I understand that creation theory teaches that everything is circa 6,000 years old. How does it explain light from millions of years away? How do you reconcile science pointing toward an old earth and the Bible?
Answer:
The ‘creation theory that teaches that everything is circa 6,000’ that the question refers to is actually known as ‘Young Earth Creationism’ which is one of at least 6 different views that different Bible believing Christians have with regard to the creation account. All are endeavoring to be faithful to God’s highest authority the Bible, and also be truthful to the evidence of science. The two do not need to conflict.
Young Earth Creationism – In the ‘Young Earth Creationism’ view, taking a literal reading of the creation account in Genesis 1 and 2, God created the entire universe, including humanity in six literal days. Looking at Biblical genealogies, it also affirms that the entire universe is less than 10,000 years old.
With regard to the question of distant starlight, young earth creationist may bring your attention to General Relativity, where time is affected by gravity, and is not constant. For example, empirically, even in instances of minute gravitational differences, time travels differently. Atomic clocks at sea level run at a different time from atomic clocks on a mountain. Atomic clocks in space satellites have to be calibrated yearly to correspond with Atomic clocks on earth. Therefore measuring the age of a distant star based on the assumption that time is constant throughout the universe would not be accurate. At creation week, gravity near the earth could have been very different from gravity at the edge of the universe. This would mean that while 6 days of literal time would pass on earth, at the edge of the universe, million of years could have taken place in those 6 days. For more information on this view, you may like to refer to “Starlight and Time”, by Russell Humphreys, and “Starlight, Time and the New Physics” by John Hartnett.
The other five views on creation, do not conflict with distant light, because they do not insist on a young universe. These views are outlined briefly here:
Historical Creationism – The word “beginning” in Genesis 1:1 is re’shit in Hebrew, which marks a starting point for what comes afterwards, but does not connote a specific length of time. So, what God created at that first instance could have existed for a very long period of time before God began his further work of creation. This view leaves open the possibility of an old earth, six literal days of creation, and a young humanity on earth.
The Gap Theory – Genesis 1:1 explains a first creation that could have taken place perhaps billions of years ago. Then, a catastrophic event takes place that leaves the earth ‘without form and void’, as in Genesis 1:2. God then recreates the earth in six literal days and repopulates the earth.
Literary Framework View – Genesis 1 and 2 are read as a figurative framework explaining creation in a topical, non-sequential, order. Hence, the 6 days of creation are to interpreted metaphorically, not as literal 24 hour periods.
Day-Age View – God created the universe, including humanity in 6 sequential periods of time that are geologic ages, not literal 24-hour days.
Theistic Evolution – This view sees God as the creator of matter, and the overseer of the evolutionary process.
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