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The Bible, Rocks and Time: Geological Evidence for the Age of the Earth
Is the Earth relatively young or very old? We've all heard the controversy. The consensus regarding the age of the Earth, based on the best geological evidence, is that it is billions of years old. But many Christians believe that the Bible teaches the Earth is only a few thousand years old at best. What are we to make of this discrepancy? Geologists Davis Young and Ralph Stearley tackle this issue head-on. Thoroughly examining historical, biblical, geological and philosophical perspectives, the amply illustrated Bible, Rocks and Time takes a comprehensive and authoritative look at the key issues related to the Earth's antiquity.
510 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 2, 2009
I have known both of the authors - Dave is a retired professor and Ralph is a current professor in the geology department of Calvin College. Both men are devout Christians and excellent geoscientists. This book is essentially an update of Dave's book, Christianity and the Age of the Earth. But it is also a combination of several of Dave's out of print works and collaborations, particularly Science Held Hostage and Portraits of Creation (an EXCELLENT work). I hope this becomes the "go to" work for this subject.
The book essentially presents and "old earth" view - the age of the earth, as viewed by mainstream science, is essentially correct (about 4.6 billion years old).
Dave and Ralph deal with issues related to the young-earth view (the earth is about 6,000 years old) showing how it is NOT supported by either Scripture or science.
Highly recommended.
The book essentially presents and "old earth" view - the age of the earth, as viewed by mainstream science, is essentially correct (about 4.6 billion years old).
Dave and Ralph deal with issues related to the young-earth view (the earth is about 6,000 years old) showing how it is NOT supported by either Scripture or science.
Highly recommended.
June 25, 2019
Excellent. Very thorough. Well written and explained, even for lay people.
December 30, 2012
The authors, both professional academics in geology, are also Christians, and have obviously spent countless hours considering both their academic/professional and spiritual lives. They've come to the conclusion that there need be no inherent conflict with Christian belief and acceptance of the notion that the Earth is rather older than several thousand years. The writing is occasionally a little rough around the edges, and tends toward an academic tone (though this is admirably controlled), but its greatest flaw is the occasional slip down a slope toward preaching rather than teaching. This is nowhere near fatal however, and the result is that the reader knows what positions they hold.
While their work may not convince YECs of the soundness of an old-earth theory, it should, if taken at all seriously, indicate even to them the reasonableness of the old-earth argument. Serious Christians, of whatever stripe, are by works like this deprived of any rational position in which only a young Earth is held as being the "correct" reading of Scripture.
I recommend this book with no significant reservations for those, especially Christians, who wish to learn about geological evidence for an ancient Earth considered in a Christian context.
January 10, 2017
This book offers what is likely one of the best - if not the best - comprehensive demonstrations of how and why early geologists, many of them Christian, came to the conclusion that geology provides overwhelming evidence for an earth that is several billion years old.
Although this book is advanced in its geological insight, the authors do have the layman in mind and they do a great job addressing the mistaken approach to geology by Young Earth Creationists (YEC) who have inflicted so much damage in setting up the popular, but false dichotomy between the teachings of the Bible and modern science.
While the misguided position of YEC is not so much a scientific problem as it is a hermeneutical one, the mystifying popularity of scientific claims made by its supporters does compel a careful response from modern science and especially from prominent scientists who are also Christians. Fortunately the authors are able to successfully articulate both the evidence for modern geological claims, as well as the anachronistic error committed by YEC in failing to interpret the creation narratives of Genesis from the perspective of its original audience and within the culture from whence it originated.
Although this book is advanced in its geological insight, the authors do have the layman in mind and they do a great job addressing the mistaken approach to geology by Young Earth Creationists (YEC) who have inflicted so much damage in setting up the popular, but false dichotomy between the teachings of the Bible and modern science.
While the misguided position of YEC is not so much a scientific problem as it is a hermeneutical one, the mystifying popularity of scientific claims made by its supporters does compel a careful response from modern science and especially from prominent scientists who are also Christians. Fortunately the authors are able to successfully articulate both the evidence for modern geological claims, as well as the anachronistic error committed by YEC in failing to interpret the creation narratives of Genesis from the perspective of its original audience and within the culture from whence it originated.
