Apprising Ministries continues monitoring the social media along the Internet Front of this Truth War. We’re witnessing a continued New Downgrade, but this time there’s no controversy.

Following the liberals in the Downgrade Controversy, many evangelical Christians now no longer regard the Genesis account of creation as literal. The main reason is the same attempt to find common ground between so-called “science” and the Bible.

Whenever this happens, it’s always the wisdom of God’s Word which must bow before the “wisdom” of fallen mankind. We’re even seeing this happening with leaders within so-called New Calvinism.

Here’s a couple of quick examples. In Dr. John Piper Ok With Old Earth View, via a post by Ken Schenck, who is “Dean of Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University,” I gave you the link to What Should We Teach About Creation?

That particular post contains a partial transcript of the video below where Dr. Piper is answering the above question. You’ll hear Dr. Piper say that however old science says the earth would be is fine by him:

we should teach that man had his beginning not millions of years ago but within the scope of the biblical genealogies. Those genealogies are tight at about 6,000 years and loose at maybe 10 or 15,000. So I think we should honor those genealogies and not say that you can play fast and loose with the origin of man.

That’s not the age of the earth issue there. That’s the origin of what is a human being, when did that human being come into existence. I think we should say he came into existence by God’s direct action and that it wasn’t millions of years ago. That was within the scope of these genealogies.

Now, when it comes to the more controversial issues of how to construe Genesis 1-2 about how God did it and how long it took him to do it, there I’m totally sympathetic with a pastor who is going to lay his view down, having studied it, and is going to say to his people, “Here is my understanding of those chapters. These six days can’t be anything other than six literal days, and so that’s how long God took to do it. And this universe is about 10 or 15,000 years old. Though it looks old, that’s the way God made it. He made it to look old,” or something like that.

Or he might take another view that these days are ages.

Or he might take Sailhamer’s view, which is where I feel at home. His view is that what’s going on here is that all of creation happened to prepare the land for man.

In verse 1, “In the beginning he made the heavens and the earth,” he makes everything. And then you go day by day and he’s preparing the land. He’s not bringing new things into existence; he’s preparing the land and causing things to grow and separating out water and earth. And then, when it’s all set and prepared, he creates and puts man there.

So that has the advantage of saying that the earth is billions of years old if it wants to be—whatever science says it is, it is—but man is young, and he was good and he sinned. He was a real historical person, because Romans 5 says so, and so does the rest of the Bible.

That’s where I am, and I think every pastor should go ahead and say what he believes.
(Online source)

Another New Calvinist mentor, who clearly states his disbelief in a six 24-hour day creation and a young earth is Dr. Tim Keller; who’s also a proponent of Counter Reformation contemplative spirituality.mysticism.[1]

Dr. Keller’s good friend Dr. Ed Stetzer reminds us that Dr. Keller was feaured a few years ago in the Newsweek piece The Smart Shepherd by Lisa Miller. Dr. Stetzer then informs us:

Tim and I dialogued a bit last night and this morning about his Newsweek profile… Some have been discussing a few problems with the story, and a couple have mentioned the reference to evolution in the article.

Tim wrote (with permission for me to share).

We should be charitable to the writer on the issues mentioned. They are pretty minor… I wouldn’t in the least style myself a new C.S. Lewis (who would want a new one when the old one is still so great) but she got that from publicity copy written by well-meaning people at Penguin.I wouldn’t want to characterize myself as another Rick Warren but she likes Rick and wouldn’t see that as a negative statement.

I believe in the historicity of Gen 1-11 and Adam and Eve and I don’t believe in young earth-creation or six 24-hour day creation, but, as far as she’s concerned, that means I believe somewhat in evolution. She’s not used to the fine distinctions on these things we make inside the church. (Online source, emphasis mine)

We leave now noting this would be a similar, if not the same, position to that which Dr. John Piper expresses:

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End notes:

[1] e.g. TIM KELLER EMERGING AS CONTEMPLATIVE PROPONENT

See also:

TIM KELLER RECOMMENDING ROMAN CATHOLIC MYSTICISM

TIM KELLER AND CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY

JOHN PIPER, RICK WARREN & FOSTER-WILLARDISM