Does anyone know how old the earth is? Those who believe in the big bang think the universe began about 14 billion years ago, and the earth is a little over 4 billion years old (give or take 50 million years...literally). You may have heard our culture label these people as believers in an "old earth".

 

There are others who are often referred to as an "old-earth creationists". These people believe that God created the universe but believe the earth is very old. Some believe in ideas such as "theistic evolution" (God using evolution) or the "gap theory"that says there was ages of time between the first two verses in Genesis.

 

Another category of people are  referred to as "young-earth creationists". They believe the earth is a little over 6,000 years old. To come to this number, they use time frames given in the Bible and interpret the book of Genesis as a literal account. (Day one of creation was a literal 24-hour day.) They then add up the numbers. For example, with the beginning of the universe being day one of creation, the Bible says Adam lived to be 930 years old. Adam had a son when he was 530. Adam's son, Seth, had a son when he was 105 years old, and so on. Continue to add and you get around 4,000 years between Adam and Jesus. There has been a little over 2,000 years pass from Jesus until now. Add this up and you get a little over 6,000 years.

​

With these labels for different beliefs, usually comes unkind words and demeaning attitudes. Frequently, there are heated arguments on the age of the earth and many times those arguments are between Christians. Name calling and accusations seem to always arise. 

​

First and foremost, your salvation and your relationship with God are not dependent on your belief of how old the earth is. Salvation is a free gift from God when you put your faith in Jesus. However, the debate of the earth's age leads to a few major problems, and you should, therefore, discuss the earth's age with your children.

​

1. The debate is used to fill people (especially the next generation) with doubt.

Unbelieving scientists and some Christians do what they can to try to convince others that you cannot take Genesis literally. This belief then usually leads to the idea that the flood either did not happen or say it was a localized flood. Imagine being a 10-year-old who is on fire for Jesus and then finding out that you can't believe the Bible for what it says. How discouraging! As followers of Jesus, we are called to love one another and encourage each other. We are not called to fill others with doubt. Every single word in the Bible is true. If someone is trying to use science to interpret the Bible (or make the Bible match science), this is wrong and we should teach our children to be weary of someone who does.

​

2. Many use science to try to shame the uneducated. 

If you do an internet search on one of these debated topics or listen to a debate, you will read or hear about the person's credentials. They want to make it clear that they have a certain education or title and are "qualified" to present their opinion on the topic. They also want to make it clear when others are not "qualified". Our culture promotes looking to man for answers instead of God. The Bible refers to Peter as "untrained and uneducated", yet look at what he accomplished through and for Christ. We should never listen to man over God. Spend time seeking answers from the Lord. The Word of God has everything we need. Does this mean we should ignore our unanswered questions? Absolutely not. God does provide answers and we can learn about God through what He has created (Rom. 1:20). But do not fall into the trap of thinking a man's education trumps the Word of God.

​

3. Many people imply that their belief in an old earth is fact.

Scientists do it. Professors do it. Even school textbooks do it. However, their information is based on assumptions. They are theories, not facts. Teach your kids to always compare everything they hear and read what the Word of God says. His Word is truth. Prepare them so they are not discouraged by a scientist's or professor's technical explanation of why they think the Bible is a fairy tale. Know why  you believe (see our Evidence page), and always look to the Creator for answers.