December 6, 2017
This book is an excellent treatment of subjects concerning the age of the earth. Having never studied geology, I never realized how involved and fascinating the history of a pile of rocks could be!
October 3, 2017
This is an excellent work of scholarship written at a level that most should be able to understand. The book consists of 17 chapters divided into four parts and right at 500 pages. The authors are Davis A. Young (son of famed Reformed theologian Edward J. Young) and Ralph F. Stearley, both teach geology at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The book is a greatly updated and expanded edition of Christianity and the Age of the Earth which was originally authored by Young in 1988.
Part 1 takes a look at the historical perspective of how people approached the question of the age of the Earth through the centuries right up to today. Much of the same ground is covered more extensively in Young's, The Biblical Flood: A Case Study of the Church's Response to Extrabiblical Evidence.
Part 2 covers biblical material and since this book is essentially a response to young earth creationism I think the two chapters of this section are critical in getting to an understanding of Genesis 1 in light of its ancient Near Eastern context.
The third part is the largest section and is the heart of the work and covers the geological material. The authors cover the nature of the stratigraphic record, fossil graveyards, sedimentation, igneous rocks, etc. They then illustrate the material covered with two case studies, on the Michigan Basin and the Sierra Nevada. They conclude the section covering radiometric dating.
The last part covers some philosophical questions including discussions of uniformitarianism, catastrophism, and creationism. The section on uniformitarianism was very good and is one that I don't see discussed enough especially since the various anti-evolutionary creationists have a propensity to distort it.
I had occasional qualms with some of the things said but keeping in mind the authors and their audience (mostly evangelical Christians) I was mostly able to overlook them. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in questions related to the age of the Earth and issues related to the Bible and how one might integrate science and faith.
The book is a greatly updated and expanded edition of Christianity and the Age of the Earth which was originally authored by Young in 1988.
Part 1 takes a look at the historical perspective of how people approached the question of the age of the Earth through the centuries right up to today. Much of the same ground is covered more extensively in Young's, The Biblical Flood: A Case Study of the Church's Response to Extrabiblical Evidence.
Part 2 covers biblical material and since this book is essentially a response to young earth creationism I think the two chapters of this section are critical in getting to an understanding of Genesis 1 in light of its ancient Near Eastern context.
The third part is the largest section and is the heart of the work and covers the geological material. The authors cover the nature of the stratigraphic record, fossil graveyards, sedimentation, igneous rocks, etc. They then illustrate the material covered with two case studies, on the Michigan Basin and the Sierra Nevada. They conclude the section covering radiometric dating.
The last part covers some philosophical questions including discussions of uniformitarianism, catastrophism, and creationism. The section on uniformitarianism was very good and is one that I don't see discussed enough especially since the various anti-evolutionary creationists have a propensity to distort it.
I had occasional qualms with some of the things said but keeping in mind the authors and their audience (mostly evangelical Christians) I was mostly able to overlook them. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in questions related to the age of the Earth and issues related to the Bible and how one might integrate science and faith.
May 2, 2020
A really convincing case for an old earth based pretty much entirely on geology. I was really impressed. For the most part, they do an excellent job simplifying what I'm sure is pretty complex science - about the only place they really lost me was near the end in the detailed discussions of radiometric dating. I really appreciated that they mostly focused on the science itself and made it as simple as possible; it let me focus on that portion of the argument without getting distracted.
I read this on Brad's recommendation, and I agree with him - I don't see how you can come away from this book still convinced in YEC unless you're just categorically ignoring scientific arguments.
The only reason I docked it a star is because the biblical section was only eh, but that's probably unfair; that's not really the point of the book.
I read this on Brad's recommendation, and I agree with him - I don't see how you can come away from this book still convinced in YEC unless you're just categorically ignoring scientific arguments.
The only reason I docked it a star is because the biblical section was only eh, but that's probably unfair; that's not really the point of the book.
