Dictionary of Theology

The position that God created the universe. Young earth creationists generally believe that God created the universe, the earth, and living things on the earth and that the Old Testament literally describes six, 24 hour periods. Therefore, they maintain that the universe is, more or less, anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 years old. They further maintain that speciation occurred during this time as a result of the extant genetic information and environmental pressures. Old earth creationists still maintain that the universe, the earth, and all living things were created by God, but that the Universe is very old. Compare with Natural Evolution and Evolution.