BAM Positions Statements Regarding A Variety
Of Issues
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., M.Sc., PEI (and
editors)
I’m often asked about various scientific, moral, and biblical positions regarding issues that surround creation and biblical authority. Some positions are easy to give answers to—and others are not as easy simply because there are multiple models on some issues.
I’ve
been involved in lists like this for years, but I wanted to make this one
available as a training tool. It is designed to give succinct position
statements to hosts of issues outside of the Statement of Faith—like secondary
tier positions. I included links to articles and chapters when available for
more information so that these position statements could be kept as short as
possible.
Bible
·
Creation
of angels: they were definitely created during
creation week. Job 38:7 could mean that angels
were created early on Day 1, so they could witness the formation of the Earth,
or the passage could be referring to the separation of the dry land (also
called “Earth”) from the sea on Day 3.
·
Seasons: started from Genesis 1:14, which strongly suggests an axial tilt from
then. Reject the idea that there were no seasons before the Flood, although the
seasons may be more extreme now. Leave open the possibility that the seasons
referred to are the moon cycles as per Psalms 104:19.
·
Genesis 2:19: most
appropriately translated as the pluperfect “had formed”, which would eliminate
any perceived contradiction with the order in Genesis 1.
·
Fall
of Satan and the demons: definitely after God
had declared all His creation “very good”, and there is also no hint of
anything to spoil the 7th day that God blessed, so most likely on
Day 8 or later but soon, prior to the serpent’s deception of Eve.
·
Fall
of mankind: after Satan’s fall, but
before the conception of Cain. Therefore, the Fall could not have occurred too
long after Day 8 because Adam and Eve were commanded to “fill the Earth”, they
would have obeyed in their unfallen state, and their physically perfect bodies
would have been capable of conceiving immediately.
·
No gaps in the
genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11, and they are strict chronologies. See New Answers Book 2, General Editor, Ken
Ham, chapter by Larry Pierce and Ken Ham on Gaps
in the Genealogies.
·
The Masoretic Text
preserves the correct chronology in Genesis 5 and 11; the Septuagint is demonstrably inflated, and contains the (obvious) error that
Methuselah lived over a decade after the Flood.
·
Genesis 6:3: 120 years is
the time
until the Flood, not individual
longevity.
·
Genesis 10:25: Peleg and
“earth was divided”: refers to linguistic division at Babel and subsequent
territorial division. Reject idea that
it refers to continent
division.
·
Terah
was 130 when Abraham was born—Genesis 12:4 says Abraham was 75 when he left
Haran soon after Terah died at 205 (Genesis 11:32). Genesis 11:26 means that Terah was 70 before
any of those sons were born.
·
Genealogies
of Christ: currently the most plausible
explanation of the differences between Matthew and Luke is that Luke traced His
line through Mary while Matthew traced it through Joseph.
·
Matthew’s genealogies
have gaps, but they are intentional, and there is no chronological information,
unlike Genesis 5 and 11.
·
Cainan in Luke 3:36 seems
best explained as a later copyist’s
insertion.
·
Jesus was the physical descendant of Mary.
·
Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1:
the correct translation is “… of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ”, as
per the Granville Sharp rule of NT Greek grammar.
· Creationist and general apologetics: should be presuppositional (Van Tillian; i.e., using God's Word to look at evidence) rather than evidential (using autonomous human reasoning to look at evidence) or classical (using autonomous human reasoning to look at issues like the existence of God). It should also be two-pronged — it’s important to develop biblical and scientific models in various disciplines, but it’s also important to oppose anti-God evolutionary thinking (2 Corinthians 10:5). See Always Ready by Dr Greg Bahnsen and The Ultimate Proof of Creation by Dr Jason Lisle.
·
Bible
Chronology: Ussher (The Annals of the World) and Jones (The Chronology of the Old Testament) are arguably the best…though neither is without error. Even remedial
calculations reveal approximately 6,000-year creation having 4,000 from
Creation to Christ.
·
Number of books in the
Bible: 66 (Absolute on this) in accordance with Christ through the prophets and
apostles: the 39
books of the Old Testament as per Christ’s
inclusion in the 3 major divisions of these 39 books of the Jews in Luke 24:44
(Law, Prophets and Psalms/Writings). New
Testament books came through the authority of the Apostles as per Christ
in John 14:26, John 15:26-27, Luke 11:48-49.
