When God wrote the Biblical record, He chose not to give all the scientific and historical details. The best we can do is to hold tightly to the specifics it does give, and interpret the scientific facts within that framework. The Christian creationist must be committed to truth, and hold lightly those pet theories and opinions not spelled out in Scripture, striving to fine-tune his understanding through careful scientific research.
Case in point: Recent news reports have noted that a few explorers claim to have identified a "boat-shaped rock formation" in the foothills of Mt. Ararat as the remains of Noah's Ark. Readers who have followed the search for the Ark are aware that most researchers have concluded that the remains, if still in existence at all, are most likely on the nearby glacier-covered volcanic peak where several hundred people over the last 150 years claim to have seen a rectangular, barge-shaped object partially covered by rock, ice, and snow.
But recently, these few individuals have concluded that this rock formation is the Ark. Supporting their claims are very questionable research methods, but it is worth noting that very serious scientific study (including my own field and lab study, and corroborated by Dr. John Baumgardner's core-drilling investigation during the summer of 1988) discovered nothing that does not have a simple geologic explanation. As much as I wish it were the Ark, there is no evidence that it is, and we should not be overly encouraged by these unwarranted claims. Research continues, with at least one expedition planned for this summer on Mt.Ararat.
Actually, we can learn a lot from this episode. Science is not (or should not be, anyway) done in the media. Saying something often enough, and loudly enough, doesn't make it so. Creationists at times forget this fact.
But it seems to me that our evolutionary counterparts purposefully abuse science in this way. How else can the fact that a viewpoint which claims to explain the entire universe, yet which has so little objective scientific evidence to support it, which runs counter to basic scientific law, which is statistically impossible, and which is an affront to logic and intuition, hold such sway in American life? It is no wonder that big-name evolutionists such as Steven Gould, Donald Johanson, Richard Leakey, and Carl Sagan, who command incredibly large lecture fees, refuse to debate creationists on the scientific evidence. They know their bias might be exposed. Only as the evolutionary religion is told in the name of science and received without question can it continue. And that is what evolutionist’s bank on!
Christians must hold themselves to a higher standard. Although we have a Book, which we accept on faith, that faith is not a mindless, groundless faith, for it is based on sound evidences given in the context of scientific and historical truth. We do have a mandate to transmit the truths of Scripture to the next generation, but it is also true that the Bible is not specific on every issue. It does not specify the exact location (or even the present existence) of Noah's Ark. We must do our science carefully and honestly, reporting our conclusions properly and cautiously, and correcting them when warranted, all the while identifying our presuppositional bias, even though evolutionists seldom do the same.
*Dr. John Morris is the President of ICR.
