My journey toward understanding the universe, its origins, and humanity's place within it has been shaped by a deliberate approach to testing and evaluating everything—an approach guided by the wisdom of 1 Thessalonians 5:21: "Test everything; hold fast what is good." This passage serves as a constant reminder to apply discernment and rigor to all aspects of life, from my theological beliefs to philosophical inquiries and scientific exploration.
Over time, I have come to rely on a hierarchical approach to understanding reality. At the core of this hierarchy is theology. It is from Scripture that I draw the foundational truths that inform every other layer of my worldview. After theology comes philosophy, which aids in reasoning through complex ideas and reconciling different perspectives. Finally, science plays a crucial role as a tool for examining and uncovering the details of God's creation. But this is key: while science reveals mechanisms, it must operate within the broader framework set by theology and philosophy.
Theology: The Foundation of My Worldview
The Bible is my ultimate source of truth. In particular, the creation account in Genesis serves as a cornerstone for understanding not only how the world came to be, but also how time and reality itself function. Genesis tells us that God created the heavens and the earth in six literal days, each filled with purpose and intentionality. While this presents a simple, yet profound account, reconciling it with modern scientific observations requires careful thought and reflection. That's where theology remains critical—it provides the why, the purpose behind creation, in ways that science cannot.
One of the central ideas that arose from my study of Genesis is the Temporal Asymmetry Hypothesis (TAH). This hypothesis holds that while the first three days of creation were experienced symmetrically (with both Earth and the cosmos undergoing literal 24-hour days), Day 4 introduces a momentous shift in time. Day 4 is unique because it's the only day where temporal asymmetry occurred. During this period, God created the sun, moon, and stars, and at that moment, the Earth continued to experience a regular 24-hour day, but the rest of the universe underwent accelerated development, encompassing billions of years within that same day.
It's important to understand that this isn't just a scientific hypothesis—it is deeply rooted in theology. Scripture affirms that God is sovereign over time, and time is itself a created entity that God can manipulate. We see hints of this in passages like 2 Peter 3:8: "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." This passage serves as a reminder that time is not fixed; it is subject to the will and purposes of God.
TAH is further supported by other biblical events that indicate God's ability to manipulate time. One of the most significant examples is the global flood. During the flood, time for inorganic processes (such as geological formations) seems to have been vastly accelerated, while living creatures experienced time in a normal fashion. This rapid interaction between organic and inorganic materials explains the formation of fossils in a short span, which aligns with the preservation of soft tissues found in some fossilized remains—something modern science struggles to explain under naturalistic timelines.
Beyond the flood, there are other instances in Scripture where time appears to bend or stretch according to God's purposes. For example, in Joshua 10, God made the sun stand still by slowing time in that local area, virtually prolonging the day so that Israel could win a decisive victory. This is yet another instance where God exercises control over time, further supporting the concept of temporal asymmetry in the biblical narrative.
Philosophy: Reasoning Through Time and Causality
Philosophy, as the second tier in my hierarchy, plays a vital role in reasoning through the theological insights I've gained. While theology provides the framework, philosophy helps explore questions like the nature of time, causality, and the relationship between the material and immaterial realms.
One of the key philosophical issues I've had to wrestle with is the relationship between naturalism and supernaturalism. Modern science often assumes a naturalistic framework, meaning it operates under the premise that everything can be explained by natural causes alone. But naturalism, I believe, limits the scope of inquiry. It excludes metaphysical causes and denies the possibility of divine intervention, which I see as a form of circular reasoning. If you start with the assumption that only natural causes exist, you can never arrive at a conclusion that involves anything beyond nature.
That's why I adopt what I call methodological Platonism. This approach allows for both material and immaterial explanations. It recognizes that while science excels at uncovering the mechanisms of the physical world, it cannot fully explain things like the existence of God, consciousness, or the ultimate purpose of life. These are metaphysical questions, and they demand answers that go beyond the material realm.
