Old Earth Creationism (OEC) is a Christian viewpoint that aims to harmonize the biblical creation story with scientific findings that indicate an old earth. OEC proponents do not subscribe to the Young Earth Creationism (YEC) belief that the book of Genesis describes the creation of the world in six literal 24-hour days. Rather, they interpret the text as a theological statement or as six periods that may have lasted much longer.
Those who endorse OEC accept the scientific estimate that the earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old. They argue that the creation account in Genesis should be regarded as either symbolic or metaphorical narratives, and that the scripture does not advocate the idea of literal 24-hour days of creation. In particular, YEC’s insistence on a 24-hour literal day interpretation for the creation account before the formation of the sun is disputed by OEC advocates. They claim that both scripture and science contradict the YEC view, and that the Bible, in fact, supports the notion of an ancient earth and universe.
Overall, OEC proponents aim to reconcile the biblical creation account with scientific evidence by interpreting the Genesis narrative as symbolic or metaphorical descriptions of God’s creative work over a prolonged period of time.
