.-5 Foreward
Foreword
Man’s attempts to explain his experience can be classified under two broad headings-materialism and creationism. Materialism accounts for all observations as the consequence of unexplained basic material substance that has the innate properties required for evolution to configurations which produce all that can be observed. Creationism accounts for all observations as the consequence of design by an unexplained intelligence, that has the capability to put its designs into operation. Each of these broad viewpoints encompasses varied subcategories. The subcategory, which incorporates the specifications given in the Hebrew-Christian Scriptures, Biblical Creationism, is often considered to be Creationism.
Biblical Creationism has been at a disadvantage in achieving credibility among individuals who are acquainted with the earth sciences. The seventh and eighth chapters of the book of Genesis specify a catastrophe that completely transformed the surface of planet Earth. Data in the eleventh chapter of Genesis, together with additional data in 1Ki 6:1; Exo 12:40-41 hew-41 ew, 41; Gen 47:9; Gen 25:26; Gen 21:5; Gen 12:4, place this catastrophe somewhere between about 4,300 years ago (2300 b.c.) and 5,400 years ago (3400 b.c.), depending on how the statements concerning the Hebrew residence in Egypt are interpreted, and whether the computation is based on the data as given in the Hebrew text of the ninth century a.d. (Masoretic), or as given in the Greek version used by the early Christian church (Septuagint). For the concerns addressed in this book, it is adequate to place the Biblically specified reorganization of planet Earth’s surface 5000 ± 500 years ago. Earth’s surface contains evidence of ice activity that is widely perceived as impossible to have been restricted to only 5000 years.
According to widely held views among scientific authorities, planet Earth is now in an interglacial interlude which has been preceded by four continental glaciations and three interglacial interludes over the past one-and-one-half million years (the Pleistocene epoch of geologic history). The response of some creationists has been to abandon confidence in the validity of the quantitative historical data in the first 11 chapters of Genesis. Others have preserved their faith in the Biblical data by affirming that planet Earth has never experienced continental glaciation or an ice age; but the evidence for continental glaciation is too clear and too widespread to deny. On the basis of the principle that the Creator is a model of truthfulness and consistency, it should be possible to find sound interpretations of His works that are fully consistent with the testimony given in His Word. Up to the present, the creationist literature has been critically deficient with respect to such interpretation of the evidence for continental glaciation. Michael Oard has made a major contribution, in opening up vistas for a sound understanding of the evidence for continental glaciation from the perspective of Biblical testimony. He has been equipped for this contribution by his competence as a professional meteorologist, exhaustive study of the scientific evidence related to glaciation, and confidence that Moses recorded only accurate historical data (allowing for the probability that some time lapse data are rounded to the nearest five or ten years, and that the name lists in Chapters 5 and 11 of Genesis are perhaps a representative selection of only ten of the most prominent individuals in a sequence of descendants).
After his presentation of firm evidence that there has been continental glaciation, most readers will be surprised at the evidence Oard gives for the unlikelihood of any continental glaciation in a climate that can be modeled by uniform application of scientific principles. The extent to which the evidence for glaciation is evidence for a unique catastrophic interlude in the history of our planet will probably be unanticipated by all readers. The magnitude and precision of quantitative estimates for ice accumulation time, ice volume, ice thickness, glaciated area, and ice retreat time that can be made from meteorological principles, will amaze most readers. This book should be intensely studied by everyone who is seeking a solution to problems associated with continental glaciation, regardless of what concerns they may or may not have, with respect to related religious issues. In his straightforward treatment of significant data, Oard deals with some incorrect views held by both creationists and uniformitarians concerning ice-age animals. Biblical creationists will be gratified by the detailed extent to which data in the Bible produce a climate model with which he gives a scientifically sound explanation for continental glaciation.
R. H. Brown