How Young Is the Earth?

Psalm 119:42
So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word.

You have probably heard of Young Earth Creationists and Old Earth Creationists. Wikipedia defines Young Earth Creationism as a belief that the world was made by “direct acts of God less than 10,000 years ago”. Where does the figure of 10,000 years come from? There are a number of scientific calculations and principles that suggest that the world could be no older than 10,000 years – for example, the aging and gradual destruction of comets. Yet other people give different ages. Certain creationists have suggested ages of 30,000, or even a million years.

The problem appears to stem from the use of the word “young”. If 10,000 years is to be described as “young”, then it is apparently being used in a comparative sense. 10,000 years is considered young, compared to the 4.5 billion years claimed by evolutionary scientists. Yet, I see no reason to define my position, in terms of evolution. Instead, it makes sense for the Christian to define their position with respect to the Bible. However, the Bible does not allow for 10,000 years, let alone a million years. As I have shown in my book, The Biblical Age of the Earth, the Bible gives us an age of just over 6,000 years, with human beings created at the end of the creation week. I submit that 6,000 years is not young – it is very, very old, compared to our experience. Therefore, it often seems preferable to refer to our position not as Young Earth Creationism, but as Biblical Creationism.

Prayer:
We declare that Your Word is true, Lord God, in everything You say. Help us to submit to Your Word, and to interpret everything in the world around us by Your Word. Amen.

Notes:
Taylor, P.F. (2014), The Biblical Age of the Earth, (Toutle, WA: J6D Publications)
Image: portrait of James Ussher, Peter Lely, NPG, Public Domain