Introduction: The State of Creationist Stratigraphy
Since the early nineteenth century historical geology has developed
along lines defined by the presuppositions of naturalism and uniformitarianism.
The revival of an alternative scheme, distinguished by the priority
of supernatural revelation and a derivative catastrophism, was coherently
launched by the publication of The Genesis Flood in 1961.
The field of creationist geology has cohered and grown since then.
The immensity of the task of constructing a viable Bible-based alternative
to accepted geologic history has been little appreciated by many, and
has proven even more difficult by the lack of workers willing to undertake
such a job. And yet, over the past 38 years, some progress has
been made by the dedicated efforts of the numerically-limited creationist
community.
In keeping with making the most efficient use of limited resources,
creationists have generally attempted to find as much common ground
as possible between the demands of Biblical historical teaching and
uniformitarian geology. The obvious advantage of this approach
was the potential for a relatively quick and easy synthesis of Biblical
history with the objective rock record. Many ideas have been proposed
since this time in an attempt to bridge Flood geology to modern geology.
Since modern historical geology is defined and summarized by the global
uniformitarian stratigraphic column (GUC), the logical starting point
has been the reinterpretation of the GUC within a catastrophic and short-term
framework. The main focus of this effort has been the merging
of the first eleven chapters of Genesis into the GUC (Figure 1).
From a conceptual standpoint this approach appears reasonable.
However, the experience of the past several decades has shown that integration
is difficult, perhaps because the extrascientific presuppositions of
naturalism and uniformitarianism are pervasively imbedded in the GUC.
Thus the task of defining a consistent approach to creationist stratigraphy
is more complex than was initially thought. Early warnings, sounded
by Woodmorappe (1981), have not been widely heeded.
In the time-weighted framework of the GUC, identifying time periods
in the rock record assumes great importance. Classical nineteenth
century stratigraphy illus-trated this concept with the great debates
focusing on the placement of the boundaries within the time/rock record.
Today, many secular geologists are using event and environmental parameters
to further refine their interpretation of earth history (Berggren and
Van Couvering, 1984; Brett and Baird, 1997; Donovan,1989; Erwin, 1993;
Hallam, 1992; Wilgus, Hastings, Kendall, Posamentier, Ross and Van Wagoner,
1988). However, as naturalists, they continue to operate within
the framework of the GUC and its formal time/rock divisions. Unfortunately,
many catastrophists, though advocates of a young Earth, have adopted
the uniformitarian preoccupation with time per se. They
have defined their syntheses of Flood geology and the GUC by the correlation
of time boundaries in the GUC to those in Biblical history (Austin,
1994; Austin and Wise, 1994; Baumgardner, 1990; Snelling, Scheven, Garner,
Ernst, Austin, Garton, Scheven, Wise, and Tyler, 1996). Many creationists
have attempted to used a modified version of the GUC (i.e., shortening
the timeframe of the basic system) to define both the pre-Flood/Flood
and the Flood/post-Flood boundaries (Austin, 1994; Austin and Wise,
1994; Garton, 1996; Garner, 1996a, 1996b; Holt, 1996; Robinson, 1996;
Snelling, 1996; Tyler, 1997).
All of these attempts have shared one important assumptionthat
the time-based stratigraphy of the GUC is compatible with the event-based
stratigraphy strongly implied by the Bible. Because the time available
for geologic work is so compressed by the Biblical record, any effort
to understand the relationships between the rocks and time may be actually
misdirecting workers away from more profitable investigations of geologic
history. A major shortcoming for creationists attempting to utilize
the conceptual framework of time-based stratigraphy occurs with the
apparent disposition to add multiple high-energy events to the single
global Flood event of the Bible to explain the rock record. In
itself this does not necessarily violate the Bible, because Scripture
does not address many things we find in geology (e.g., meteor impacts
and their resulting craters, volcanoes, tsunamis, glaciers, sea-level
changes, etc.). However the desire to accommodate the GUC has
created difficulty in assigning all of the high-energy events to the
Flood.
