--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The young earth-solution to reconciling…" description: "\"The young earth-solution to reconciling the order of creation with natural history makes good exegetical and theological sense. Indeed, the overwhelmin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/william-a-dembski-10968_consensus_the-young-earth-solution-to-reconciling_292712.jpg" --- # The young earth-solution to reconciling the order of… ![“The young earth-solution to reconciling the order of creation with natural history makes good exegetical and theological sense. Indeed, the overwhelming consensus of theologians up through the Reformation held to this view. I myself would adopt it in a heartbeat except that nature seems to present…” quote by William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/william-a-dembski-10968_consensus_the-young-earth-solution-to-reconciling_292712.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/william-a-dembski-10968_consensus_the-young-earth-solution-to-reconciling_292712.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61f/william-a-dembski-10968_consensus_the-young-earth-solution-to-reconciling_292712.jpg) > “The young earth-solution to reconciling the order of creation with natural history makes good exegetical and theological sense. Indeed, the overwhelming consensus of theologians up through the Reformation held to this view. I myself would adopt it in a heartbeat except that nature seems to present such strong evidence against it.” [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The claim that a literal young‑earth view aligns with scripture and early theology is historically supported, but modern scientific evidence strongly contradicts it. **In simple terms:** Young‑earth view fits old theology but clashes with science. Key Takeaway Weigh historical theology against current scientific data. Themes theology science history interpretation Mood conflicted reflective Type theological philosophical When to use this quote - church teaching - academic debate - personal belief formation Key Concepts young‑earth creationism biblical hermeneutics evidence evaluation Questions to Reflect On - How should believers reconcile conflicting theological and scientific claims? - What criteria determine a valid interpretation of sacred texts? A Different Perspective Scientific findings challenge the plausibility of a literal young‑earth timeline. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Consensus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consensus/) [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Heartbeat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartbeat/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Natural history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-history/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Reformation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reformation/) [Theologian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theologian/) ## Related quotes > [“The matter of a Sacrament remains within the sphere of its determined species as long as it retains, in the popular estimation, its peculiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pohle/the-matter-of-a-sacrament-remains-within-the-sphere-of-its-determined/) [Joseph Pohle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pohle/) > [“When the Earth was only about a third of its eventual size, it was probably already beginning to form an atmosphere, mostly of carbon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/when-the-earth-was-only-about-a-third-of-its-eventual-size-it-was/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“It seems to many that they have to make a choice: either believe the Bible and hold to a young earth, or abandon the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-walton/it-seems-to-many-that-they-have-to-make-a-choice-either-believe-the/) [John H. Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-walton/) > [They are very young. And on their earth, as they call it, they never communicate with other planets. They revolve about all alone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/they-are-very-young-and-on-their-earth-as-they-call-it-they-never/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [There's a lot of scientific data that I found out as a scientist that actually show that this is really a young Earth. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-broun/there-s-a-lot-of-scientific-data-that-i-found-out-as-a-scientist-that-2/) [Paul Broun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-broun/) > [If we could magically transport ourselves back to the young Earth, when it was only a billion years old or two billion years old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/if-we-could-magically-transport-ourselves-back-to-the-young-earth/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [The tragedy of young-earth creationism is that it takes a relatively recent and extreme view of Genesis, applies to it an unjustified scientific gloss,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-tragedy-of-young-earth-creationism-is-that-it-takes-a-relatively/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [“Her enchanted hair was the first gold, and still she sits, young while the earth is old.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-gabriel-rossetti/her-enchanted-hair-was-the-first-gold-and-still-she-sits-young-while/) [Dante Gabriel Rossetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-gabriel-rossetti/) > [For some, the belief in a Young Earth seems to be based on a kind of intuition or faith in what they believe an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-geisler/for-some-the-belief-in-a-young-earth-seems-to-be-based-on-a-kind-of/) [Norman Geisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-geisler/) > [There's a lot of scientific data that I found out as a scientist that actually show that this is really a young Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-broun/there-s-a-lot-of-scientific-data-that-i-found-out-as-a-scientist-that/) [Paul Broun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-broun/) > [To insist that belief in the Bible demands belief in a young Earth is to put a stumbling block in the path of many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-ross/to-insist-that-belief-in-the-bible-demands-belief-in-a-young-earth-is/) [Hugh Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-ross/) > [The use of natural history is to give us aid in supernatural history: the use of the outer creation, to give us language for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-use-of-natural-history-is-to-give-us-aid-in-supernatural-history/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“What the Boy chiefly dabbled in was natural history and fairy tales, and he just took them as they came, in a sandwichy sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/what-the-boy-chiefly-dabbled-in-was-natural-history-and-fairy-tales/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [The perfect woman is a higher type of humanity than the perfect man, and also something much rarer. The natural history of animals furnishes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-perfect-woman-is-a-higher-type-of-humanity-than-the-perfect-man/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Natural history is not taught in seminary. This is curious, as most people in pastoral