Creation

The Bible's record of creation is laid out in Genesis 1 and 2. It is confirmed elsewhere in Scripture. Jesus speaks of the events of Genesis, of creation, of Noah and Sodom as real events and real people. Paul speaks of sin entering the world through one man, Adam, and that Jesus Christ came to redeem us from sin.

John 1:1-3 confirms the Son of God, Jesus, as the Creator. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."
In verse 14, it goes on to identify Jesus as the Word. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
Many people, however, want to 'interpret' these passages in the light of 'science'. Often they don't realise that the 'big-bang' or 'punctuated equilibrium' or even 'evolution' itself are just theories. They have not been 'proven'.

Prior to starting Salt Shakers we were led to investigate the matter of creation - in the end, it comes down to "What do we believe?" or "Where do we think the Bible starts being actual history?"

In other words, if we reject a 6-day creation, do we believe in a literal Adam and Eve, do we think there was Noah and a global flood, was there a Tower of Babel etc...

In claiming the authority of the Bible as the inerrant Word of God, we must believe the Genesis account of creation as it is written - 'in six days' as re-iterated in Exodus 20 when God gave the Ten Commandments. In verses 9-11 it speaks of the model of the week and refers to the days of creation.

Fifty PhD scientists have written about their belief in a 6-day creation. The book is available and each chapter is also online at the following link:
In Six Days - Why 50 Scientists Choose to Believe in Creation
Edited by Dr John Ashton.
Read the Preface.

Creation, Sin and Jesus

Importantly, there are crucial questions that must be considered in terms of theology and Christan doctrine. If one rejects Genesis as 'myth' then one has to ask 'Why did Jesus die?'. Where did sin come from and so on...

Roger Birch has written on this important topic in our December 2009 journal. He addresses the question of sin and the reason for Jesus' death.:

Why Did Jesus Die? The Sacrificial System and Creation

Just click on the title above to read this vital article!

Various beliefs about 'creation' . . .

Amongst Christians there are varying beliefs about 'creation' and how God created the world. [Some might not believe God created it, which leaves us asking what they DO believe!]

Long-age creation:
Some Christians adopt a 'long age' view of creation - God created everything but he took a long time for each 'supposed day' in Genesis 1.
Why do they adopt this idea of long ages? Because they think science has proved that the earth is millions or billions of years old. But that is just a theory, not fact!

Creation (young-earth):
The other major view is taking the Bible as it reads. That God created the world in six days by His word and that He rested on the seventh day. This is generally known as 'young earth creation'. It is also taking the Bible as it reads.

Having analysed the options, we believe this is the most straightforward reading of the Scripture - and science actually confirms it!

About two years before we started Salt Shakers, we felt led to attend an Answers in Genesis seminar in Melbourne. That laid a foundation for what we do now, in trusting the reliability and infallibility of Scripture in every area.

Ministries dealing with the issues of Creation, Evolution and Science

Creation Ministries International
CMI is based in Australia but has branches around the world. They produce a great magazine called Creation (plus a more technical journal). CMI has a very informative website with lots of articles and resources (books, DVDs, pamphlets, etc).
In January 2009, CMI held a Supercamp at Phillip Island.

Russ Miller - Creation, Evolution and Science Ministries
After he became a Christian, Russ was a theistic evolutionist for 10 years. He then watched several creation videos and started searching for the truth. Russ now works full-time with his wife Joanna running seminars and teaching about young-earth creation.

Answers in Genesis
USA, Ken Ham
Ken Ham was a science teacher in Queensland. He now lives and works in the USA teaching on creation. The ministry has recently opened a Creation Museum in Kentucky.

Institute for Creation Research
"ICR began as the research division of Christian Heritage College, now known as San Diego Christian College. The heart of ICR and the vision of our late founder, Dr. Henry M. Morris, is to conduct scientific research and gather evidences in support of Biblical truth, especially on the issue of origins."
Research on creation-related topics is undertaken. One exciting area of research is the RATE Project (Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth).

Intelligent Design
The 'Intelligent Design' movement does not address the question of God or religion - it deals with ideas such as the 'irreducible complexity' of the cell. The cell is so complex and needed every part in order to operate at all - and could not have 'evolved' one part at a time.

Click here for our separate 'Intelligent Design' page.