A study of the nineteenth century debate between uniformitarian geology
and Christianity reveals a clear trend of compromise on the part of
Christians that led to the abdication of Biblical authority in earth
history. We are concerned that early steps along this same path appear
to be attracting Christians in the twentieth century, too. This path
follows the steps of starting with the biblical position of one universal
Flood, and then gradually drifting toward uniformitarianism by attempting
to reconcile the Flood and the GUC. Inference from the Scriptural account,
absent consideration of the GUC would attribute the bulk of the rock
record to the Genesis Flood. However, Christians that incorrectly assign
an epistemological equity between natural history and the Bible begin
to lean toward the dynamic accumulation of facts supporting
the GUC. As the sophisticated complexity of the GUC became more attractive,
other, less-catastrophic events were added to the Genesis Flood to harmonize
science and Scripture. Finally, in total retreat, Christians
developed the consensus that a universal Flood was no longer required,
that it was not even wanted, and that it unacceptably interfered with
Lyellian stratigraphy. Some Christians tried to preserve a degree of
Scriptural integrity by relegating the Flood to the uppermost sections
of the GUC, thus allowing an uneasy accommodation of the uniformitarian
column, while keeping their belief in the Flood intact. However, this
side path merely led to the conclusion that as the number of events
increase, the energy requirements of each one diminish, to the logical
end point where no significant energy event was required. At that point,
the great biblical judgment of the Flood became an overflowing of the
Euphrates River Valley (Sauer, 1996), the infilling of either the Mediterranean
Sea (Morton, 1995) or Black Sea (McInnis, 1998; Ryan and Pitman, 1998),
or even a tsunami associated with the eruption of Santorini (Myles,
1985). Fortunately, all are catastrophic events acceptable to uniformitarians
(even though the uniformitarians are inconsistent at this point [Reed,
1998]). The essence of this misguided thought process was captured by
Fields (1976, p. 184) where he lamented:
There seems to be an assumption that if Christianity is to realize
its full potential of impact on the scientific community, the message
that no conflicts exist between the Bible and uniformitarian science
must be heralded.
We fear that the first steps of this path may be taken anew in the
twentieth century by seeking to harmonize the Bible with the GUC. It
is our opinion that a viable creationist stratigraphy requires adherence
to Scripture and eschews modification of a biblical worldview to accommodate
uniformitarianism.
The Current Divide Within Creationist Stratigraphy
We assert that the Bible teaches that the global Flood and its associated
events produced the greatest levels of geologic energy (i.e., erosion,
sediment transport, deposition, new sediment production, volcanism,
tectonism, turbidites, extra-terrestrial impacts, sea-level changes,
etc.) ever experienced by the planet, and resulted in the formation
of most of the igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks found in
the crust during and shortly after the Flood (Reed, Froede, and Bennett,
1996). These same crustal features have been reinterpreted by evolutionists
as the GUC. A close examination of the naturalist worldview reveals
that the basis for doing so is derived from non-scientific considerations,
although presented as science. The evidence for the GUC is considered
powerful by many creationists, and some continue to attempt reconciliation
between the GUC and the biblical record. We believe that this approach
causes confusion, and remains undefined and inconsistent in its use
within creation geology.
The Biblical approach to understanding Earths short history requires
that the physical evidence (i.e., the rock record) fit within the context
and constraints of Scripture. There are basically two different ways
of looking at dividing the time/rock record stratigraphically: 1) Those
who believe that an accommodation with the GUC is possible, and 2) those
who reject the GUC for an alternate biblical framework. We fall into
the latter category, which must be understood because it influences
the manner in which we attempt to resolve Flood-based geology (Figure
2).
Although the present creationist debate has apparently been drawn along
the lines of selecting a specific uniformitarian column golden
spike as a Flood boundary, it has become obvious as work progresses
that the real issue is whether or not the GUC has any use within creationist
stratigraphy. This issue has been addressed in an indirect manner by
the failure of all creationists desiring application of the GUC to reach
agreement on the placement of a single Flood-related boundary. It may
be true that resolution of the boundaries dispute remains to be resolved
in the context of the GUC; however, it is also possible that the inability
to reach such a resolution is itself indicative that no resolution can
be found within the current context of the debate.
We propose to test the compatibility of any harmonization of the Bible
with the GUC by reference to the Northern Gulf of Mexico Basin (NGOMB)
sedimentary wedge. This article will compare several proposals made
by young-earth creationists for the location of the Flood/post-Flood
boundary (based on applying the GUC) to the NGOMB stratigraphic column,
widely considered relatively complete in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic erathems.
We will show the insurmountable physical problems of each proposal.
