What is progressive creationism and is it biblical?

Answer

Progressive creationism (also known as “process creation”) is the belief that God created the heavens and the earth over billions of years, rather than the six 24-hour days that form the basis of traditional creationism. Progressive creationists may hold liberal or conservative theological beliefs, but they generally concur on the following:

• The “Big Bang” was God’s method of forming stars and galaxies through natural processes spanning billions of years.

• The earth and universe are billions of years old, not just thousands of years old.

• The creation days were overlapping periods lasting millions and billions of years.

• Death and bloodshed have been present since the beginning of creation and were not caused by Adam’s sin. Humanity was created after most of the earth’s history of life and death had already occurred.

• Noah’s flood was regional, not global, and had minimal impact on the earth’s geology, which reveals billions of years of history.

Progressive creationism opposes both atheistic evolutionism and young earth creationism. While not a new concept, progressive creationism has gained positive attention in recent years through Christian media outlets such as radio, television, magazines, and books.

One of our criticisms of progressive creationism is its assertion that the Genesis 1–2 creation account should not be interpreted literally. According to progressive creationism, the “days” in Genesis 1 are not literal 24-hour days but represent extended periods of time, totaling millions or even billions of years (refer to our article on the days of creation). Progressive creationists embrace the evolutionary perspective on the earth’s age, a view we consider erroneous (refer to our article on the age of the earth).

Another point of contention with progressive creationism is its assertion that urlThat death existed before the Fall undermines the teaching that all physical death is a result of sin (see Romans 5:12 and 1 Corinthians 15:21-22).

In some cases, progressive creationism is an effort by certain Christians to reconcile the teachings of modern science with the Bible. However, the theory predates modern evolutionary thought and was proposed by some of the earliest Christian writers. While we do not agree with progressive creationism, it is a perspective embraced by a significant portion of the Christian community.

Having said that, the traditional interpretation of Genesis has primarily been that of young earth creationism, not progressive creationism. This is because the most compelling evidence put forth for progressive creationism mainly originates from the field of science, rather than directly from the Scriptures.