When It Comes to Genesis, Can We Be Dogmatic?

Well, recently on my social media posts, some people have dogmatically expressed that I shouldn’t be so dogmatic about the stand we take on Genesis. They dogmatically claim that I should allow for the views of others who very dogmatically disagree with me. In other words—they want me to hold to their dogmatic position of allowing other views, and therefore I should not hold dogmatically to my view (based on the Bible) that disagrees with them. (Did I use the word dogmatic enough?)

Those who make these kinds of comments on my social media feed seem unable to understand that whatever position you hold, you dogmatically hold to that position. To say you allow other views is a dogmatic position that, in essence, claims that someone like me can’t say I have the correct view as that means the other views are wrong.

Most evangelical Christians believe we must dogmatically hold to the resurrection, the virgin birth, and so on because that’s what the Bible clearly states. But when it comes to Genesis, suddenly it’s different!

But it’s usually when it comes to Genesis that I see this issue raise its head in the church. Most evangelical Christians believe we must dogmatically hold to the resurrection, the virgin birth, and so on because that’s what the Bible clearly states. But when it comes to Genesis, suddenly it’s different! I’m apparently not allowed to hold a dogmatic position based on what Genesis clearly says but must instead adopt a dogmatic position that many different views are valid. It really comes down to the fact that those who don’t dogmatically hold to a literal Genesis, as we do, dogmatically assert that we have to listen to man’s ideas about evolution and millions of years and thus must dogmatically hold to the position of allowing other positions.

Whew! All this to say: there is no neutrality. It’s not a matter of whether one is dogmatic or not, but which dogmatism is the best dogmatism to be dogmatized with!

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

“How Do You Know That?”

This discussion about dogmatism brings me to the question, “How do you know what you know?”

To answer that, here is a summary conversation (which is fictional but based on real conversations) of my observations from many discussions with mainline church leaders and many Christians in general.

Q (from me): Do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead?

A: Yes.

Q: How do you know that?

A: Because the Bible says . . .

Q: Do you believe Jesus walked on water?

A: Yes.

Q: How do you know that?

A: The Bible says . . .

Q: Do you believe Jesus fed thousands as a miracle?

A: Yes.

Q: How do you know that?

A: The Bible says . . .

Q: Do you believe Jonah was swallowed by a fish and lived in the fish for three days before being spat out?

A: Yes.

Q: How do you know that?

A: Because the Bible says . . .

Q: Do you believe the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years and their clothes and shoes didn’t wear out because of a miracle of God?

A: Yes.

Q: How do you know that?

A: Because the Bible says . . .

Q: Do you believe that God created in six literal days, that death and disease came after sin, that there was a global flood, and that the fossil layers weren’t laid down over millions of years but were a result of the flood?

A: No, that can’t be correct! [or] Well, I’m not sure! We can’t be dogmatic.

Q: Why not?

A: Because of what the scientists tell us about millions of years and evolution; therefore, Genesis can’t mean these things.

And therein lies a major problem in the church. I call it “intellectual schizophrenia.” Many Christians, sadly, have one hermeneutic for Genesis 1–11 where they take man’s ideas and reinterpret Genesis, but for the rest of the Bible they do their best to take God’s Word as written. This “intellectual schizophrenia” has been a major contributing factor as to why so much of the church is lukewarm and why so many of the younger generations have left the church and become secularized.

Many Christians, sadly, have one hermeneutic for Genesis 1–11 where they take man’s ideas and reinterpret Genesis, but for the rest of the Bible they do their best to take God’s Word as written.

And the devil knows the history in Genesis 1–11 is foundational to all doctrine, the rest of the Bible, the Christian worldview, and, in fact, everything! He knows if he can indoctrinate people to accommodate man’s beliefs and reject Genesis 1–11 as true history, it’s like destroying the foundation of a building—once the foundation is destroyed, the building collapses. In other words, if the foundation of the building is sand and not rock, the building falls down (Matthew 7:24–27).

A Salvation Issue?

Now does all this mean that what one believes about Genesis is a salvation issue? Over the years, after giving presentations on the foundational importance of Genesis 1–11, I’ve had people accuse me of saying exactly that—that you have to believe in six literal days of creation and a young earth or you can’t be saved! Nothing is further from the truth. Salvation is conditioned by faith in Christ, not what one believes about the age of the earth or the six days of creation (Ephesians 2:8).

Others get upset at me (even angry at times) because they claim I come across as saying that “I’m right” and I don’t allow for other views. Now, I’ve often thought about why people react this way—and why is this only the reaction when I speak on Genesis 1–11? When I insist on the resurrection (as the Apostle Paul does in 1 Corinthians 15:14: “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain”), evangelical Christians agree with me. If I insist on believing in a virgin birth and the miracles of Jesus recorded in the New Testament—including raising Lazarus from the dead—most Christians agree with me and applaud me for speaking authoritatively on such events. But it’s very different when it comes to speaking on Genesis 1–11.

When someone starts from Scripture and makes bold statements, contradicting the wisdom of the world that so many Christians have blindly accepted, some people get really upset.

As soon as I speak authoritatively on Genesis—insisting on six literal days of creation, standing against millions of years, believing in a global flood and no death before sin—suddenly many of the same Christians accuse me of being divisive and not being loving because I’m not allowing for other views. And because I speak authoritatively on such matters—as I do believe that is what Scripture plainly teaches—then I’m accused of supposedly tying beliefs about Genesis to salvation, which is simply and demonstrably not true.

So what’s really going on? Why the anger and false accusations directed at me for speaking authoritatively? Well, what it comes down to is that when it comes to Genesis, so many Christians have been impacted by the world’s ideas of evolution and millions of years that vast amounts of compromise exist in the church on these issues. It’s believing man rather than God! So when someone starts from Scripture and makes bold statements, contradicting the wisdom of the world that so many Christians have blindly accepted, some people get really upset.

And—I know this might ruffle some feathers—I think it’s often a peer pressure issue and/or a pride issue, because many Christians have believed such compromise or taught it much of their lives and it’s hard to admit one is wrong!

Unity Around What?

People claim we should create unity by allowing for diverse views on Genesis. But that’s unity centered on man’s word! I want unity around God’s Word, and that only comes when we use God’s Word to judge man’s word. Jesus said that what he taught would create division (Luke 12:51) as light shining in darkness will create division. I would go so far as to say if Christians aren’t creating division—the right sort of division caused by teaching truth in this dark world—then we should really look at what we are teaching! Remember, men loved darkness rather than light (John 3:19).

Yes, I will continue to speak authoritatively because I have the authority of God’s Word. I don't speak with the lack of authority of man’s fallible word—then I would be all over the place like many in the church are.

Let’s be bold and speak with authority by building our thinking on God’s Word, regardless of what people say. Remember, Jesus is the authority and the Word, and we have his written Word!

And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. (Matthew 7:28–29)

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.