If a consistent Flood-related boundary cannot be identified in the GUC,
then we believe that the argument to divorce creationist stratigraphy
from the GUC and to develop an alternative synthesis of geologic data
with Biblical history should be considered.
There is an additional benefit to this examination. We fear an epistemological
imbalance between Scripture and uniformitarian geology. Contrary to
modern positivism, we assert that biblical revelation is primary and
superior to any naturalist interpretation of history. Thus, there can
be no balanced comparison between the truth of science and
the truth of Scripture in an attempt to reconcile the two. Rather, any
interpretation of history that rejects biblical revelation should in
turn be rejected and its interpretive results should be carefully examined
for all hidden presuppositions implanted by the naturalist framework.
A sound young-earth Flood geology should not fear careful examination
of proposed historical models, since confidence in the truth of Scripture
cannot depend in any way on natural history.
| Table I. Rough estimates of
sediment volumes for the Mesozoic Era, the Cenozoic Era, the
Quaternary Period, and the modern Mississippi River delta
plain. Estimates for the first three were derived from cross
sections shown in Figure 3 of Jackson and Galloway (1984).
The estimate of the modern Mississippi River delta plain was
derived from an areal extent of 13,300 square miles from Figure
2 of Kolb and Dornbusch (1975) and a maximum thickness of
1000 feet from Gould (1970). The maximum thickness was used
to partially offset deltaic sediments transported offshore
by distal sediment distribution processes. These estimates,
however crude, reinforce the intuitive intent of the figures
regarding the rate of sedimentation needed in the post-Flood
era to accommodate the various boundary proposals. |
|
| Reference
Unit |
Estimated
volume of sediment (km3) |
|
| Mesozoic Era |
24,000,000 |
| Cenozoic Era |
6,000,000 |
| Quaternary Period |
1,500,000 |
| Modern Mississippi delta plain (6000 y.
estimated) |
100,000 |
|
|
Testing GUC-Derived Boundaries in the Gulf of Mexico Basin
The NGOMB provides an excellent setting for testing various Flood/post-Flood
boundaries because of its robust sedimentary representation of the Mesozoic/Cenozoic
erathems. Three different proposals are tested using the NGOMB sedimentary
sequence. Specifically, we will examine proposals for placing the Flood/post-Flood
boundary at: 1) the boundary between the Paleozoic and Mesozoic, 2)
the boundary between the Mesozoic and Cenozoic and, 3) the boundary
somewhere in the Pliocene/Pleistocene. Estimated volumes of Mesozoic,
Cenozoic, and Quaternary sediments are presented for comparison in Table
I, along with the present day volume of the modern Mississippi River
delta plain. Although these numbers are crude estimates, they provide
additional information to support the diagrams presented in figures
below. Any biblical model of Earth history must be able to explain field
evidence (Reed and Froede, 1997). We believe that a careful examination
of various young-earth Flood stratigraphic models will disqualify any
of them that are built on any attempt to harmonize the Scriptures with
the GUC.
Paleozoic/Mesozoic Boundary
Recent support for a Paleozoic/Mesozoic - Flood/post-Flood boundary
was presented in a special symposium within the Creation Ex Nihilo
Technical Journal (see Snelling 1996). Several articles proposed
and defended the Paleozoic/Mesozoic boundary as marking the termination
of the Genesis Flood. Numerous arguments were advanced to harmonize
the GUC with the global Flood of Genesis. Woodmorappe (1996) and Froede
(1997) took issue with this approach because of its perceived inherent
support of evolution, and because it required multiple large-scale (i.e.,
global) extra-biblical catastrophes following the Flood to accommodate
the uniformitarian column within a young-earth time frame.
How does this proposal explain the sedimentary section in the NGOMB?
The Paleozoic/Mesozoic boundary within the NGOMB is presented in Figure
3. If the model proposing that the Paleozoic/Mesozoic boundary represents
the end of the Genesis Flood, it must explain the following:
- The tremendous volume of sediment deposited after the Flood (the
cross-section reflects a sediment wedge ranging up to 10 miles thick
and extending some 720 miles out into the NGOMB along much of its
lateral extent),
- The dramatic variations in mean sea level that appear to have ranged
from the fall line during the Mesozoic to well offshore in the present
Gulf of Mexico during recent times.