·
Apocrypha: Reject it as the authoritative Word of God. However, it can be useful
to understand the history of the times. The books of the Apocrypha were never
classed as Scripture by Christ or the Jews, nor did the writers of the New
Testament use them. One such reason is that it never claimed to be Scripture,
unlike other books of the Bible that often claim such things. Even one of the
apocryphal books affirms there was no one speaking on God’s behalf at that time
(1 Maccabees 9:27) when it says: “There had not been such great distress in
Israel since the time prophets ceased to appear among the people.”
Science
·
Distant
starlight: The secular position has the same
problem with no actual solution (Horizon
Problem).
· De-emphasize arguments that claim the distances to stars are inaccurate.
· Reject light-in-transit as deceptive.
· C-decay still has some unresolved problems so we are cautious, although there
are some secular scientists use c-decay (CDK) to solve problems with the “big
bang”.
· Humphreys and Hartnett’s Relativistic Models (which are different) have descent aspects but still
need work (Humphreys recently amended his view).
· Lisle’s Cosmological
Time Zone Model (ASC) is the most
plausible scientific model so far. (Another
model based on ASC was released at an ICC (international Conference on Creationism) as well as the Carmelian
model)
· Hartnett’s
Carmelian Physics Model assumes aspects
of the ASC model to get started (ASC).
· Leave open the miraculous for Adam to see it on Day 6 [this is creation
week, and keep in mind we do not understand all the properties of light and
that God created then separated light on Day 1 (Genesis 1:4);
Genesis 1:17 reveals God made then set lights in the expanse (sun and
moon), so there is biblical precedence that God can do what He wishes with
physical light, light sources, and other bodies like the moon during creation
week.] The Dasha
Solution by Danny Faulkner is based on this
model, and though it solves the problem during Creation Week; it doesn’t solve
it thereafter.
· Also, leave open models and possibilities that have yet to be discovered.
·
Longevity
decline: emphasize genetic factors
and the two major population bottlenecks (the Flood and Babel);
de-emphasize environmental changes, while keeping options open, e.g.,
Shem was born before the Flood and only lived 600 years. 120 years in Genesis
6:3 is the countdown to the Flood from that point (which is prior to God
instructing Noah to build an Ark in vs. 13). 120 years is not to be understood
as a maximum individual lifespan, as several from Shem to Abraham exceeded this
amount significantly.
·
Catastrophic
plate tectonics (or even a shortened
version of it[1]) seems to be the best explanation of continental shifts in the Flood so
far—based on an idea first proposed by creationist Antonio Snider in the 1800s.
However, BAM recognizes that some reputable creation scientists disagree with
plate tectonics. Note it appears that many of the major plate movements likely
ceased by Day 150 per Genesis 8:1-4 as the mountains of Ararat would have
formed [if our current models of mountain building are correct] by the
collision of the Eurasian, African, and Arabian plates (with influence by the
Indian plate). Further massive movements would possibly cause another global
Flood and remove the Ark from its resting place in the mountains of Ararat. The
springs of the great deep and windows of heaven were closed at this
time.
·
Adam’s naming all the
animals: emphasize that it was only selective groups (beasts of the field),
cattle, and birds, and that kinds are much broader than today’s species; de-emphasize Adam’s
allegedly far greater intelligence [first, even a genius doesn’t have
super-fast reaction times; second, Adam’s intelligence may have been a mean
like skin tone,
although most of us would think that due to subsequent degenerative mutations,
and evidence of latent “genius” capacities in humanity, even the “mean” back
then was probably vastly superior to today].
It may also be that God “pre-programmed” Adam with a vocabulary for the
animals, as He would have had to do for some other everyday concepts for which
words are “learned” by experience through childhood.
·
Woolly
mammoths—best explanation so far is that most
were buried in dust storms near the end of the post-Flood Ice Age (Mike Oard, TJ
14(3):24–34, 2000). Reject “snap
freeze”.
·
Age
of the Earth: should be based on the
Bible, not fallible ideas that are derived outside of Scripture (e.g.,
uniformitarian methods like radiometric dating or uniformitarian assumptions
about geological rock layers, starlight, alleged cooling of the earth,
etc.
