LYING ABOUT THE CHURCH FATHERS
Hugh Ross, in an attempt to authenticate his herodox day/age theory of creation, cites ancient Christian sources in a very questionable manner. In his quoting of the early Chuch Fathers he is either deceitful or very, very sloppy. To try to prove that "days = ages" was in the mainstream of Christianity he offers, in a section entitled "Early Biblical Scholarship", the following on his website with a straight face:

"Many of the early church fathers and other Biblical scholars interpreted the creation days of Genesis 1 as long periods of time. The list of such proponents includes the Jewish historian Josephus (1st century); Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons, apologist, and martyr (2nd century); Origen, who rebutted heathen attacks on Christian doctrine (3rd century); Basil (4th century); Augustine (5th century); and, later, Aquinas (13th century), to name a few."

Ross is apparently hoping that no one will check him on his sources. And, sure enough, I was given another book in church (Fred Heeren's "Show Me God") that gullibly quotes this "proof" of day=age doctrine in antiquity by the "pillars of the faith". Does no one read original sources anymore?

Augustine wrote "Of the Falseness" of those who assigned long periods to creation days. Likewise, Josephus taught literal days, as did Basil in his justly famous "Hexameron". Origen and Aquinas (hardly pillars of the Church) I haven't had time to check out. Origen believed that eventually even Satan will be saved, so I'm not too impressed with him.

On a different tape Dr. Ross says, "Science and the Bible totally agree concerning the initial condition of planet earth, that the earth began with an atmosphere dominated by ammonia and methane." What Bible is he using?

SPECULATION
Speculation can be a source of error down the line. Speculation is fine for some fiction writers, not for those whose books are sought in the theology section. It is so important that all Christians ask themselves: "Am I believing (fill in the blank) because I want to believe it, or because I sense that God is leading me this way?

HERESY?
I believe the Trinity, Incarnation, Atonement and Ressurection because the Bible teaches them - emphasizes them in fact. I do not have to understand them. I do not. Paul likewise confessed as much (Rom 11:33 I think). It is a MAJOR part of Ross's error that he feels he has to offer explanation of God. Give it up, Dr. Ross. "His ways are higher than our ways." No one knows anything about God except what His Spirit reveals. And why would God's Spirit keep (or start) teaching someone who already taught things that deny God's Word? This is the vicious circle that false teachers find themselves in unless God graciously intervenes.

APOLOGETICS, THEN & NOW
We live in different times than then. Different maladies require different remedies. Truth is presented swordlike at the point of resistance. For instance, Jesus perceived that the rich young ruler was covetous and that was the Commandment He emphasized ("Go, sell all your riches..."). Coveting was his point of resistance. That was what kept him from following Christ. Likewise, the point of resistance today for many seekers is pride in their own knowledge. For such people Satan has concocted the evolutionary lie. It gives them liberty to stay on par with all the other animals. It leaves their sin untouched.

It does not do to compare our apologetics to that of the first centuries because evolution was not even an issue then. Syncretism, gnosticism and reactionary Judaism were the giants to be slain back then and the Biblical remedy was the teaching of those appropiate verses. Today we wrestle with demonic teachings that puff up the minds of those who already have an undue reverence for science and a hardened predisposition to scoff at the miraculous. The remedy for us is to rediscover the old, old truth that God's Word tells the truth when it speaks literally of our origin. If it embarrasses us at first, then that is a symptom of the disease and not a fault of the cure. When the Cure is applied faithfully ("the washing of the water of the Word") we grow in grace and wisdom and become mature.

We recognize through training the voice of the Shepherd and the sight of the wolf.