Today we'll begin to consider interpretive options for the first chapter of Genesis. We'll see three main groupings of theories, including those that propose a young earth of only thousands of years, those that see the earth as old (billions of years), and those that are compatible with either. After introducing the main options, Will Barlow goes on to explore young-earth creationism. He presents the advantages and disadvantages of this approach. Lastly, he shows why the "appearance of age" hypothesis fails to convince him.

Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9xyFXqh5xw&feature=emb_imp_woyt

See below for notes.

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—— Notes ——

What have we seen so far?

Genesis was written to a group of ancient people coming out of slavery

The questions that they were asking of the text are different than the questions that we ask

How can we read Genesis 1?

Does Genesis 1 begin with a continuous narrative or is there an initial creation in verse 1 followed by a “re-creation” or “reconstitution”?

How can we read Genesis 1?

How do we read the word day? Is a day a literal 24-hour period of time? Or is it something else?

How can we read Genesis 1?

Is Genesis 1 meant to be a description of creation itself? Or is it meant to describe how God ascribed function to already existing systems?

How can we read Genesis 1?

How importantly should we weigh the