Creationism - National Center for Science Education

creationism”—though both, they maintain, are completely consistent with each other, and
both are equally true. “Scientific creationism” (the argument goes) consists of nonreligious
scientific evidence against evolution, which thus supports creationism.
“Biblical creationism” is creationism which openly retains its religious origins; it consists
of arguments against evolution based on a fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible.
This distinction has been given its definitive and most authoritative form by
Henry Morris and his Institute for Creation Research. Quoting from the ICR Graduate
School Catalog (though these definitions appear in many other ICR publications):
...ICR [is] committed to the tenets of both scientific creationism and Biblical creationism as formulated
below. A clear distinction is drawn between scientific creationism and Biblical creationism but it is the
position of the Institute that the two are compatible and that all genuine facts of science support the Bible.
ICR maintains that scientific creationism should be taught along with the scientific aspects of evolutionism
in tax-supported institutions, and that both scientific and Biblical creationism should be taught in Christian
schools. [1985:12]
(See also Morris’s “The Tenets of Creationism” (1980), in which he defines Scientific,
Biblical, and Scientific Biblical creationism.) In summary, “scientific” creationism
consists of scientific evidence refuting naturalistic origin of life from non-life, evolution
of major “kinds” of organisms, evolution of man from non-humans; plus evidence for
recent creation of the earth and catastrophism in earth history, especially a global flood.
Scientific creationism refers to a “Creator” as a necessary scientific tenet. “Biblical”
creationism affirms the God of the Bible, a recent, literal six-day creation, Satan, Adam
and Eve, Noah’s Flood, and redemption through acceptance of Christ.
In a 1979 ICR “Impact” article (Acts & Facts insert) on how to get creationism
into public schools, Wendell Bird added this “word of caution”:
Creationists working to introduce creation into public schools must distinguish sharply between scientific
creationism and religious creationism. Scientific creationism consists of the scientific evidences for
creation, while religious creationism consists of the Biblical doctrines of creation. Scientific creationism
can be taught in public schools, while religious creationism cannot under current law. Creationists
approaching public schools must avoid reference in discussions, resolutions,or classroom materials, to the
Bible, Adam, the fall, or Noah, except in showing that evolution is wholly contrary to the religious
convictions of many individuals. [1979a:iii]
A well-known presentation of this distinction is the ICR textbook Scientific
Creationism (1974), edited by Morris (Morris elsewhere says he wrote the “basic text,”
though it is officially credited to the ICR staff). It comes in two versions. The “Public
School Edition” consists solely of “scientific creationism”; the “General Edition” adds an
extra chapter, “Creation According to Scripture,” which presents “biblical creationism.”
George McCready Price was the first creationist of the modern era to develop an
entire package of “scientific” creationist theory, including modern Flood Geology and
young-earth arguments. Some of his books contained no biblical references, such as his
creationist geology textbooks (1923, 1926), while others openly called for a return to the
Bible and preached that evolution was wrong because it contradicted the fundamentalist
interpretation of Genesis. During the period of fundamentalist activity in the 1920s, most
fundamentalists openly declared that their opposition to evolution, though supported by