow of essentially all laws of physics. Modern physics strongly supports a single cosmic creation event ex nihilo (the Big Bang).

To be continued next week, Lord willing.

Abortion

By Dr. Penny Girard:   Some issues related to abortion               We briefly considered some topics related to abortion.  A PowerPoint presentation prepared by the director of Christian Medical and Dental Associations was used for a guide.  Below is the outline given out in class with some additional comments.  Included are internet links outlining fetal development and books and resources for those interested in further research on this topic, as well as resources for those seeking to help both women and men who have participated in abortion or have been impacted by it.   Definition:  The premature expulsion of the human fetus.  It usually refers to an artificially induced abortion caused by surgical or chemical means.  A spontaneous abortion is often called a miscarriage.   Statistics             In the United States, statistics related to abortion are collected annually by the Centers for Disease Control.   Reporting is done on a voluntary basis.  At least five states were not included in the most recent statistics.  For this reason, overall statistics may under represent numbers of procedures being performed as well as the types of procedures women are undergoing.   Statistics also likely underestimate the occurrence of complications in women undergoing abortion.                 Embryo/Fetal Development by Trimester  First Trimester Development (0-12 Weeks)   Days of Gestation Development of embryo/fetus 18-21 Heart beats1 32 Eyes are formed2 38 Upper lip formed3 Markers of pain perception are present at 7 weeks 40 Brain waves are measurable4 44 Arms and legs formed5 48 Beginnings of all internal structures present; baby is moving6 56 Embryo now called a fetus7 63 Sucking thumb, teeth forming8 84 Cries, feels pain **Most surgical abortions occur between 49 to 70 days** Second Trimester Development  Weeks of age  Development of fetus  13  3 inches long, weighs half oz., reflexes active  14  Fingerprints present  15  Has ability to grasp, smile, grimace, squint  16  6 inches long, weighs 6 oz., somersaults, mother feels movement  17  Gets hiccups, plays with umbilical cord  18  Hair and eyebrows are growing  20  Hears, recognizes mother’s voice  22  Responds to stories, music, etc. Definition of viability age 23-24 weeks in 2004  24  Weighs 1 lb., has 85 percent survival rate  26  Responds to light, weighs 1.5 to 2 lbs.   Third Trimester Development  Weeks of age  Development of fetus 24 Definition of viability age 28 weeks in 1973  Weighs 2 lbs. and is practicing breathing  30  Grows rapidly, sleeps 90 percent of time, has dreams  32  Weighs 4 lbs., urinates  34  Weighs 5 lbs., 19.5 in. long, head begins to drop into mother’s pelvis  36  Now has 99 percent survival rate  38  Is 1,000 times its original size, gains an ounce a day  40  Average weight: 7.5 lbs.     Abortion Methods by Trimester             First Trimester o       Dilation and Curettage o       Suction Aspiration or “Vacuum Curettage”-the most common procedure in the first trimester o       RU-486-A two part procedure with a progesterone (hormonal) agent which causes the uterine lining to shed followed by a prostaglandin which causes the uterus to contract, thus expelling its contents.  Much controversy surrounded the “fast track” approval process which ended with its approval as an agent for “medication abortion” in 2000.  The                                      accepted procedure for its use in the U.S. has eliminated some of the safety features such as ultrasound dating of the fetus as well as close medical supervision which were essentials in the original research done on the agent in France, where it was developed.  Complications include heavy bleeding and severe infection.  It was believed to be responsible for at least four deaths in California in recent years, although this was never reported in the media nor reflected in data regarding complications of abortion. o       Methotrexate             Second and Third Trimesters o       Saline Abortion o       Urea o       Prostaglandins o       D & E or Dilation and Evacuation o       D & X or Dilation and Extraction (Partial Birth Abortion)-performed from week 20 until full term o       Hysterotomy   History of Abortion in the United States             In 1967, Colorado was the first state to liberalize abortion law.  In 1970, New York allowed abortion on demand at less than 24 weeks gestation.  In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that the fetus was not considered a “person” until the time of viability, then considered 28 weeks.  This opened the door to abortion on demand throughout the U.S. through the second trimester.  Another decision, Doe v. Bolton, the same year, essentially permitted abortion for any reason throughout pregnancy.  Prior to these decisions, abortion had NOT been illegal in cases where the mother’s life was in danger.  In 1992, the Supreme Court in Planned Parenthood v. Casey upheld the right to abortion and prohibited any laws or practices that might “hinder” a woman from seeking an abortion if she desired to do so.  RU-486, the “abortion pill” was approved in the United States in 2000.     Who Gets Abortions?  Statistics are for 2005, the most recent year available (Guttmacher Institute)   o       Almost half of pregnancies occurring in the U.S. each year are unintended.  One in five of these end in abortion.  89% of women at risk for an unintended pregnancy report using a contraceptive method; 14% report using the method perfectly. o       Approximately 1.2 million pregnancies are terminated by abortion in the U.S.  (This accounts for 3% of the abortions performed worldwide) o       2% of all women age 15 to 44 had an abortion o       Of those having an abortion, 43 % identified themselves as Protestant, 27% as Catholic, 22% gave no religious preference, and the remainder were of other religions o       Abortion is one of the most common surgical procedures in the U.S. o       Worldwide, 22% of abortions were early medication abortion (RU-486) o       By age 20, one in seven women in the U.S. have had at least one abortion  (14%) and 43% of women in the U.S. have had one abortion by the time they are 45 years old.   o       50% have no other children o       44% had a previous abortion o       20% are married o       20% are under 19 years old o       Abortion is 6 times more common in unmarried women. o       1% or abortions are for rape or incest.   o       Minority (African-American and Hispanic) women have much higher rates of abortion than Caucasian women.  Women living in poverty also have much higher rates than more affluent women.               Reasons for Abortion Want to postpone childbearing                   25.5% Wants no (more) children                             7.9% Cannot afford a baby                                    21.3% Having a baby will disrupt education or job            10.8% Relationship problem or partner does not want     14.1% Too young-parents or others object            12.2% Risk to maternal health                                 2.8% Risk to fetal health                                         3.3% Other                                                               2.1%                        (www.guttmacher.org)              Abortions by gestational age Most abortions are performed before 9 weeks gestation.  1.4% are done after 21 weeks gestation.   Abortion providers and regulation             Most abortions are performed in abortion clinics, although some are done in hospitals and private offices.  Since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade, there have been several attempts to bring the abortion industry under that same scrutiny and regulation as other health care entities, but these attempts have been repeatedly resisted.  Opponents of regulation have cited concerns regarding limiting women’s access to abortion.  Some states, such as Michigan, have ordinances treating these clinics as “outpatient surgery facilities;” however, several “waivers” exist in many of these states to allow abortion clinics to operate without the same oversight as other outpatient surgery facilities.  A typical surgery facility could be shut down if it failed to comply with health standards until correction was made; however, this could cause problematic “hindrances” to a woman’s right to seek an abortion and could be seen in violation of federal statutes.  Thus, many have concerns about the safety of women seeking procedures in these clinics.   Abortion Fallacies Abortion is painless Abortion is safer that childbirth-A Finnish study “Pregnancy-associated deaths in Finland 1987-1994 published in Acta Obsetricia et Gynecolgica Scandinavia in 1997 showed that women undergoing abortion were four times more likely to die of suicide, risky behavior or homicide in the year following abortion than women who gave birth.   Some of the problems with U.S. statistics were discussed, including voluntary reporting only, death coding under “cause” (bleeding to death) rather than a result of a procedure (abortion).   Statistics for complications of abortion from hospitals performing abortion procedures suggest that the true rate of complications may be significantly higher than reported data might suggest.    Every child should be a wanted child-Two million couples dealing with infertility would like to adopt a child.  Some have turned to foreign adoption due to the long waits to adopt a U.S. child. There is no post-abortion syndrome-A study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry in August 2000 confirmed negative reactions of women related to past abortion.  The emotional and psychological effects suffered by some women following abortion may occur years after the procedure.     Complications of abortion Because a woman is likely to be unknown to the physician performing the abortion procedure and is unlikely to return to the abortion clinic following a complication, statistics are unlikely to reflect the true incidence of complications. Women would be expected to seek hospital care or care from their private physician should difficulties occur.  Data also suggest that minority women and poor women may experience higher rates of complications.                                             Minor complications Minor infections Minor bleeding Fever Intestinal disturbance and/or vomiting Chronic abdominal pain Rh blood factor sensitization Major complications Infection        Hospital data found that 27% of women having abortions develop infection lasting at least 3 days Excessive bleeding Blood clots Ripping or perforation of the uterus.  Several documented deaths have been related to this. Anesthesia complications       Some procedures are most comfortably done with general anesthesia Convulsions Cervical injury Death Later complications Women with previous abortion may have a 58% greater risk of dying in a subsequent pregnancy than women who have not experienced an abortion Sterility in 3-5% of women undergoing abortion Tubal pregnancy       From 1970 to 1983 rates of tubal pregnancy increased by four times Incompetent cervix with possible miscarriage, premature birth and labor complications in future pregnancies.  This is increased 300 to 500 times over women without previous abortion.  It is thought that 100,000 “wanted babies” may be lost each year due to the side effects of a prior abortion. Post-abortion emotional crises                                      (From testimony in opposition to Senate Bill 398 by Dr. Timothy Deering  www.cmda.org)     Rights of conscience This has been a controversial area in recent months related to the practice of medicine.  Many states have laws allowing doctors to object to performing or referring for abortions on the basis of personal moral convictions.  The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology has made several attempts in recent years to require doctors practicing Obstetrics and Gynecology (Ob/Gyn) to perform or refer for abortion or risk forfeiture of their certification.  