By Roy S. Askins
TAMPA, Fla. — “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). Few, if any, Christians dispute God’s creating act. Many Christians, however, struggle with the age of the earth.
Did God create the world in six days, or did Moses use the word “day” figuratively? Did God use a process of evolution to create the world over the course of millions or perhaps billions of years?
On Tuesday, July 23, the delegates to the 67th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) discussed Res. 5-09A.
The resolution restates the Synod’s historic position from A Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (adopted 1932) and A Statement of Scriptural and Confessional Principles (adopted 1973) that God created the world in “six natural days.”
The resolution defines “natural” according to Gen. 1:5: “There was evening and there was morning, the first day.”
The delegates discussed with great gusto the term “natural.” Some thought it lacked clarity; other delegates disliked the term since it does not occur in the original text from Genesis.
The body of delegates chose to retain the original wording and passed the resolution by a majority show of hands.
“The resolution [5-09A] is important because we need to affirm the reality of God’s creation, especially in a time and place when it’s especially challenging to say that God created people at all,” said the Rev. Adam Koontz, a member of Floor Committee 5 on Theology and Church Relations.
The resolution also encourages pastors to study reports from the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations, particularly Creation in Biblical Perspective (1970), Together with All Creatures: Caring for God’s Living Earth (2010) and All Things Hold Together in Christ: The Intersection of Science and Christian Theology (2015).
Finally, the resolution instructs pastors to focus on teaching the parishioners they serve, especially youth, about these issues. It asks pastors to equip their people to give a respectful Christian witness about the biblical teaching regarding creation and the intersection of faith and science.
After the resolution passed, the Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, president of the LCMS, said:
“We try to only say what the Bible says, and otherwise keep our mouths shut. It’s hard for me to believe the Genesis account, … but I do believe it because I believe it’s the Word of God.”
Posted July 24, 2019
The 67th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod met July 20–25 in Tampa, Fla., at the Tampa Convention Center under the theme “Joy:fully Lutheran.” For more convention news:
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I love the LCMS but respectfully disagree with this position. The Bible clearly identifies God as the author of creation, but I do not believe Genesis attempts to make a scientific case as to how God created the world and the precise frame within which He did so. Luther routinely makes the case that we are to pursue excellence in our vocations as a way to serve others, and I would suggest that this teaching applies to those scientists who are trying to discern the age of the earth. The Bible does not hinge on a young earth interpretation, and we run the risk of telling scientists how to do science. It leaves us in a precarious position, as our realm is metaphysics, not natural science. Thank you.
Right on, Sean. What’s more, when our young people learn the facts about the fossil record, the genetic bush of life (however scrambled), and the physical similarities and differences between organisms living and dead, they all too often reject Christ. We need to reach out to scientists, too; and if we try to tell them that the world was made in 6 days, they will think we’re just pushing our religion; and if we push “creation science,” they will think that we are pushing snake oil too. Precisely because the gospel is so precious, it should not be bound up in the mythology of the ancient Middle East.
I thank God that our synod maintains God’s Word as truth. The fact that more people looked at this article than any other shows the keen interest in our walking together depends on our following God’s Word first and foremost.
That God made the world in six days is abundantly apparent. Genesis is not mythology; it is history. And though creation is indeed miraculous, the language, message, and meaning about it as recorded in Genesis are clear. I am pleased with this resolution and look forward to further pursuits in the LCMS of connecting faith and science.
If you are assuming that the earth is not young and God did not create it as stated in His word than you must introduce death and destruction for MILLIONS OF YEARS before the Fall of man and introduction of sin into the world. So much for God’s “very good” creation…
Perhaps you should check out the information available through resources like The Creation Museum and Creation.com before you lead others astray…
I disagree, Mr. Benson and Mr. Wochner. While certainly scientists can and should continue to discover and learn from God’s creation, things like carbon dating and fossils records are flawed tools for giving us an accurate timeline. The worldwide flood noted in Genesis must be considered and realized a true account of history. I think it takes more faith/religion to believe in an “old earth” than what the Bible tells us.
Although the LCMS officially claims to elevate the Bible above human opinions, they actually turn that posture on its head. For over eleven years I urged in vain for my fellow LCMS clergy to at least consider an alternate interpretation that is far more faithful to the Word of God in Genesis 1 than is the LCMS view. Two examples include the facts both that 1:1-2 is entirely consistent with Big Bang cosmology, while the “evening/morning” creation-day refrain that the chapter repeatedly employs, widely distances itself from the specification of a standard day according to Leviticus 23:32. Why this obvious disparity? It is because the text of Genesis 1 points in a direction that differs from the rutted path the LCMS is taking.
I still don’t understand why the word “natural” was added. The Bible says they are “days.” Leave it at that. I wasn’t satisfied by the “official” explanations.