From John Lennox - 7 Days that divide the world

[PaulSacramento]

From the biologs website, an exerpt from John Lennox's new book:
7 Days that divide the world

John Lennox is Professor of Mathematics in the University of Oxford, Fellow in Mathematics and the Philosophy of Science, and Pastoral Advisor at Green Templeton College, Oxford. He is also an adjunct Lecturer at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University and at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and is a Senior Fellow of the Trinity Forum. In addition, he teaches for the Oxford Strategic Leadership Program at the Executive Education Centre, Said Business School, Oxford University. He is author of several books, including Seven Days That Divide the World: The Beginning According to Genesis and Science.

http://biologos.org/blog/but-does-it-move-part-2

One part that I found relevant to many discussions here:
Rather than scientific language, the Bible often uses what is called phenomenological language—the language of appearance. It describes what anyone can see. It talks about the sun rising just as everyone else does, including scientists, even though they know that the sun only appears to rise because of the rotation of the earth. Saying that the sun “rises” does not commit the Bible, or a scientist for that matter, to any particular model of the solar system.

Having said all that, however, let us once again emphasize the key issue. The Bible, though not a textbook of science, precisely because it is God’s revealed Word, has truth to tell us about the same kind of objective reality that science discusses, in particular about the nature and origin of the cosmos and of human beings. We must therefore try to understand that truth.

[RickD]

That's a good read, Paul. The following quote describes my problem with YEC, when dogmatically preached to the unsaved. The belief that YEC is equal to scripture, draws people away from Christ, for this reason:

Usually, even a non-Christian knows something about the earth, the heavens … and this knowledge he holds to as being certain from reason and experience. Now, it is a disgraceful and dangerous thing for an infidel to hear a Christian, presumably giving the meaning of Holy Scripture, talking nonsense on these topics; and we should take all means to prevent such an embarrassing situation, in which people show up vast ignorance in a Christian and laugh it to scorn … If they find a Christian mistaken in a field which they themselves know well and hear him maintaining his foolish opinions about our books, how are they going to believe those books in matters concerning the resurrection of the dead, the hope of eternal life, and the kingdom of heaven, when they think their pages are full of falsehoods and on facts which they themselves have learnt from experience and the light of reason?6

What I don't have a problem with, is a YECer who will say something like,
" I believe scripture says the earth is 6,000 years old, but that's my opinion, and other Christians have differing opinions about the age of the earth. The age of the earth has no bearing on the Atonement of Christ."

[PaulSacramento]

That's a good read, Paul. The following quote describes my problem with YEC, when dogmatically preached to the unsaved. The belief that YEC is equal to scripture, draws people away from Christ, for this reason:

Usually, even a non-Christian knows something about the earth, the heavens … and this knowledge he holds to as being certain from reason and experience. Now, it is a disgraceful and dangerous thing for an infidel to hear a Christian, presumably giving the meaning of Holy Scripture, talking nonsense on these topics; and we should take all means to prevent such an embarrassing situation, in which people show up vast ignorance in a Christian and laugh it to scorn … If they find a Christian mistaken in a field which they themselves know well and hear him maintaining his foolish opinions about our books, how are they going to believe those books in matters concerning the resurrection of the dead, the hope of eternal life, and the kingdom of heaven, when they think their pages are full of falsehoods and on facts which they themselves have learnt from experience and the light of reason?6

What I don't have a problem with, is a YECer who will say something like,
" I believe scripture says the earth is 6,000 years old, but that's my opinion, and other Christians have differing opinions about the age of the earth. The age of the earth has no bearing on the Atonement of Christ."

And I think that is what Augustine is saying, we may have an opinion on something that is written in the bible that is "ambiguous" based on our understanding of scripture and how we interpret is, but that is all it is, an opinion and we must always be aware that we may be wrong and be open to that possibility.