December 1, 2024
A solid case that scientist Christians need not espouse young Earth geology, as that interpretation is itself fairly young, having been in its current form only a few decades. This book approaches its titular subjects from the angle of theology and scientific evidence, as well as philosophical. key take aways were that the Genesis account would not have been a scientific text to the original audience, as young earthers would have it. In fact, this book shows that not only is it possible to not only NOT discard Genisis entirely, in favor of an empircally-based earth history, but also find a suitable function for the text. This leaves the book not simply a vesitigial component of the Bible, but an integral component of the larger story of redemption
June 15, 2017
This book does a better job than any other I am aware of at debunking young earth geology. The authors interact carefully and thoroughly with YEC arguments and refute them in an irenic manner. From my experience the only folks who can read this book and *not* end up accepting an old earth are fideists (I don't mean that as an insult, I only mean that *a priori* a fideist could not be persuaded by information like this).
The main value here is in the geology, but the section on biblical interpretation and Ancient Near Eastern context was surprisingly good too.
The main value here is in the geology, but the section on biblical interpretation and Ancient Near Eastern context was surprisingly good too.
November 4, 2020
Well written, easy to understand, great editing. This book has it all. If you love the topic of Evolution vs creation get this book.
November 4, 2020
The age of the Earth? How can the Earth age, it ain't even alive!
June 12, 2016
I thought the book would finally provide a case for uniformitarian geology, but in the end, it was just an exposition of it. There were several times while reading this when I thought, "Finally a defense of their method!" In the end, I was disappointed.
At one point after a lengthy exposition of the perspective of flood geologists, the authors wrote, "By comparing modern processes of sedimentation with the evidences in the sedimentary rock record, geologists have concluded that Earth must be far older than was assumed three hundred years ago" (218). The problem, of course, is that this is exactly what is up for grabs. Why should we do geology that way and not some other?
Again, uniformitarianism is assumed throughout and never defended. Even in the chapter which was written about the philosophy of Uniformitarianism, the view is simply stated. The problem is that their view of geology is exactly the point of disagreement.
The book is also characterized by an underestimation of the role of worldview in scientific investigation--specifically James Hutton's.
Their interaction with opposing views amounts to mere dismissal. At one point, after explaining their interpretation of a particular mineral deposit, they explain the flood geologists' point of view. Without any meaningful interaction, the authors write, "Do Flood geologists really expect anyone to believe that?" (378)
The authors' disdain for flood geologists is clear. Here are just a few things Young and Stearley say about those who disagree with them:
They hide behind a "façade of scientific sophistication" (23).
Efforts of flood geologists are "detrimental to the health of the church and the cause of Christ." (474)
They "indoctrinate" children (476).
They advocate "pseudo-science" (477; 480; 492), "scientific nonsense" (477), or "bogus science" (478) which is "useless apologetically" (478) and "a hindrance to evangelism" (478). Ultimately, they say, flood geology "has nothing to do with the real world" (494).
Also, because I am convinced by the arguments of flood geologists, I "dwell in appalling gross darkness" (22). That's my favorite one.
These guys write with all the vitriol of a nineteen-year-old discernment blogger.
I suspect that this book will be bought many more times than it will be read. It does look impressive. Having a five hundred page book by two PhD geologists on your shelf can make someone feel secure in his belief. The problem is that this book has words.
I have many other notes, but I will end this review here. For a study of how presuppositions drive inquiry and the fallacy of pretended neutrality, check out Jason Lisle's "The Ultimate Proof of Creation" or Greg Bahnsen's "Always Ready." For a book that addresses the biblical arguments of Young and Stearley, read "As It is Written" by Kenneth Gentry.
At one point after a lengthy exposition of the perspective of flood geologists, the authors wrote, "By comparing modern processes of sedimentation with the evidences in the sedimentary rock record, geologists have concluded that Earth must be far older than was assumed three hundred years ago" (218). The problem, of course, is that this is exactly what is up for grabs. Why should we do geology that way and not some other?
Again, uniformitarianism is assumed throughout and never defended. Even in the chapter which was written about the philosophy of Uniformitarianism, the view is simply stated. The problem is that their view of geology is exactly the point of disagreement.
The book is also characterized by an underestimation of the role of worldview in scientific investigation--specifically James Hutton's.
