Does the gospel require a young earth?
1. Young-Earth Theology Advocates of young-earth creation (yeC) claim theological support based mainly on their interpretation of the first 11 chapters of Genesis. Interpreting Genesis 1 According to a young-earth interpretation of Genesis 1, the entire creation process occurred in six consecutive 24-hour days. But other interpretations, which also seem linguistically and theologically plausible, have been proposed. In a day-age view, each “day” is a very long period of time. { The Hebrew word “yom” that is translated “day” can mean daytime (sunrise to sunset), a solar day (sunset to sunset), or a long time interval of unspecified length. } A gap theory postulates an initial creation (in Genesis 1:1), a catastrophe (in 1:2), and a re-creation (from 1:3 onward). Or creation might have occurred during six non-consecutive 24-hour days, with long periods between each day. Or perhaps, in six consecutive 24-hour days of proclamation, God described what would occur, and then the actual proces
