RATE in Review: Reading Genesis as History | The Institute for Creation Research

 
RATE in Review: Reading Genesis as History

In the October Research column, I reviewed some of the background considerations for ICR’s recently-concluded RATE project (Radioisotopes and the Age of The Earth). The primary hypothesis developed for the research phase of RATE was that accelerated decay could resolve the apparent conflict between the clear statements of Scripture that indicate only thousands of years since Creation and the large amount of nuclear decay in earth’s rocks that implies billions of years.

Details of the research and findings that support this theory may be found in the final reports of RATE: Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth, Volume II and the book by Dr. Don DeYoung titled Thousands…Not Billions. In this column I would like to briefly discuss one portion of the RATE research project that didn’t receive as much attention as I believe it deserves.

Dr. Steven Boyd of The Master’s College conducted a statistical study on the historicity of Genesis 1:1–2:3 as a part of the RATE project. Since the RATE scientists based their thousands-of-years timescale on the Genesis account of Creation, it seemed appropriate to more firmly establish that this passage in Genesis should be taken literally. Dr. Boyd pointed out that there are three approaches typically taken by theologians to interpreting Genesis 1:1–2:3:

  • Reading it as an extended poetic metaphor, in which the plain sense of the words does not correspond to reality.
  • Reading it as a pre-scientific document that is filled with error.
  • Reading it as a historical narrative that accurately portrays reality.

Unfortunately, the majority of preachers, teachers, and biblical scholars today believe that the Bible should be read and interpreted as poetic metaphor or error-filled narrative. Yet if the Bible is to be relied upon for truth, it is critical that option three—reading Genesis 1:1–2:3 as accurate historical narrative—be the correct approach.

Dr. Boyd’s statistical study concluded that Genesis 1:1–2:3 is indeed a narrative passage, not poetic, based on the relative frequency of the preterite verb form in the two types of passages. There is less than 1 chance in 10,000 that Genesis 1:1–2:3 is poetry. If Genesis is narrative, then it is not allegorical but historical, with the plain sense of the words corresponding to reality and the sequence of events corresponding to real time.

Combining the statistical study on Scripture and the evidence for accelerated decay justifies the conclusion that Scripture is reliable.

Dr. Boyd asked at the conclusion of his study:

How then should we read Genesis 1:1–2:3 in light of the fact that it is an historical narrative? Answer: as a realistic portrayal of the Creation of the universe. … Should we as readers believe what the authors wrote? If we are faithful to their presentation we should. These historians do not allow us to be dispassionate observers of the past as we read their texts. They compel us to believe the past they portray. … Will we believe this text? Answer: we must.1

  1. Vardiman, L. et al. 2005. Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth, Volume II. El Cajon, CA: Institute for Creation Research; Chino Valley, AZ: Creation Research Society, 691-692, emphasis in original.

*Dr. Vardiman is Professor of Atmospheric Science and Director of Research.

Cite this article: Vardiman, L. 2007. RATE in Review: Reading Genesis as History. Acts & Facts. 36 (11): 6.

The Latest
NEWS
100% Cicada Fossil
Cicadas are an unusual-looking insect belonging to the order Hemiptera (the true bugs, including bed bugs and aphids). If you live in the eastern United...

CREATION PODCAST
Earth’s Origins: Science, Theology, and a New Geology Textbook...
Since the late eighteenth century, most scientists have argued for a uniformitarian view of Earth’s history. They claim the world...

NEWS
June 2025 ICR Wallpaper
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from...

CREATION.LIVE PODCAST
Getting the Gospel into People's Hands | Creation.Live Podcast:...
Can God use an atheist airline pilot to reach other nations with the truth of the Gospel? The answer, obviously, is yes.   Host...

NEWS
Chimp Genome Markedly Different from Human
An oft-repeated claim of evolutionary propaganda is that chimpanzee and human DNA are 98.5% identical. This high level of DNA similarity, which has...

NEWS
''73-Million-Year-Old'' Alaskan Salmon
Fish evolution remains an enigma. Evolutionists can only say fish first “appeared” over a half-billion years ago.1 Creationists...

NEWS
God's Memorial Day
“And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of...

NEWS
The Origin of Eukaryotes
Eukaryotes are multicellular organisms that contain diverse differentiated cell types. Within almost every cell there are subcellular compartments called...

CREATION PODCAST
Water vs. Wind: The Controversial Coconino | The Creation Podcast:...
Welcome to the sixth episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old...

NEWS
Fossil Fish Finally Filmed
The bizarre lobe-finned coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) “that flourished some 350 million years ago”1 continues to be a thorn...