The message of the Adventist Church uniquely demonstrates the goodness of God, and the story of the great controversy provides an unmatched perspective from which to understand the Bible, history, and the events of our individual lives. The Three Angels' Messages, vital truths for a world spinning into chaos, contain the message of creation and the flood at their core. They even contain a reference to the flood: the "springs of waters" were broken up at the beginning of the flood, and the angel's reference to the springs of waters is a warning that the second great judgment of the world is coming swiftly. Unfortunately, many Adventists have been swayed by "scientific" theories about the age of the earth that undermine the most fundamental truths revealed in God's word. For the sake of our own young people and our evangelistic efforts, we need to stand firm on the truths contained in the opening chapters of the Bible.
Stories about Earth's History: A Geologist's Dissent from Deep Time is written for those with an interest in origins, whether they have a background in science or not. It's a book for the general public, and should be suitable for ages 12 and up. It contains nine independent arguments, each of which constrains the age of the earth to a small fraction of the billions of years taught by popular science and the media. Did you know, for example, that if coastal erosion were to continue at the present rate for just 4.2 million years, it would level the continent of North America? 4.2 million years sounds like a lot, but it's just a drop in the bucket of "deep time." Did you know that researchers have found and cultured living bacteria trapped in salt they believe is 250 million years old? Everything we know about bacterial growth indicates that this simply isn't possible--the much more reasonable explanation is that the salt is only a few thousand years old. The data behind each argument is readily available in a Google search, and the math used to arrive at the conclusion is simple, and included in the back of the book. The reason for sticking with data from Google searches and simple math is to keep the arguments verifiable. Anyone with an internet connection can see if the conclusions in the book are reasonable.
The last chapter of the book was written with non-SDA Christians and skeptics in mind. It addresses four common doctrinal fallacies in popular Christianity:
-Morality is arbitrary;
-The soul is immortal, and will suffer eternal, conscious torment in hell;
-Everything that happens is God’s will;
-God’s criteria for sending a person to heaven or hell are arbitrary.
The chapter contains brief biblical explanations of these topics, and links to more information. Convincing someone that the picture they have of a petty, vengeful god is correct could do more harm than good, so the last chapter focuses on presenting a clear picture of God's love by correcting popular doctrines that malign God's character.
Science, properly used, is a powerful tool to substantiate the truth of God's word. Check out the arguments in this book and see for yourself what uncensored science says about the age of the earth.