About

About the Author:

My name is John Bauer and I’m an evangelical Christian with a biblical world-view shaped by a Reformed covenant theology and a firm commitment to the supreme authority of Scripture as the enscripturated Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and life. A husband and father, I am a middle-aged blue-collar professional who is a skeptic, writer, and artist (photography and drawing). I passionately study theology and science and have a deep love of books, nature documentaries, and environmental stewardship.

For the first six years of my Christian faith, I was an enthusiastic young-earth creationist who vigorously opposed evolution and its naturalistic dogma. However, the strength and consistency of the evidence from astronomy and physics eventually convinced me that the universe had to be several billion years old, and the cumulative case from equally compelling evidence led me to accept that the age of the earth was far greater than I had been told. (I was still firmly opposed to evolution, however, though my zeal had been tempered by the exposure of my ignorance.)

But this left me confused about the narrative of creation in Genesis and how to understand it, for the days of creation are clearly not vast ages of time but ordinary 24-hour periods. That conviction prevented me from ever accepting the Day–Age view (the days of creation were vast ages), nor could I accept the Gap view (inserting billions of years between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2). In all my studies, neither interpretation enjoyed the strength of the Calendar Day view, which I've always retained.

For the next five years I suspended any pursuit of those issues for the sake of advanced theological study (personally, not academically), exploring the fundamentals of Reformed theology, starting with the five solas and the doctrines of grace but then focusing on covenant theology. It should be made clear that I do not belong to a confessionally Reformed community of faith—I am a long-time member of a local Baptist church—yet my biblical world-view is significantly influenced by the doctrinal convictions of Old Princeton and Westminster Theological Seminary (neither of which I have ever attended).

It was not until about 2010 that I revisited the issue of origins and what to make of Genesis 1, as a result of a book recommendation from Amazon. My view began to consolidate the theological work of Gregory K. Beale and the exegetical analyses of John H. Walton, with some non-trivial influence from J. Richard Middleton and others. I am still in the process of developing a theology that is systematic but most of the legwork has already been accomplished by such esteemed scholars as Vos, Berkhof, Murray, Warfield, Barth, Kuyper, Van Til, and others.

About the Blog:

So what is this blog all about? What can a visitor expect to find here?

This blog is basically an external manifestation of an internal struggle as I critically evaluate competing perspectives on origins. I do this not only as an evangelical Christian with a Christ-centered biblical world-view but also as a skeptic whose love of science is conditioned by carefully developed epistemic virtues.

The perspectives which I evaluate here span the spectrum, from young-earth creationism to evolutionary naturalism and everything in between, including intelligent design to a limited extent. There are many views that have the potential to garner my acceptance—after all, my mind is open to compelling arguments, especially biblical ones—but only if they share my presuppositional commitments. I do have my own view, of course, but it's not settled; it is still in its infancy as I grapple with relevant and important issues. I continue to digest books from young-earth and old-earth creationists, searching for solid biblical or scientific arguments that might direct my journey down important avenues, such as Should Christians Embrace Evolution? (2011), and lately I've begun to include books from evolutionary creationists, such as Creation or Evolution: Do We Have to Choose? (2008). All of this, of course, is in addition to theological material which, for me, is always primary, such as God of Promise (2006).

As a writer, blogging is a powerfully effective medium by which I learn and understand. Exploring ideas through writing enables me to organize, evaluate, and understand them with a clarity and accountability that no other method can achieve. This is how I learn best. But why have I chosen to publish these things on the world-wide web, as opposed to keeping them to myself? Why am I granting the public access to these internal struggles?

There are two reasons for this. First, I am convinced that there are many Christians out there who are likewise struggling with these same questions and issues, Christians with a highly developed and vibrant evangelical faith who take science seriously and want to know how to square its findings with their biblical world-view. Or perhaps, more importantly, they want to know how to differentiate legitimate science from naturalistic hubris, given that the latter is unintelligible nonsense that can be summarily dismissed. I am one of those Christians. I think it's important for us to know that we are not alone, because sometimes it can so easily feel as if we are (especially with certain creationists being so vicious and inordinately prolific).

Second, I think the view that I'm developing represents a unique perspective that isn't really common. And maybe it should be. I don't know, I'm still fleshing all of this out—and as a layman yet, without the academic resources enjoyed by scholars. This is a process and it takes time. However, the initial results seem to be quite promising. This perspective is a unique blend of fundamentalist evangelical faith (drawing heavily from Reformed theology) which grounds and contextualizes basic evolutionary patterns of natural history. On this view, natural history is disclosed through general revelation, the meaning and purpose of which is unveiled in redemptive history disclosed through special revelation. As in all things, God and his word is primary and informs everything else.

So, enjoy. And please feel free to contribute the questions and issues that concern you.