ABSURD: Supposed theologian assures that the flood of Genesis 6 “did not destroy the entire earth”

Theologian Sparks Controversy with Regional Flood Theory

Gavin Ortlund, leader of Truth Unites, set off a firestorm on social media by suggesting that the story of Noah’s Ark in the Bible may refer to a regional rather than a global flood, has now provided further details on his theory.

Ortlund elaborated to CBN News on his original argument, which gained widespread attention through a viral social media video. In the video, he posited that the Genesis 6 account depicts a regional event that encompassed a vast area of the Earth, but not its entirety.

“I simply wanted to help people understand some of the arguments supporting this viewpoint, to help people grasp that there are actually differences within orthodox Christianity,” Ortlund said.

“Historically, many people are not aware of this,” he added.

The scholar noted that the story of Noah’s ark presents challenges to both skeptics and scientifically-minded Christians. Ortlund expressed his desire to help people comprehend nuanced perspectives on debated and difficult subjects.

Regarding his beliefs, Ortlund stated that he tends to think of the flood as “local or regional,” though not necessarily small in scope, even if limited to a specific geographic region.

According to him, the debate revolves around the interpretation of the Noah story in Genesis, with a key factor being the population restriction at that time.

“There’s actually a pretty good case that, in its original meaning, the author and the original hearers wouldn’t have been thinking about… the entire globe of the planet Earth, so this is just a matter of interpreting Scripture. Humanity, at this time, seems to have just been regional. This is before the dispersion of human beings that happens after the Tower of Babel and Genesis 10 and 11, so all human beings are in this portion of the Earth at this point before they’ve been dispersed throughout the world,” he explained.

His initial video analysis prompted numerous responses on YouTube and garnered negative criticism on X (previously known as Twitter).

Despite the reactions, Ortlund pointed out that there have been traditional Christians in the past who have defended the same argument, though he acknowledges they are a minority and that many people are unaware of these historical perspectives. He also rebuffed the idea of being considered a liberal theologian or embracing beliefs not grounded in Scripture.

Furthermore, Ortlund mentioned that the biblical writers probably were not aware of the existence of the American continents or other details about the extent of the planet Earth during the Genesis narrative.

“I’m an evangelical Christian. I believe in biblical inerrancy. I believe the Scriptures are totally reliable. I think if people were to go forward with… the average issues of our times, they’d find me to be quite conservative, quite classically Christian in my instincts,” he said.

According to Ortlund, it is important to adjust our interpretation of Scriptures as scientific knowledge about the planet Earth advances. He asserted that adopting a regional narrative about Noah’s story does not change significant theological aspects.

On the other hand, Answers in Genesis rejects the idea of a regional flood, arguing that the authority of the Word of God is at stake.