- The difficulty in justifying the high energy levels during post-Flood
time required for this volume of sediment to be eroded and deposited
in the NGOMB, and
- The difficulty in describing an adequate source for the sediments
apart from Flood conditions.
We do not believe that any reasonable explanation can be offered for
these conditions in the NGOMB. Thus, either the boundary is incorrectly
placed in this proposal relative to the GUC, or the difference between
plausibly setting the boundary at the base of the Mesozoic in selected
locales but not in the NGOMB suggests that the GUC cannot be harmonized
with biblical history. Similar examples of immense volumes of post-Paleozoic
sediment can be found in North Africa, the North Sea, Indonesia, etc.
In-depth discussion of these areas is beyond the scope of this paper,
but offer avenues of further research for any interested creationist.
Although examples could be multiplied to demonstrate the difficulties
of depositing the combined global Mesozoic and Cenozoic erathems in
a youthful, post-Flood world, only one is needed to demonstrate the
failure of the proposed global model. We find this proposed Flood/post-Flood
boundary inadequate in explaining the Mesozoic and Cenozoic sediment
sequences in the NGOMB, and unacceptable within the framework of the
young-earth Flood model.
Mesozoic/Cenozoic Boundary
Other creationists support a Flood/post-Flood boundary at the Mesozoic/Cenozoic
boundary. Dr. Kurt Wise, a young-earth creationist, has stated that
virtually all creation geologists accept the entire Cenozoic as
post-Flood (BSN, 1995, p. 18). Dr. Wises position appears
to establish the Flood/post-Flood boundary at the Mesozoic/Cenozoic
contact. This boundary is also proposed in Dr. Steve Austins book
on the Grand Canyon (1994, p. 58, Figure 4.1). An evaluation similar
to that performed above forces us to the conclusion that we do not understand
how this proposed boundary can explain the sedimentary sequence found
in the NGOMB. We welcome any forthcoming explanation from either Dr.
Wise or Dr. Austin.
How does this proposal explain the sedimentary section in the NGOMB?
The Mesozoic/Cenozoic boundary for the NGOMB is presented in Figure
4. This proposal also requires tremendous volumes of sediment to have
been eroded and deposited into the NGOMB following the Flood. If the
model proposing that the Paleozoic/Mesozoic boundary represents the
end of the Genesis Flood, it must explain the following:
- The tremendous volume of sediment deposited after the Flood (the
cross-section reflects a sediment wedge ranging up to 6 miles thick
and extending some 360 miles out into the NGOMB along much of its
lateral extent),
- The dramatic variations in mean sea level that appear to have ranged
from near the fall line during the Cenozoic to well offshore in the
present Gulf of Mexico during recent times.
- The difficulty in justifying the high energy levels during post-Flood
time required for this volume of sediment to be eroded and deposited
in the NGOMB, and
- The difficulty in describing an adequate source for the sediments
apart from Flood conditions.
Like the Paleozoic/Mesozoic boundary proposal, we do not believe that
any reasonable explanation can be offered for these conditions in the
NGOMB. Again, either the boundary is incorrectly placed in this proposal
relative to the GUC, or the difference between plausibly setting the
boundary at the base of the Cenozoic in selected locales but not in
the NGOMB suggests that the GUC cannot be harmonized with biblical history.
We find this proposed Flood/post-Flood boundary inadequate in explaining
the Cenozoic sedimentary sequence in the NGOMB, and therefore unacceptable
as a viable young-earth Flood model.
Pliocene/Pleistocene Boundary
Many young-earth geoscientists support moving the Flood/post-Flood
boundary well up the global uniformitarian stratigraphic column toward
the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary. Of the choices that would harmonize
the GUC and the biblical record, this approach appears to be the most
reasonable when looking at the changing geologic-energy levels implied
by the strata. However, if some parameter other than time (such as changing
energy levels) is the basis for judging the goodness of fit between
a Flood model and the GUC, then why not abandon the time-centered methodology
of the GUC. For many young-earth geoscientists the location of the boundary
at the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary is believed to satisfy the transition
from the Flood into the Ice Age. However, problems with this approach
occur when moving offshore in a clastic setting and/or with biogenic
carbonates of this age in areas such as the Bahamas, Florida
Keys (see Froede, 1999), and the Great Barrier Reef.
How does this proposal explain the sedimentary section in the NGOMB?
The Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary of the NGOMB is presented in Figure
5. This proposed Flood/post-Flood division is placed near the top
of the NGOMB uniformitarian stratigraphic column. This approach correctly
suggests that most stratigraphic deposition occurred during the high-energy
period of the Flood. The post-Flood continental and nearshore deposits
are relatively minor and reflect lower energy levels. However, in offshore
settings the Pleistocene deposits can be many thousands of feet thick
(both clastics and carbonates). What processes eroded and then deposited
the thick blanket of Pleistocene clastic deposits far offshore, and
could this have formed within the short time constraints of the post-Flood
world? Likewise, how do creationists account for the hundreds of feet
of Pleistocene carbonate strata in a post-Flood setting? We believe
that the volume and location of these offshore Pleistocene deposits
present similar, though less dramatic, problems for this boundary proposal
relative to the preceding two.
Another important issue related to the proposed Pliocene/Pleistocene
boundary is the method whereby these offshore deposits are stratigraphically
defined. It is typically done by the transition of microfossil assemblages.
The old problem of dating sediments by the evolution of biota once again
is an issue here. Presently, young-earth creationists have not devised
an environmental means of using microfossils to explain sedimentary
units within the Biblical framework. Hence, we recommend that the basis
for harmonizing the GUC boundary with the Flood boundary be rejected
until creationists can show that there is a stratigraphically significant,
but non-evolutionary explanation for the microfossil assemblages.
Implications of the Gulf of Mexico Record
The publication of The Genesis Flood in 1961 will be remembered
as a revolutionary event in creationist hydrology and geology. The dominant
naturalist-uniformitarian paradigm was challenged on the most fundamental
levels, and even today the implications of that challenge have not yet
been fully realized. Since 1961, even geologists who continue to claim
the naturalist-uniformitarian worldview have been affected by creationist
challenges. The movement away from the strict nineteenth century uniformitarianism
of Lyell can be partly attributed to Whitcomb and Morris work.
Advances in creationist stratigraphy have been frustratingly slow in
the last four decades. There has been no direct impact in the secular
geologic community. This is because the naturalists have been quick
to realize the fundamental nature of the challenge of creationism not
just to their historical scenarios, but to their very worldview. With
few workers, creationist geology has been both slow to develop alternate
interpretations and confusing to those workers who have insisted on
the priority of following the GUC in their work. Some researchers have
discovered that the gulf between the GUC and the Bible is wider than
first hoped. Some have not been able to shift their assumptions toward
the Scriptures, and have become advocates of a theistic version of uniformitarianism
that does no justice to Genesis. Others have not vigorously pursued
their models to logical conclusions, and thus work with inconsistencies
in their framework.
The stratigraphy comprising the NGOMB provides a setting where we can
compare the GUC to several creationist Flood/post-Flood boundary proposals.
This area provides an excellent test of the various theories because
it represents a relatively complete uniformitarian rock section spanning
the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. We consider this not only a test of the boundary
proposals per se, but also of the entire strategic approach of
reconciling the GUC to the Bible. As expected, each of the creationist
models tied to the GUC fail to explain the observed stratigraphic sequence
in a logical and defensible manner. This is because the uniformitarian
rock column emphasis is on evolutionary biology and time
and not on the tremendous geologic forces experienced during and following
the global Flood.
Assessment of Previous Work
We are not condemning the work of the last forty years. The road to
progress in knowledge does not always proceed in a straight path. Glover
(1984) called Scholasticism the most fruitful failure in the history
of ideas because the process of critically comparing the Aristotelian
and biblical worldviews was a necessary step in modern western thought.
If the comparison of current creationist proposals that seek reconciliation
between Scripture and the GUC to the NGOMB stratigraphic section is
an adequate test, then the failure of creationists to reconcile the
GUC and the young-earth Flood-dominated geologic history of the planet
should be acknowledged, recognized as progress, and another strategy
pursued. Ironically, Whitcomb and Morris (1961) described another strategy.
They realized that their work would require a vast reassessment of geology;
not on a shallow level of readjusting interpretation, but on the more
fundamental level of replacing governing assumptions and following the
implications of the new structure to a logical conclusion. They advocated
the reinterpretation of geologic data within a biblical framework, rather
than the reinterpretation of the uniformitarian framework within the
biblical framework. Human beings naturally search for the most efficient
manner to achieve goals. However, the goal of refashioning geology in
a biblical worldview cannot be done in a cursory fashion. It will require
exhaustive research to reinterpret that data, not simply to reinterpret
the interpretations.
