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- Young Earth Creation model
- Core Belief:
- God created the universe and all life in six 24-hour days, roughly 6,000–10,000 years ago.
- Key Points:
- Literal interpretation of Genesis 1–11.
- Believes death and suffering entered the world only after Adam and Eve’s sin (original sin).
- Rejects macroevolution (one kind becoming another); accepts microevolution (small variations within kinds).
- The fossil record and geological layers are largely explained by Noah’s flood.
- Radiometric dating and other scientific age estimates are considered flawed or misinterpreted.
- God created each “kind” of organism separately and fully formed.
- Supporters Include:
- Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson1
- Dr. Georgia Purdom2
- PhD in molecular genetics
- has published papers in the Journal of Neuroscience, the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, and the Journal of Leukocyte Biology
- Dr Geoff Downes3
- Post-doctoral fellowships at the University of Aberdeen and the University of Melbourne
- 20 years as a research scientist with CSIRO
- Director of Forest Quality Pty. Ltd (Tasmania)
- Institute for Creation Research4
- Answers in Genesis5
- Old Earth Creation mode
- Core Belief:
- God created the universe and life, but over a long period—billions of years—rather than in six 24-hour days.
- Key Points:
- Accepts mainstream science on the age of the Earth and universe (≈13.8 billion years).
- Interprets the “days” in Genesis as long epochs or symbolic periods (e.g., Day-Age or Framework View).
- Rejects Darwinian evolution for humans; believes God intervened directly to create life forms, especially humans.
- Often holds that Adam and Eve were real, specially created individuals.
- Sees the fossil record as consistent with long periods of creation and extinction, but still guided by divine purpose.
- Accepts some scientific findings but interprets them within a theistic framework.
- Supporters Include:
- Hugh Ross6
- astrophysicist
- rejects abiogenesis and evolution as explanations for the origin and history of life
- believes that the evidence points to Jesus as the designer of all
- Katharine Hayhoe7
- an atmospheric scientist
- globally recognized as a United Nations Champion of the Earth
- she is the Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy and holds the positions of Horn Distinguished Professor and the Political Science Endowed Professor in Public Policy and Public Law at Texas Tech University
- Naturalistic Evolutionary model
- Core Belief:
- All life evolved through unguided natural processes (mutation, natural selection, genetic drift) over billions of years.
- Key Points:
- No supernatural involvement—nature is all there is (naturalism/materialism).
- The universe began with the Big Bang, about 13.8 billion years ago; Earth formed ≈4.5 billion years ago.
- Life began through abiogenesis (life from non-life) via chemical processes.
- Humans share common ancestry with all living organisms, including apes.
- The appearance of design in nature is a product of evolutionary processes, not intentional creation.
- Religion is often viewed as a human cultural construct evolved for social cohesion.
- Supporters Include:
- Richard Dawkins8
- Stephen Jay Gould9 (punctuated equilibrium10)
- most mainstream scientific institutions.