·
Radiometric
“dating”: scientists observe isotope ratios;
age is an interpretation of these ratios. Possible correct explanations of the
observations include geochemical factors, initial created amounts, and
accelerated nuclear decay rates, depending on the specific cases. And of
course, other assumptions that can lead to faulty results. Carbon
14 is no exception.
·
Mt.
Ararat is probably not the landing site of the Ark since it is a post-Flood volcano
sitting aloft on Flood layers without massive evidence of pillow lava (which
results from volcanoes going off underwater) and Flood fossils. We have records
of numerous eruptions of it over the years. Mt Cudi (Judi) near the beginning
of the Tigris River is attested to in more ancient literature as Mt Ararat, so
this is a strong possibility but leave it open.[2] Also, leave open the possibility that Ark remains, if they still exist,
may not be on a mountain but perhaps a sub-basin within the mountains of
Ararat. Lean toward Genesis 8:5 (“tops of the mountains became visible”) as
being either being on a mountain
where others were much lower in elevation or that the water vapor and water
level restricted their vision.
·
Ice
Age: there was one (Ice Age—usually denoted in caps when
referring to the one that followed the Flood) that was triggered by the Flood
(having warm oceans and cool summers which is a rare recipe for an ice age).
Warm oceans yield more accumulation of snow in the winter and cool summers
prevent the snow and ice from completely retreating each year. Over several years the accumulated snow and
ice result in an ice age. There were surely fluctuations in this Ice Age. Mike
Oard, a retired meteorologist and biblical creationist, estimates the peak of
the Ice Age (in caps denotes the post-Flood ice
age, so as not to be confused with the many alleged ice ages in the secular
view over tens and hundreds of thousands of years.) This Ice Age would have
removed water from the oceans and deposited it on land opening land bridges to
North America as well as Australia, permitting animals to migrate there after
the Flood. Recognize that there are two creationists’ models by Mike Oard and
Larry Vardiman that have many similarities but also some differences.
Vardiman’s model begins with a predominantly wet earth at the end of the Flood
but in light of Genesis 8:13-14, this may not be the best presupposition to
begin a model with.
·
Reject
traditional Egyptian chronology,
which is based on Manetho and Sothic theory – of which, neither should be used
for strict chronologies. Manetho did not record that multiple pharaohs were
ruling at the same time in either the Upper, Middle, or Lower Kingdoms. Egyptologist David Down’s revised
chronologies (see Unwrapping
the Pharaohs) bring the dates within
about 60 years of Ussher and Jones anyway. But biblical chronologies should be
favored over revised Egyptian chronologies.
·
The meaning of the bene
elohim and nephilim
in Genesis 6 are lent toward the fallen man views where godly men fell into sin
with ungodly women and their children became very wicked and fallen from grace.
Moral, ethical and social issues
·
Abortion: we believe that individual life begins at conception or in today’s medically-defined
terms “fertilization” (Psalm 51:5). [note: to clarify, this is when the
sperm and egg combine, which is the traditional definition of conception not the new medically
redefined definition of when the combined
sperm and egg implant in the uterus. Fertilization is the new
medical term for the egg and sperm combining]. Refutations of abortion excuses
are available
here.
·
Cloning: artificial human cloning is immoral, animal cloning acceptable in
principle under Dominion Mandate of Genesis 1:28. Though extreme care should be
involved in the debate.
·
Stem
cells: Research on embryonic stem cells
is morally wrong to due to murder of an unborn baby that has a right to
life. Using adult stems does not involve the taking of a life and is
permitted.
·
Genetic engineering,
including GM foods: acceptable in
principle under the Dominion Mandate for research, but advocate caution in
applying little-known technology, and point out the dangers in the evolutionary
framework that much of this technology operates in.
·
Euthanasia: This absolutely goes against the principles outlined throughout the
Bible on the sanctity of life.
·
Global
Warming: At this stage (2009), the only
global temperature changes that have been measured are in the “tenths” of a
degree. The fluctuations of this actually
mimic the solar output – so any global warming
or cooling (which was the scare in the 1970’s) is more reflective of the sun’s
output as opposed to anything man-made. Reject the idea that increased CO2
(which is a common greenhouse gas) is the primary reason for this fluctuation.
