This first paragraph says this :
At the center of scientific inquiry is a desire to express free thought. “Go wherever your mind leads you” is the academic cry that hearkens back at least to the Enlightenment. For Bible believers, however, this mantra has its limits. If one’s pursuit of so-called “knowledge” leads him to deny the divinity of Christ or the existence of God, then he has become a victim of intellectual deceit. The philosophical constructs causing him to reach these conclusions must be reexamined if not rejected. Such is the case with many modern theories of universal origins. By eliminating God as the primal Cause, these theories operate under false pretenses, and thus can never reach the truth.
Every creation interpretation tries to make science fit into their particular creation interpretation.But this paragraph gives the false impression that the Gap theory was made up to accomodate science and because of science we have allowed it to effect our interpretation. Like they have'nt?They are accusing us of what they have done.
I have never known any Gap Theorist to deny the divinity of Jesus Christ or the existence of God, and I certianly do not and God was the cause.Some of the greatest bible teachers taught and believed the Gap Theory and they led many people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.I'm not implying others who believe a different creation interpretation can't be good bible teachers,but I'm just saying that there have been many Christian bible teacher Gap Theorists.And if we were living from about the mid 1800's to about the 1970's when Young Earth creationism came along most bible scholars,theologians and Christians were Gap Theorists and those who reject it today would be in the minority.The Gap Theory was very popular in many Christian churches in America and Great Britian.
But on top of all of this Gap Theorists have always rejected the theory of evolution,so that there is no way Gap Theorists allowed it to influence the way we interpret the bible.We believe the evidence in the earth is looked at all wrong because of the theory of evolution and the truth has been covered up.You are trying to re-write history or just repeating made up myths about the Gap Theory and don't know enough about it to refute it.Exodus 20:16
Here is a list of Christian ministers,Gospel preachers,bible teachers,bible scholars,evangelists,etc that all believed in and taught Gap Theory Creationism. James Hall Brooks,John Nelson Darby,C.I Schofield,G.H Pember,D.L Moody,Harry A Ironside,William R Newell,Eric Sauer,A.C Gaebelein,Alva J. McClain,William Pettingil,Lowis Sperry Chafer,Donald Gray Barnhouse,E. Shuler English,Merel F. Unger,J.Vernon McGee. There are many more than this.These were all Christians,brothers in Christ.All of these men preached and taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ.J.Vernon McGee always made sure to give an altar call so that those that are lost could come to Jesus,if he was asked to give a speech? He always made sure first that he could give an altar call first.It is wrong to doubt these people's Christian walk over a creation interpretation.
The Gap theory in no way eliminates God as the primal cause.Gap Theorists teaches God was the cause and always have. The Gap Theory has been traced back long before modern science,the theory of evolution,before the age of the earth was known and before the age of the earth was such a burning issue so that there is no way we have allowed it to influence the way we interpret the bible.Arthur Custance I believe showed that there are reasons to believe it has really always been around and possibly all the way back to when Genesis was written even, but there are reasons to believe Jesus himself understood this as well as the Apostles when you read things Jesus said,and things the Apostles said in the books they wrote that reflect knowledge of the Gap Theory.As a matter of fact in the early 1800's it was revived by Thomas Chalmers and others because of the scientific discoveries that were being made,so it had been around long before modern science even got started.Thomas Chalmers DID NOT make up The Gap Theory to accomodate science,he just revived it.You're wrong if you claim Thomas Chalmers began teaching it in the early 1800's because of science,etc in order to push and promote young earth creationism and it is wrong to do so.
Even St Augustine about 500 years ago believed the first day in Genesis 1 started in verse 3 and not verse 1 or 2 of Genesis 1.We Gappers would agree. Even by reading the 1611 KJV bible it is written in a way to where the Gap Theory can be seen much more clearly,which is why many who reject the Gap Theory use these other more modern translations thinking it disproves this interpretation.Even ancient Jewish rabbi's believed and taught the Gap long before modern science. Your whole paragraph is a straw man.
The next paragraph says this :
Many Christians working in the field of scientific cosmology seek to poach godless theories from modern science and work them into a model of biblical faith. We should applaud their efforts so long as they do not “go beyond what is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6). Unfortunately, some do go too far. In their desire to harmonize the biblical account with the scientific “necessity” of old-Earth creationism, they seek to read into the Bible concepts not clearly present. Rather than using divine inspiration to inform science, they prefer to impose modern scientific insight onto the Bible—an insight, it should be observed, the original readers of the Bible would not have understood.
I have evidence that Jewish Rabbi's believed in the Gap with art work going back to 14th century so there is no way Gap Theorists allowed science to influence the way we use divine inspiration.Here is art work from Jewish Rabbi's that depict the Gap Theory interpretation. This art work is in the Sarajevo Haggadah from the 14th century which is all jewish and in this art work you'll see the Gap Theory interpretation through the art work. Since Hebrew is read left to right instead of right to left,you'll need to look at each picture from left to right. But the first thing you see is a picture depicting chaos,then the first day when God divides the light,2nd day God seperates earth and water,3rd day vegetation,4th day sun,moon and stars,5th day fishes and birds,6th day animals and man,7th day rest.So there was chaos before the first day and we Gap Theorists agree because God poured out judgment that we can see in Genesis 1:2. And it is called creation too,so there is no way we allowed science to effect our interpretation. The bible does not say anywhere in it the earth is 6000 years old.
https://www.google.com/search?q=sarajev ... Cm5DwMM%3A