An Alternate Strategy
Several authors have pointed out the incompatibility of pursuing a
reconciliation of the GUC and the Bible (Froede, 1995, 1998; Reed, 1996a,
1996b, 1998; Reed and Froede, 1997; Walker, 1994; Woodmorappe, 1981
- to cite the most recent). A new alternative rejects the GUC because
it rejects the use of time as the primary parameter in interpreting
geologic history. The emphasis in this method is on events and their
associated energy requirements (Froede, 1998; Reed, Froede, and Bennett,
1996). As with any proposal seeking to match the stratigraphic record
with the Bible, it must also be able to successfully explain the physical
rock record in order for it to be used in young-earth Flood studies.
Regardless of whether or not this particular energy approach is successful,
we believe that only in a move away from the GUC will we be capable
of defining creationist geology.
Our approach to understanding Biblical geologic history is presented
in Figure 6. It examines the changing geologic-energy levels as they
affected Antediluvian sediments, flora, and fauna (and new materials
added during and following the global Flood). It does not use traditional
evolution-based methods (i.e., biostratigraphy) to define time. It instead
infers the energy required for materials to be eroded, transported,
and deposited, and compares those relative levels to Scripture. Note
that our energy-based stratigraphic column is completely independent
of the GUC. The Flood/post-Flood boundary is defined environmentally
by the subsidence of high-energy Flood events and the transition into
more uniformitarian depositional patterns, rather than by
correlation to a uniformitarian boundary golden spike. Although
high-energy events occurring after the Flood may blur the boundary,
these Ice Age and Present Age Timeframe deposits could be diagnosed
by being more local in their aerial extent. We propose that this manner
of interpreting the stratigraphic record can be rewarding in revealing
the tremendous power of the Flood. At a minimum, it meets the necessary
criterion of divorcing creationist stratigraphy from the GUC, and shifts
the interpretation of Earths history back to a Biblical approach
and away from naturalism.
Conclusion
Concepts, models, and interpretive theories depend on the physical
supporting data. The GUC is an illustration of the reliance on non-scientific
presuppositions that may or may not be readily apparent to the user.
Scientists are trained to develop models using available physical data.
However, difficulty occurs when attempting to evaluate the non-scientific
components of these models. Examining the GUC model against
the Bibles presentation of earth history demonstrates the complete
failure in unifying these two worldviews. Over the past four decades
various strategies for using the GUC as a framework for biblical history
have been proposed by creationists. We have examined three of these
proposals against the strata found within the NGOMB. All of these approaches
fail either because of the time/energy demands of the sedimentary record
relative to a short post-Flood history. While the Pliocene/Pleistocene
boundary comes the closest to what we expect with ever-decreasing geologic-energy
levels, it too falls short when examining offshore clastic and carbonate
accumulations. There appears to be too great a volume of Pleistocene
sediments offshore requiring too much energy for too short a period
of time to define all of these strata as post-Flood deposits. Many of
the Pleistocene sediments were deposited under high-energy conditions
that could only have occurred with the closing stages of the Flood.
Hence, we propose that creationists examine the various sediments with
some understanding about the energy necessary to precipitate or grow
them (as in the case of carbonates), or erode, transport, and deposit
them (for clastics).
Any ongoing effort to join the GUC to creationist geology must by definition
explain how it can be harmonized globally. If a given model fails at
the NGOMB, it has failed. If these efforts fail (and we believe they
have) the model(s) must be abandoned or modified! Failure to discard
bad ideas will only lead to greater confusion in creation science. Both
creationist and secular scientists require internal corrections to their
models and ideas. We believe a new approach to creationist stratigraphy
is required. We hope that other creationists will focus their efforts
developing concepts and models that eschew the GUC. By changing this
conceptual framework, we can open new doors to understanding geology
and the Bible, we can focus our studies on understanding the Floods
impact on the Antediluvian world, and we can jettison the evolutionary
baggage that permeates the GUC. We hope this will lead to greater productivity
as we base our investigations more consciously on Scripture instead
of worrying about how to make the Bible work within a system based on
evolution.
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