The fact that water (H2O) vapor is the most common greenhouse gas
should be a sign that CO2 was not the major culprit—though does have
minor affects. In the long age scenario, they view the globe as having precious
little change over long periods of time, so they see small fluctuations and
assume we messed everything up. However, from a biblical view, there was a
global Flood, which wreaked havoc about 4350 years ago. Most creationists hold to a post-Flood Ice
Age as temperature fluctuations were expected and we are still seeing small
effects of that today. So minor fluctuations are expected.
·
Environment/Environmentalism: we must take into account that God created things “good” even before man’s
arrival, and that God has given man dominion. Overall, it’s a “wisdom” issue,
avoiding extremes of careless destruction of the environment and nature
worship. But we should take care of God’s world.
·
Teaching “creationism” in
public schools? We reject such compulsion. Such campaigns mobilize fierce
opposition and usually make it even harder for Christian teachers to teach the
problems with an evolutionary worldview. We would be happy if teachers were
allowed to freely teach evolution “warts and all”. Besides, if
evolution-believing teachers were forced to teach creation, they would likely
misrepresent it anyway because they are unfamiliar with the actual arguments. Our
strategy is to distribute creation and biblical authority material through
Christians in their local churches. We find that the message permeates right
through the community, inadvertently affecting kids and teachers in the
schools, using this strategy. We are called to go into all the world and preach
the gospel (Great Commission), not to
change the culture. Cultures change as a result of the gospel. Though we
respect rulings that religions are not to be taught in government sponsored
schools, we ask that other religions such as the religion of humanism (which
includes evolution, millions of years, and big bang) and sexual humanism (LGBT,
promiscuity, etc.), which currently has free reign in the schools be removed as
well.
·
Pre-Flood boundary: BAM
recognizes that the exact onset of the Flood isn’t always cut and dried evenly
throughout the world. However, it tends to lie about at the
Camrian/Pre-Cambrian layers when fossils begin to be laid down at the onset of
the Flood.
·
Post-Flood boundary: BAM
tends to prefer a high post-Flood boundary because Eocene and Miocene rock
layers are intricate to the mountain-building process in the mountains of
Ararat which formed by Day 150. Though, we recognize there are respectable
creationists who put it a little lower in certain places. Much of this depends
on the correlation and mapping of strata as well. Reject Robinson’s “vanishing
Flood” model or any tranquil Flood model.
Positions that need
more research
·
Shrinking sun.
·
The boundaries of the created
kinds in specific instances are closer to
a family level [in the Linnaean Classification System] or Baramin level
in the Biblical
Classification System in most cases, but
order, genus, and species in others. All humans are one kind and reject that
man is part of Hominidae, which would include apes like chimpanzees as secular
models places man. Our preference is to classify things based on internal biblical
taxonomy, which currently needs more research.
·
Some Scriptural passages
seeming to teach modern scientific ideas that the original readers would not
have read into the passages.
·
The geologic column—stratigraphy
is an area that more research is needed especially horizontal correlations.
BAM corporately has a non-negotiable
‘no-position position’
·
Certain denominational
matters on which people who agree with our SoF may differ, e.g., subject and
mode of baptism (but reject baptismal regeneration as denying Sola Fide,
so contrary to our SoF), Calvinism/Arminianism, church government, Saturday vs.
Sunday worship, speaking in tongues (but reject this as essential to
salvation), eschatology (although reject the idea that Sunday keeping is the “mark
of the Beast”) or views based on “new revelation” and so on. These will only be
published on a case-by-case basis.
[Editor’s note: there are those rare
cases where some of these issues may conflict with our Statement of Faith. If this is the case, then BAM may get into
it. For example, in hyperpreterism, it is denied that Christ will have future
return and that the curse has been removed, hence death before sin and other theological problems that violate the
Statement of Faith].
[Editor’s note 2:
in reality all doctrines are interconnected and this makes it difficult to
remain silent in some areas and vocal in others. So, it is fine line that BAM
has to walk and we ask for a little forgiveness as we walk this line. Some
prefer us to dive into one area more and other prefer that we not dive into
some areas at all so we have to draw the line someplace and this is done so
that do not lose our focus on biblical authority surrounding origins which is
among the biggest debate in today’s culture. We do want to encourage you to know what you and your denominations
believe and do respect its importance.]
·
As a ministry, we do not
have political party or candidate allegiance.
