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The Gap Theory

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Robert Snow

New Member
My Sunday school teacher mentioned this past Sunday that he believed in the Gap Theory. Many years ago I attended a church that believed this and while at Tennessee Temple University it was said that Dr. Faulkner, the Vice-President held this view.

My understanding is that this view is frowned upon today because it is believed that this is a way to accommodate evolutionists. But, the people I know who believe this do not accept evolution at all.

What do you think?
 
preachinjesus

preachinjesus

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
I don't think we can know, or teach, dogmatically about any version of creation...except that God did it all Himself. The Gap Theory is one view of a number of views on creation. While it has some merits it also has some holes. Also, it is a way to accomodate evidences that the earth is older than 8,000 to 10,000 years.

The Gap Theory is one that many people I know hold. I think the language issues are the most convincing part of the argument, but they are not that convincing for me. :)

As for my view, I suggest that if God wanted to He could have created everything in 6 literal days. Though given His nature and the nature of Eden, placed different that the rest of creation, that time passed differently than we understand it. The focus here is that while in Eden Adam, and then Eve, had a unique relationship with God and thus a unique relationship with time. It is probably wise to also note that Adam and Eve didn't get created on day 6 and then fall into sin on (literal) day 8. There was a gap between. Besides, Adam had to name all the creatures and had to have time to get lonely.

My personal view, which I'm not dogmatic about at all, is that the world and universe are very old (hundreds of thousands of years?) and because of the nature of creation we can faithfully maintain a literal 6 day world and Eden creation with a different end experience. The language of Genesis is too rich and textured, and the evidences surrounding are too convincing, to suggest otherwise imho.

Again I'm not dogmatic.
 
preachinjesus

preachinjesus

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
OldRegular said:
Scripture tells us that death entered creation because of the fall. The Gap theory contradicts this truth.
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No it doesn't. The Gap theory has nothing to do with this when properly understood and explained. It is about the days/ages of creation and does not touch the issue of a literal Adam and Eve and the reality of the fall.
 
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Revmitchell

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
preachinjesus said:
No it doesn't. The Gap theory has nothing to do with this when properly understood and explained. It is about the days/ages of creation and does not touch the issue of a literal Adam and Eve and the reality of the fall.
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There had to be death pre Adam for there to be a Gap theory. It is an absurd fairly tale.
 
th1bill

th1bill

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Robert Snow said:
No, it is a theory. Calvinism, now there is a fairy tale!
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... I have read the other comments and I appreciate that some will not be dogmatic on the creation story but I am a teacher and I am dogmatic about teaching exactly what the scriptures say.
... Robert, your comment (quoted above) is very unfounded and therefore not Christian in nature. Your comment has all the ear marks of looking for a fight. When we get right down to the base line of any theory it is nothing more than a conceived idea idea looking for facts to back it, a fairy tale that somebody hopes to prove to be a fact... someday. Now, being a Biblicist and subscribing to neither of the popular positions I try, always, to remember that a strong biblical case is built for both positions and to argue Calvinism against the Armenian position is a fool's folly. In the last three verses of Matthew we are commissioned by our LORD to go forth making and mentoring disciples and to argue biblical positions like this is to be turned, by Satan, from our mission.
... Now, being a Bible teacher and not a teacher of man's convolutions I'll state, emphatically, that there is no Gap Theory taught in the Word of God and therefore is a fairy tale, a.k.a. theory, of man's invention. God inspired Moses to record the first five books of the Bible we hold today and God has left nothing essential out and the largest fool's endeavor, ever undertaken, is the one that straightens God out about what He meant to say.
... God is infinite and we are finite and have no idea!
 
O

OldRegular

Well-Known Member
preachinjesus said:
No it doesn't. The Gap theory has nothing to do with this when properly understood and explained. It is about the days/ages of creation and does not touch the issue of a literal Adam and Eve and the reality of the fall.
Click to expand...

You are wrong. The Gap Theory was developed in an attempt to accommodate the evolutionary theory that fossils [that is bone fragments of mammals or imprints of the same in soil/rock] were the ancestors of man.

Geological Ages and Evolution

http://bible.org/article/gap-theory-genesis-chapter-one

As has been previously pointed out, the gap theory, along with other accommodation theories, is an attempt to reconcile a great age for the earth, as presented by geologists, with the relatively young age as deduced from the Biblical record. Since many proponents of the gap theory would disclaim a belief in an evolutionary process of earth history, it is instructive to evaluate the “geologic ages” to determine if they can, indeed, be separated from the theory of evolution.

