Recognizing that a believer in Jesus Christ may be wrong about certain points of doctrine and other facts about reality and still be a believer,

And recognizing that God has chosen to do his work through fallible and weak human beings, such that He is often found to be using people who are imperfect and subject to human foibles, (for example, Jonah and Peter),

And further recognizing that it is possible to agree on certain points and cooperate in certain tasks with those who may disagree with us on other points, even though the points of disagreement may be quite substantial,

And in view of the Scriptural admonitions to love one another, speak the truth in love and come humbly to a brother overtaken in a fault,

We consider it important that a peace be made between the old and young age Creationists, which does not minimize the differences and does not stifle dialogue but acknowledges points of agreement and establishes Scripturally sound principles for interaction.

In view of all this, we prayerfully ask YOUNG AGE CREATIONISTS to commend and pray for the courageous old age creationists who are standing up in the secular marketplace, pointing their colleagues and other seekers to the hope beyond the material world and clearly owning their own allegiance to the Creator. The Lord uses many methods and avenues to draw precious souls to Himself and Jesus said that those who were not against Him were for Him when the disciples questioned the qualifications of others claiming to work in His name.

An old universe, even if it is considered by young agers to be a "worst case scenario," still points to a creator and this fact can be used by the Holy Spirit to lead some people to surrender their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ. Starting a conversation with an unbeliever who accepts the "Big Bang" and showing that it logically leads to a beginning and also to the need for an external cause may break down some barriers and be sufficient to provoke some individuals to move in the direction of intellectual honesty and openness to spiritual realities.

In view of all this, we prayerfully ask OLD AGE CREATIONISTS to commend and pray for the courageous young age creationists who stand not only against philosophic materialism but also against scientific orthodoxy. Understanding the history of science to be filled with the rise and fall of theories and occasional reversals of what was once accepted as unquestionably true, it is prudent to not dismiss heterodox interpretations as automatically false, even if they provoke scorn from the establishment. One example being the switch from nearly universal dismissal of "continental drift" to the nearly universal acceptance of "plate tectonics."

A young Universe needs to be acknowledged as, at the very least, compatible with the language of Scripture if not the only possible explanation. It needs to be acknowledged as well that the Scriptural and doctrinal concerns of the young agers are genuine and need to be addressed within those disciplines.

Calling for a humility that comes only from a walk of obedience and trust in our Creator and Redeemer, we prayerfully ask both sides to vow before the Lord a willingness to lay aside personal pride and past hurts in order to further the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. We call for a willingness to truly listen and genuinely love, and beyond that, the courage to change opinions and positions if the facts warrant.

Submitted by,

Ross S.Olson MD

5/22/97

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