Their interaction with opposing views amounts to mere dismissal. At one point, after explaining their interpretation of a particular mineral deposit, they explain the flood geologists' point of view. Without any meaningful interaction, the authors write, "Do Flood geologists really expect anyone to believe that?" (378)
The authors' disdain for flood geologists is clear. Here are just a few things Young and Stearley say about those who disagree with them:
They hide behind a "façade of scientific sophistication" (23).
Efforts of flood geologists are "detrimental to the health of the church and the cause of Christ." (474)
They "indoctrinate" children (476).
They advocate "pseudo-science" (477; 480; 492), "scientific nonsense" (477), or "bogus science" (478) which is "useless apologetically" (478) and "a hindrance to evangelism" (478). Ultimately, they say, flood geology "has nothing to do with the real world" (494).
Also, because I am convinced by the arguments of flood geologists, I "dwell in appalling gross darkness" (22). That's my favorite one.
These guys write with all the vitriol of a nineteen-year-old discernment blogger.
I suspect that this book will be bought many more times than it will be read. It does look impressive. Having a five hundred page book by two PhD geologists on your shelf can make someone feel secure in his belief. The problem is that this book has words.
I have many other notes, but I will end this review here. For a study of how presuppositions drive inquiry and the fallacy of pretended neutrality, check out Jason Lisle's "The Ultimate Proof of Creation" or Greg Bahnsen's "Always Ready." For a book that addresses the biblical arguments of Young and Stearley, read "As It is Written" by Kenneth Gentry.
February 8, 2012
Davis A. Young and Ralph F. Stearly's “The Bible, Rocks and Time,” an extensive revision of Young's 1982 book “Christianity and the Age of the Earth,” thoroughly and systematically dismantles Young-Earth creationism and “Flood geology.” Beginning with an overview of the history of geology, Young and Stearly, two Calvin College geology professors, cover a broad range of topics related to the antiquity of the Earth. The second part of the book deals with Biblical interpretation and ancient Near Eastern history. Part three lays out the basics of the geological evidence and refutes common Young-Earth misrepresentations thereof. Finally, the authors conclude with a section tying it all together and touching on subjects such as evangelism and apologetics.
Easily the most thorough treatment of this subject that I've yet read, “The Bible, Rocks and Time” may seem intimidating to some at first, as it is essentially a 500 page book about rocks, but it's laid out in a way that makes it a pretty simple and straightforward read. Some chapters require a certain level of Biblical or scientific literacy, but readers unable to grasp some of the more technical parts should still be able to follow the main points being made.
In short, this book is a valuable addition to any church library or Christian school, and is essential reading for anyone responsible for teaching this subject from either a theological or scientific perspective, be they pastors, teachers, homeschooling parents, etc. as well as anyone with any doubt that the Earth really is as old as the scientific evidence suggests.
Easily the most thorough treatment of this subject that I've yet read, “The Bible, Rocks and Time” may seem intimidating to some at first, as it is essentially a 500 page book about rocks, but it's laid out in a way that makes it a pretty simple and straightforward read. Some chapters require a certain level of Biblical or scientific literacy, but readers unable to grasp some of the more technical parts should still be able to follow the main points being made.
In short, this book is a valuable addition to any church library or Christian school, and is essential reading for anyone responsible for teaching this subject from either a theological or scientific perspective, be they pastors, teachers, homeschooling parents, etc. as well as anyone with any doubt that the Earth really is as old as the scientific evidence suggests.
June 6, 2014
This tome is a tour de force argument against the geologic science behind young-Earth or flood-based-catastrophism understandings. But the reader should beware, I don't use the word "tome" lightly here. Many geologic concepts are covered in detail, and especially to an untrained "lay" person, those chapters can be a slog to get through (though I do think Young and Stearley did probably the best job they could have in making that information accessible to people like me). In addition to those chapters on geology (which cover things like the fossil record, stratigraphy, igneous rock intrusions, and how radiometric dating works), this book churns through chapters on the history of various beliefs regarding the age of the earth, biblical understandings, and even philosophical perspectives. It's an ambitious effort by two Christian geologists, and I'm so thankful they took the time to pull these threads together. Because of its length and detail, though, it would be fruitless to hand it to someone who is committed to young-earth theory, or to someone without a vested interest in finding these answers. Rather, it's a perfect book for someone like me: a person who is deeply uncomfortable with the dogmatic assertions of many young-earth fundamentalists (read: Ken Ham, Ray Comfort & others) but who doesn't have an understanding of how the science has developed and why it IS actually sound and reliable. If that description fits you, and you have a high threshold for reading about detailed scientific procedure, then this book is an easy recommendation.
