Posted on 10/06/2023 1:17:49 AM PDT by spirited irish
Dr William Lane Craig is a well-known and respected apologist cited by many prominent Christians. So, it is shocking, for many, to hear that he is also an avid anticreationist. Craig tries to reconcile evolution with Genesis by categorizing Genesis as mytho-history—a type of theological fable that is not meant to be understood as real history. In an online interview with Sean McDowell, Craig said:
“My greatest fear is that the young-earth creationist might be right in his hermeneutical claim that Genesis does teach those things that I described earlier. And I say that would be a nightmare because if that’s what the Bible teaches, it puts the Bible into massive, I think, irredeemable conflict with modern science, history, and linguistics, and I don’t want that to happen.”1
(Excerpt) Read more at patriotandliberty.com ...
ping
We must smash our telescopes
and microscopes, too
A ‘great’ apologist [Craig] rejects the doctrine of original sin [implying here and, in fact, stating in the article that Craig sides with the evolutionists]!The above statement leaves the wrong impression if Craig's next statement isn't included. Craig clarifies what he means in his following statement. (from the video):In the interview mentioned earlier, William Lane Craig admits:
“I myself don’t hold to the classical doctrine of original sin … What was that first sin? I don’t think we have any idea.
I don't hold to the classical doctrine of original sin. I think that that is neither taught in Genesis 3 or in Romans 5.I think what Paul teaches is that Adam was the "floodgate" through which sin entered into the human race and since spread to all men...since, as Paul said, all men sin.
Adam has to be a historical person because if he were purely fictional then sin could not have entered the human race through this individual.
I have not finished watching the video yet, but the above statement is at odds with the author's conclusion that Craig sides with the evolutionists.
I will add more when I finish the video.
I always thought there was something amyth about such thinking.
Craig is a good philosopher and apologist for the reality. He is not good at theology and biblical exegesis.
By “science”, he means evolution. His quote reveals that his authority is not the Bible, but secular science! As such, Craig’s commitment to evolution forces him to undermine even basic Christian doctrines.
That is not what Craig says in the interview. Craig states unequivocally that he IS NOT an evolutionist. He states clearly that he believes Adam is a very real person.
What do we mean by mytho-history?We're not talking about "myth" in the popular sense of the word.
We're talking about myth in the way that folklorists and classicists use that term to differentiate it from folktales and legends.
A myth in this sense [mytho-historical sense] is a traditional, sacred narrative that attempts to ground realities contemporaneous to the author's underlying societies, institutions, values, and natural phenomena IN the events of the deep primordial past.
...
The genealogies [of Genesis] are like the backbone of these primordial narratives...turning these prehistorical narratives into a prehistorical chronology or a primeval history.
Among mankind, time began by observation of the patterns of daily cycles thanks to the sun.
Later, the observations of seasonal cycles and moon cycles, seemed to be coordinated.
Ancient history relies upon such times, before seconds, minutes, and hours.
Did it ever occur to you that "modern science, history, and linguistics" might, just possibly, be WRONG??????
Man is looking at the evidence from a very limited, in the system, perspective and then measuring Scripture against that and finding Scripture wanting as if mankind's viewpoint was objective and True.
While I am not a hard core young earth creationist, I do have problems with the methods used to determine the age of the earth allegedly based on the Bible. Too many assumptions made in the process.
I disagree strongly, however, that creating the earth with appearance of age is deception on God's part and that it had to be the old earth way. That's a pretty serious charge to lay against God.
I don't think we'll figure out the answer on this one until God reveals it to us in heaven. And I think it will be something neither side expects.
And because we remember, we record such data as time of birth and time of death. Time of winter, time of spring, time of summer, time of harvest, and so on. And so in time, man invented calendars.
I am still working my way through the video, but nothing that Craig says (so far) is particularly outrageous or at odds with what we know of Craig's positions historically.
At the link below, is A Defender video featuring William Lane Craig: "Creation of Life and Biodiversity: Scientific Evidence Pertinent to Evolution"
A Biologos forum member said: This is an interesting series Craig has been doing on Creation. I respect him quite a bit for this one in particular. He got quite a bit of push back from members of his audience. Very interesting to hear that he favors a mytho-historical interpretation rather than any type of local events that are historical etc.
https://discourse.biologos.org/t/william-lane-craig-on-creation/41287.
Mytho-historical only means that Craig sees Genesis 1-11 as figurative/metaphorical (in parts) instead of literal. Craig stated in the video in the article above that he believes Genesis 12 and thereafter are fact.
That isn't at odds with what many Old Testament scholars believe.
If Craig believed in evolution, he wouldn’t be writing a book about how he believes in a historical Adam as the progenitor of humanity.
You mean he doesn’t believe the sky is a solid metal dome with water above it?
I hope this Craig guy doesn’t believe in the “virgin birth.” Isn’t that “in conflict with science?”
You don’t know who William Lane Craig is?
Never heard of him. And if he's an evolutionist, all the better for me.
This article is misleading.
Check him out. He's worth knowing.
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