I recently preached on the Noah's Flood and the Rainbow (Text Audio). Genesis 6-9 shows that God is concerned both with sin and salvation. The flood was judgment, and the rainbow was salvation. Please read if you have time.
But I also would like to share some of my thoughts about the reality of the flood and the creation.
The first time I was introduced to the theory of evolution was actually in a Bible class at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Charleston, Illinois when I was a freshman at Eastern Illinois University. The teacher was a pastoral student who didn't take Genesis literally. As I listened to him talk, I was very surprised by the way the theory cut corners on the scientific method. It sounded much more like speculation than science (I was a chemistry major). These are a few notes that I added to the end of the sermon about science and the Bible:
The teaching that the world was destroyed by a cataclysmic flood or that the world itself was created not that long ago (10,000 years or less) seems crazy to many people. Science has supposedly disproved all of this as nonsense. However, you should consider these three things:
1. Whether these things happened or not in the way the Bible describes or the way some scientists today imagine, it makes no difference to your day to day life. You can plant and harvest, build homes, help the sick, etc. without any reference at all to these past events.
2. However, your view of these things will have a strong impact on what you believe about the Bible, and that could have a profound effect on your eternal future. Are these mythological stories. If so, when do the stories of the Bible become real? Was Jesus confused when He taught that they were real? Is Jesus Himself and especially His death and resurrection mythological?
3. Not all science is the same. Some science is very observable and incredibly helpful for our day to day living. Louis Pasteur’s * discoveries in microbiology have saved countless lives. But the science of the universe’ origins is much less definite. Unfortunately, many people don’t know the difference. Studying the science of origins will do two things for you: First, You’ll realize that this isn’t as sure as some would claim. Second, You’ll also find that there are many natural evidences that actually agree with the Biblical description. Here are three good places to begin studying the science of origins:
Institute for Creation Research www.icr.org
Answers in Genesis www.answersingenesis.org
The Discovery Institute www.discovery.org
* Pasteur was a Creationist.