May 28, 2015
First, I should note that I am very glad that this book exists. Second, I should note that parts of this book I did not enjoy reading. This fact likely stems from my complete non-exposure to geology prior to this book, which resulted in much of the scientific argument, at least in the finer details, being quite lost on me. Still, such details are necessary, as this book aims to be a full-scale rebuttal of creationism and flood geology. This it succeeds in doing, with attention being paid to the scriptural, philosophical, and scientific arguments. Suffice it to say that the authors believe that creationists have failed in all three areas. I found the authors' arguments in the scriptural and philosophical areas to be compelling, despite their main area of expertise being in the science, and I am glad to have at least come away with an understanding of the bigger-picture areas of debate in the science. I'm not sure if I would recommend this book to someone wresting with this issue, if only because of the sheer amount of effort required to finish the book (though if you can do it, it makes many compelling arguments). Nevertheless, it's helpful to know that it is there for future reference if needed.
November 3, 2012
The authors make a very strong case for an old earth and against a global Flood. Chapters 10-13 get a bit bogged down with more geology than I needed to know, and the discussion of radiometric dating (14 & 15) has been done better elsewhere. The final chapter (17) contains as good a plea as I have seen anywhere for Christians to stop promulgating YEC because it is detrimental to the spiritual health of Christian youth and also has negative consequences for evangelism and apologetics. I recommend this book for Young Earth Creationists.
July 15, 2013
Davis and Young have completed an outstanding review of scripture, history and geology to present the case for earth’s age in billions of years. I was fascinated by descriptions of prominent Christians instrumental in developing early geologic principals. Also, the case study of Michigan Basin Stratigraphy was excellent and based upon actual mining data, oil and gas well drilling data and physical inspection of rocks in formation outcrops. This book provides insight to readers curious about approximating the age of the earth based upon earth science evidence.
March 27, 2013
Actual rating 4.5
Its settled! The Earth (& universe) is old indeed!
This book is great. Its comprehensive covering everything from some history of geology, biblical interpretation, evidence for old earth, radiometric dating, and philosophical perspectives.
Some of the geology stuff was over my head in spots, but other than that the book is great for anyone exploring the creationism/Old Earth/evolution stuff
Its settled! The Earth (& universe) is old indeed!
This book is great. Its comprehensive covering everything from some history of geology, biblical interpretation, evidence for old earth, radiometric dating, and philosophical perspectives.
Some of the geology stuff was over my head in spots, but other than that the book is great for anyone exploring the creationism/Old Earth/evolution stuff
July 19, 2013
Young and Stearley have written a book that should become a classic on the topic of origins. Although only about half of The Bible, Rocks and Time concerns descriptions of geology, the quality and quantity of the geological content is overwhelming in providing confirmation of an Old Earth perspective.
This geological treatise is placed in the context of history, scripture, and philosophy, making the book very readable with interesting accounts of various historical figures.
This geological treatise is placed in the context of history, scripture, and philosophy, making the book very readable with interesting accounts of various historical figures.
January 15, 2014
Slogging through the middle of this book was worse than reading the book of Numbers 20 times. The book is a serious response to the young earth theory embraced by the nonsense calling itself the scientific creationism divided into four segments: historical, biblical, geological, and philosophical perspectives. Anyone who is not a geologist would want to skip over that third segment.
April 12, 2014
Great and thorough book! Three stars is for the fact that I could not handle Half the book because of all the detail they gave. Better as a sort of reference book for a Old Earth. Through out the book they engage the young earth perspective and critique and challenge it. Recommended reading for both camps on this subject!
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