Are you aware of any more recent research on the views of the Westminster Divines on 24 hour creation (more recent than Dr. Barker’s article in the 2000 issue of the WTJ)? My pastor insists the Divines held to 24 hour creation–and that to think otherwise is to distort the historical record; also, that the Reformed of the 19th century such as Warfield caved into pressures of the European scientific community to hold other than to 24 hour creation.
Curtis,
I’ve heard this claim many times but I find that those who make it haven’t read Warfield. They’re just repeating hearsay. As to the divines, I deal with this in the book but I’ve not researched it since I finished the book. As I said in the book, what most of the divines thought is less important that what the intended that that the churches should hold (they aren’t necessarily the same things; I’ve voted on measures/policies with which I did not agree entirely but with which I could live or that I thought were in the best interests of the church) and how the standards or the language of the standards has been received by the adopting churches. The divines likely thought a number of things that we don’t think today.
OK–thank you for that distinction. Then, from Dr. Barker’s analysis, “in the space of six days” was adopted to counter Augustine’s instantaneous creation view, and not to mandate a specific time for a day of creation. This is a little frustrating as a layman sitting in the pew when your pastor is insisting any view other than 24 hour creation requires an exception to the Standards.
Curtis,
Your pastor is entitled to his opinion, of course, but the American Presbyterians have not received the confession as requiring such. See chapters 2 and 5 of Recovering the Reformed Confession
At the Confessional Outhouse.
Dr. Clark,
Are you aware of any more recent research on the views of the Westminster Divines on 24 hour creation (more recent than Dr. Barker’s article in the 2000 issue of the WTJ)? My pastor insists the Divines held to 24 hour creation–and that to think otherwise is to distort the historical record; also, that the Reformed of the 19th century such as Warfield caved into pressures of the European scientific community to hold other than to 24 hour creation.
Curtis,
I’ve heard this claim many times but I find that those who make it haven’t read Warfield. They’re just repeating hearsay. As to the divines, I deal with this in the book but I’ve not researched it since I finished the book. As I said in the book, what most of the divines thought is less important that what the intended that that the churches should hold (they aren’t necessarily the same things; I’ve voted on measures/policies with which I did not agree entirely but with which I could live or that I thought were in the best interests of the church) and how the standards or the language of the standards has been received by the adopting churches. The divines likely thought a number of things that we don’t think today.
OK–thank you for that distinction. Then, from Dr. Barker’s analysis, “in the space of six days” was adopted to counter Augustine’s instantaneous creation view, and not to mandate a specific time for a day of creation. This is a little frustrating as a layman sitting in the pew when your pastor is insisting any view other than 24 hour creation requires an exception to the Standards.
Curtis,
Your pastor is entitled to his opinion, of course, but the American Presbyterians have not received the confession as requiring such. See chapters 2 and 5 of Recovering the Reformed Confession