ministry are about 567 times more likely to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/natural-history-is-not-taught-in-seminary-this-is-curious-as-most/) [Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/) ## More by William A. Dembski > [The problem with merely writing so that you can be understood is that the wrong people, in advancing their agendas, are only too ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/the-problem-with-merely-writing-so-that-you-can-be-understood-is-that/) [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) > [Intelligent Design opens the whole possibility of us being created in the image of a benevolent God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/intelligent-design-opens-the-whole-possibility-of-us-being-created-in/) [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) > [“Science must not degenerate into applied materialistic philosophy. But this is exactly what it does at the hands of today's alchemists, namely, the materialistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/science-must-not-degenerate-into-applied-materialistic-philosophy-but/) [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) > [As a biblical inerrantist, I believe that what the Bible teaches is true and bow to the text, including its teaching about the Flood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/as-a-biblical-inerrantist-i-believe-that-what-the-bible-teaches-is/) [William A. 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By contrast, most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/johnson-is-a-radical-skeptic-insisting-in-the-best-socratic-tradition/) [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) > [“Yet, unlike the causal specificity that obtains for microevolutionary processes, origin-of-life researchers have yet to specify the chemical pathways that supposedly originated life. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/yet-unlike-the-causal-specificity-that-obtains-for-microevolutionary/) [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) > [There is an immediate payoff to intelligent design: it destroys the atheistic legacy of Darwinian evolution. Intelligent design makes it impossible to be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/there-is-an-immediate-payoff-to-intelligent-design-it-destroys-the/) [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) > [The positive evidence for Darwinism is confined to small-scale evolutionary changes like insects developing insecticide resistance…Evidence like that for insecticide resistance confirms the Darwinian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/the-positive-evidence-for-darwinism-is-confined-to-small-scale/) [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) > [How a designer gets from thought to thing is, at least in broad strokes, straightforward: (1) A designer conceives a purpose. (2) To accomplish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/how-a-designer-gets-from-thought-to-thing-is-at-least-in-broad/) [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) > [“To exist is to be in communion, and to be in communion is to exchange information. Accordingly, the fundamental science, indeed the science that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/to-exist-is-to-be-in-communion-and-to-be-in-communion-is-to-exchange/) [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) > [Because government has tremendous power, it attracts people who are eager to game the system, obtaining by force of law what they could never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/because-government-has-tremendous-power-it-attracts-people-who-are/) [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) > [Without a unified political climate of opinion, there is little or no political profit in doing the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/without-a-unified-political-climate-of-opinion-there-is-little-or-no/) [William A. 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No great party can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/there-are-dangers-in-consensus-it-could-be-an-attempt-to-satisfy/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [The "family" has clearly emerged anew in the late 1970s as a central subject for discussion, debate, research and writing in bothscholarly and popular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/the-family-has-clearly-emerged-anew-in-the-late-1970s-as-a-central/) Sheila Kamerman > [As a leader... I have always endeavored to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/as-a-leader-i-have-always-endeavored-to-listen-to-what-each-and-every/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [The vision of extraordinary achievement is,by definition, a few steps beyond consensus and conventional logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-belsky/the-vision-of-extraordinary-achievement-is-by-definition-a-few-steps/) [Scott Belsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-belsky/) > [The scientific consensus is that climate change is real, urgent, and caused by humans. This science should be both supported and understood by anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-schatz/the-scientific-consensus-is-that-climate-change-is-real-urgent-and/) [Brian Schatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-schatz/) > [People of good character are not all going to come down on the same side of difficult political and social issues. Good people-people of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bennett/people-of-good-character-are-not-all-going-to-come-down-on-the-same/) [William Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bennett/) > [Effectively, change is almost impossible without industry-wide collaboration, cooperation and consensus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mainwaring/effectively-change-is-almost-impossible-without-industry-wide/) [Simon Mainwaring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mainwaring/) > [Those who know that the consensus of many centuries has sanctioned the conception that the earth remains at rest in the middle of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolaus-copernicus/those-who-know-that-the-consensus-of-many-centuries-has-sanctioned/) [Nicolaus Copernicus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolaus-copernicus/) > [The culturally, linguistically and religiously diverse population of Indian and Pakistani-administered Jammu and Kashmir has been unable to reach a consensus on the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nyla-ali-khan/the-culturally-linguistically-and-religiously-diverse-population-of/) [Nyla Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nyla-ali-khan/) > [We are in a crisis today because the practical consensus between the left and the right, linking economic efficiency with social protection, has broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-glucksmann/we-are-in-a-crisis-today-because-the-practical-consensus-between-the/) Andre Glucksmann > [That tertiary education is under a sustained assault by a political and - it often seems - social consensus that equates all education with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/that-tertiary-education-is-under-a-sustained-assault-by-a-political/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [Our normal expectations about reality are created by a social consensus. 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