The geologic ages represent the time scale of the standard geologic column. This so-called “column” is composed of animal and plant fossil remains found in layers of sedimentary and igneous rock. These remains are arranged in layers and interpreted by geologists and paleontologists to present a record of gradual developmental sequences that propose to demonstrate the gradual evolutionary change of simple forms of animal or plant life into different, more complex forms. The record of ascendancy is thought to be from simpler forms in very ancient times to the more complex forms in modern times. Figure 1 shows a simplified diagram of the geologic column with the postulated life forms and their assumed age eras. It is most important to understand that in the “geologic column” the ages of the various layers are determined by the form of the fossil remains found therein. Older levels in the column are “old” only because they contain what are believed to be simpler, more primitive, less developed or incompletely evolved life forms. The invertebrates are assumed to have evolved first, followed by fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals in that order. It should be obvious that the basis of the structure and arrangement of the geologic column is the concept of slowly evolving life forms which in reality and fact is the THEORY OF EVOLUTION as proposed by Charles Darwin in 1859.

One can easily disclaim his or her adherence to, or belief in, evolution, but acceptance of the geologic column with its attendant “ages” contradicts this claim. The situation is an either/or one. As the old adage so well expresses it, “one cannot have his cake and eat it too.”
 
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Robert Snow

New Member
th1bill said:
... I have read the other comments and I appreciate that some will not be dogmatic on the creation story but I am a teacher and I am dogmatic about teaching exactly what the scriptures say.
... Robert, your comment (quoted above) is very unfounded and therefore not Christian in nature. Your comment has all the ear marks of looking for a fight. When we get right down to the base line of any theory it is nothing more than a conceived idea idea looking for facts to back it, a fairy tale that somebody hopes to prove to be a fact... someday. Now, being a Biblicist and subscribing to neither of the popular positions I try, always, to remember that a strong biblical case is built for both positions and to argue Calvinism against the Armenian position is a fool's folly. In the last three verses of Matthew we are commissioned by our LORD to go forth making and mentoring disciples and to argue biblical positions like this is to be turned, by Satan, from our mission.
... Now, being a Bible teacher and not a teacher of man's convolutions I'll state, emphatically, that there is no Gap Theory taught in the Word of God and therefore is a fairy tale, a.k.a. theory, of man's invention. God inspired Moses to record the first five books of the Bible we hold today and God has left nothing essential out and the largest fool's endeavor, ever undertaken, is the one that straightens God out about what He meant to say.
... God is infinite and we are finite and have no idea!
Click to expand...

Well teacher, it looks like you have a lot to learn. I never stated that the Gap Theory is correct, although I tend to believe it myself. There are a few Scriptures that could support a gap between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2, but like I said, it is only a theory. And this theory is unprovable, but it is interesting converstion.

As far as Calvinism is concerned, I believe it is one of the most dangerous things facing the Baptist church today!
 
O

OldRegular

Well-Known Member
th1bill said:
... I have read the other comments and I appreciate that some will not be dogmatic on the creation story but I am a teacher and I am dogmatic about teaching exactly what the scriptures say.
... Robert, your comment (quoted above) is very unfounded and therefore not Christian in nature. Your comment has all the ear marks of looking for a fight. When we get right down to the base line of any theory it is nothing more than a conceived idea idea looking for facts to back it, a fairy tale that somebody hopes to prove to be a fact... someday. Now, being a Biblicist and subscribing to neither of the popular positions I try, always, to remember that a strong biblical case is built for both positions and to argue Calvinism against the Armenian position is a fool's folly. In the last three verses of Matthew we are commissioned by our LORD to go forth making and mentoring disciples and to argue biblical positions like this is to be turned, by Satan, from our mission.
... Now, being a Bible teacher and not a teacher of man's convolutions I'll state, emphatically, that there is no Gap Theory taught in the Word of God and therefore is a fairy tale, a.k.a. theory, of man's invention. God inspired Moses to record the first five books of the Bible we hold today and God has left nothing essential out and the largest fool's endeavor, ever undertaken, is the one that straightens God out about what He meant to say.
... God is infinite and we are finite and have no idea!
Click to expand...

An excellent post Bill. Your remarks about the fairy tale Gap Theory are particularly insightful. While I tend to agree with your comments on Calvinism vs Arminianism I will defend the Biblical Doctrines of Sovereign Grace. It is not my intent to convert any one to my view but an attempt to show that every "true believer" should give all the Glory to GOD.
 
th1bill

th1bill

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
OldRegular said:
An excellent post Bill. Your remarks about the fairy tale Gap Theory are particularly insightful. While I tend to agree with your comments on Calvinism vs Arminianism I will defend the Biblical Doctrines of Sovereign Grace. It is not my intent to convert any one to my view but an attempt to show that every "true believer" should give all the Glory to GOD.
Click to expand...

And as a Biblicist I completely agree. Far to many folks today are pridefully out to prove a point and I just hope they will return to their first love.
 
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