TESTIMONY TO THE FLOOD

Looking out the window, while flying over the Grand Canyon on a clear sunny day is an unforgettable experience. The huge gaping crack in the earth’s surface causes one to think. How did this incredible natural wonder of the world come about? Is it possible the answer to this question can be found in the Bible?

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The Grand Canyon, located in the northern part of the state of Arizona, is one of the major wonders found on the surface of planet earth. Every year thousands of people come from all over the world to see its splendor. The canyon is enormous. A gigantic groove cut into the earth’s crust stretches 277 miles. It descends over a mile into the depths of the earth and in some places is over 18 miles wide.

The thought that immediately comes to mind for every first time visitor is the question of how this great chasm was formed. Of course the explanation most commonly offered is provided by the experts known as geologists. These scientists have been trained at universities and colleges to interpret earth’s history. The explanation they give usually goes something like this:

The layers you see in the walls of the Grand Canyon were laid down by gradual sedimentation over hundreds of millions of years. Later the canyon was carved slowly by the Colorado River. The Grand Canyon is a testimony to uniformitarianism – the same processes we see happening in the world today, were the same processes that shaped the canyon in the past.

So goes the party line, at least when it comes to the conventional explanation promoted by modern day geologists. But there are others who say geology needs to be revised. They claim the canyon layers and the fossils in the layers, give evidence to a period of time in earth’s history when our planet was devastated by a worldwide flood.

Further, they cite the Genesis record as the source for their view, suggesting that the Grand Canyon is only one piece of evidence revealing that our planet has been covered by water. These creationists insist that layers are not being deposited on the surface of the earth today nor are fossils being formed. The Grand Canyon, they say, is a monument God has left for mankind to see, that should remind us there is a God who judged the world in the past because of man’s sin.

Over the next few programs we are going to look at the Grand Canyon in detail. As we do, I will be making reference to a book about the Grand Canyon that has been written by a number of well known creationists. Because this book offers an explanation much different than the typical evolutionary story that is promoted by Grand Canyon Park officials, it has created quite a controversy.

Nevertheless, controversy can be useful to draw our attention to certain issues. Is it not reasonable to be able to examine the claims of evolution and compare them with the claims of creation? What is wrong with that? If the creation view on the Grand Canyon is bogus, then the facts will prove that out. Let’s check out the facts about the Grand Canyon, and then you can decide.

I am Roger Oakland. This has been a biblical perspective to help understand the times.

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