Philosophically, the Temporal Asymmetry Hypothesis makes sense because it resolves the apparent tension between the biblical account of a young Earth and the scientific observation of an ancient universe. God's ability to manipulate time means that what appears to be billions of years of cosmic development could have unfolded within a single 24-hour period on Earth. Time dilation, a concept from Einstein's theory of relativity, provides a scientific analogy for this idea. We know that time can pass at different rates depending on factors like gravity or velocity. So, the idea that time could flow differently in various parts of the universe is not only philosophically sound but also scientifically plausible.
Science: A Tool for Understanding Creation
While theology and philosophy provide the foundation and the reasoning, science serves as the tool for exploring God's creation. However, it's crucial to remember that science is not the final authority—it is one of the many ways we can explore the material world, but it must be interpreted within the larger context of theological and philosophical truths.
The Temporal Asymmetry Hypothesis offers a way to reconcile the evidence we see in the universe with the biblical account. From a scientific perspective, the universe appears to be around 13.8 billion years old, with galaxies, stars, and planets forming over immense spans of time. However, under TAH, these billions of years of cosmic development could have occurred within a single 24-hour day on Earth. This means that the apparent age of the universe isn't a contradiction to the biblical timeline—it's simply a result of God's manipulation of time during Day 4.
The global flood provides another example of how science and theology can converge when interpreted correctly. Secular science often struggles to explain the preservation of soft tissues in dinosaur fossils, given that such tissues should degrade after millions of years. However, if we understand the flood through the lens of temporal asymmetry, it becomes clear how such preservation could occur. During the flood, geological processes were accelerated, allowing fossils to form rapidly, which accounts for the preservation of organic material that shouldn't have lasted under normal conditions.
Additionally, other biblical events demonstrate God's control over time and the natural world. Just like in Joshua 10, in 2 Kings 20, God injected temporal asymmetry and made the shadow on a sundial move backward, effectively reversing time. These events further confirm that time, like any other aspect of creation, is under God's sovereign control. By considering these events, we see that temporal asymmetry isn't a fringe idea but a concept deeply woven into the biblical narrative.
The Creation-Fall Hypothesis: Filling in the Gaps
Another important component of my worldview is the Creation-Fall Hypothesis, which suggests that there may have been a significant gap of time between the creation of Adam and Eve and the Fall. The Bible is not explicit about how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden before they disobeyed God, and this gap could provide a way to explain certain scientific observations, such as the diversity of life forms found in the fossil record.
Some might ask, how does this hypothesis fit into the biblical narrative? The answer lies in understanding that death and decay only entered the world after the Fall. Before sin corrupted creation, life operated in perfect harmony, unaffected by the laws of entropy that govern our world today. During this pre-Fall period, the Earth would have experienced rapid biodiversity and development, similar to what scientists refer to as the Cambrian Explosion, where a sudden burst of life forms appeared in the fossil record. This event, often cited as a challenge to naturalistic evolution, can be interpreted within a biblical framework that accounts for the Fall and its effects on creation.
Holding Fast to What Is Good
Throughout my journey, I have remained committed to the principle of 1 Thessalonians 5:21: "Test everything; hold fast what is good." This means applying a rigorous standard to everything—whether it's theology, philosophy, or science. My hierarchical approach has allowed me to explore these areas in depth, starting with the foundation of God's Word and building upward through reason and evidence.
The Temporal Asymmetry Hypothesis, the global flood, and the Creation-Fall Hypothesis are all examples of how this framework allows for a coherent understanding of the world. These ideas aren't just speculative—they're rooted in biblical theology, explored through philosophical reasoning, and supported by scientific observations. By testing everything, I've come to believe that the truth lies not in one discipline alone but in the intersection of theology, philosophy, and science.
This approach has allowed me to hold fast to what is good: the truth that God is sovereign over time, creation, and history, and that His Word provides the ultimate framework for understanding reality.
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