Medical students have also reported pressure to participate despite moral objections.  For this reason, some physicians have chosen to leave the field of Ob/Gyn and Christian medical students have reported choosing against the specialty of Ob/Gyn.     Infanticide?             A brief mention was made of the difficulty of deciding when “personhood” begins.  Steven Pinker, a professor of psychology at MIT has suggested that parents should be allowed to “try out” their baby at home for a period of time.  If dissatisfied, he supports the idea of returning the child to the hospital to be killed.      Selling baby parts o       The Health Revitalization Act of 1993 allows fetal tissue research and requires consent separate from that for the abortion. o       ABC-TV’s 20/20 exposed the selling of baby parts:  human brain <> o       A congressional investigation occurred, but went no where.  Therefore, the practice continues. Human life and Biblical perspectives Some of the Biblical issues related to human life discussed in other classes were reviewed. Humans are made in God’s image             Genesis 1:26-27 Children are a gift from God Psalm 127:3    “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; The fruit of the womb is a reward.”   Each person was created and known by God even before our earthly parents knew us Jeremiah 1:5   “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Psalm 139:13-16 John recognized Jesus when he was still in his mother’s womb Luke 1: 41-44 God demands an accounting for the blood of man Genesis 9:5-7 In Old Testament times, there was punishment for someone who intentionally caused a miscarriage Exodus 21:22-25     “If men who are fighting his a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows.  But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” Child sacrifice is condemned Leviticus 18:21, 20: 1-5 and Deuteronomy 12:31     There was some discussion of whether it should be our objective to attempt to reverse legislation (Roe v. Wade).  A complete ban may be unrealistic at the present time.               So, what can be done? o       Support those who are faced with an unexpected pregnancy.  We may be able to convince them to choose life.  The example was given of former pastor Matt Mabey and Joelle offering to raise the child of any teenager who chose life for their child. o       Know the alternatives for women and available resources o       Love and support those who have had an abortion.  They may have felt that they had no choice for a variety of reasons.  We need to accept these women and allow them to share their pain if needed. o       Take a stand for life and consider being involved at a Pregnancy Help Center or in another way.  (There are more Crisis Pregnancy Centers than abortion clinics in the U.S.) o       If it is unrealistic to expect a complete ban on abortion, we can still work to ensure safety of women by calling for the same regulation of abortion clinics as outpatient surgical facilities.  Generally accepted health standards should be required.  o       Abortion should not enjoy “political protection” and women should have the right to informed consent reflecting realistic statistics about the risks of the abortion procedure.  o       Work to eliminate second and third trimester abortions which occur when a fetus would be otherwise viable and also are risky for the mother o       Work to recognize the unborn as persons before the law       Resources   Books: Mortal Lessons:  Notes on the Art of Surgery   Richard Selzer Rites of Life:  The Scientific Evidence for Life Before Birth   Landrum Shettles, MD and David Rorvik Whatever Happened to the Human Race   C. Everett Koop, MD and Francis A. Schaeffer Aborting America   Bernard N. Nathanson, MD Who Broke the Baby?   Jean Staker Garton Blood Money   Carol Everett Bioethics and the Future of Medicine:  A Christian Appraisal   edited by John F. Kilner, Nigel M. de S. Cameron and David L. Schiedermayer Ethics for a Brave New World   John S. Feinberg, Paul D. Feinberg Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments   Randy Alcorn General: Christian Medical and Dental Associations           www.cmda.org Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity                www.cbhd.org Family Research Council                                         www.frc.org Christian Legal Society                                            www.clsnet.org Focus on the Family                                                 www.family.org Life Issues Institute                                                    www.lifeissues.org Concerned Women for America                             www.cwfa.org   Statistics: Guttmacher Institute                                                  www.guttmacher.org Centers for Disease Control                                    www.cdc.gov   Post-abortion Counseling: Project Rachel                                                           www.hopeafterabortion.com Elliot Institute                                                              www.afterabortion.org Postabortion Care Consortium                               www.pac-consortium.org   Adoption: Bethany Christian Services                                     www.bethany.org Christian World Adoption                                         www.cwa.org Adoptions.com                                                          www.christian.adoption.com   Pregnancy Help: Pregnancy Centers Online                                       www.pregnancycenters.org Heartbeat International                                             www.heartbeatinternational.org CareNet                                                                     www.care-net.org Birthright                                                                     www.birthright.org National Life Center                                                  www.nationallifecenter.com The Nurturing Network                                              www.nurturingnetwork.org