Translate

Sunday 5 October 2014

In Their Own Words - Christadelphians Against Fundamentalism - 4

"There are already several widespread misconceptions in the Brotherhood concerning the work and views of H. M. Morris and J. C. Whitcomb. It is a pity that the review of The World that Perished in your April issue is likely to lend support to some of those misconceptions, since the reviewer was not quite right in certain of his statements. 

"To begin with, Morris and Whitcomb are not “two American scientists”. Prof. Whitcomb, the author of the book then being reviewed, is actually Professor of Theology and Old Testament at Grace Theological Seminary. Prof. Morris is indeed an applied scientist (a civil engineer, to be precise) although not a geologist. 

"This would not matter, of course, if Morris and Whitcomb, as self-taught geologists, had acquired a really good grasp of the subject. Unfortunately it rather looks as if this is not the case. Several geologists of repute, including Prof. J. R. van der Fliert of Amsterdam Free University and Dr. R. M. Ritland of the Geoscience Research Institute, Berrien Springs, have pointed out numerous passages in The Genesis Flood where Morris and Whitcomb are wrong on their facts. This is not just a matter of loose reasoning and dubious speculation (though there is plenty of that in the book, to be sure!) but of mis-statements about various rock formations and other matters of common observation. It appears that, because of the authors’ rather inadequate knowledge of the world’s geological structures, many of their arguments are based on false premises.

[…]

"To sum up, it seems that Flood Geology creates far more difficulties than it solves. The reasons that caused Brother Thomas and Brother Roberts to reject it are still valid today. When Dr. Peter Moore reviewed The World that Perished for a journal published by the Bible-believing Inter-Varsity Fellowship, he concluded:
“'I feel that a book such as this one … can do a great deal of harm in alienating from the Christian faith those who have some knowledge of and respect for the natural sciences.'
"There are many brethren, Brother Editor, who share his fears." - Hayward A "Letter: Flood Geology - A Note of Caution" The Christadelphian (1977) 114:268