Schedule: Th, May 18th 7:00 PM Service, “The Ascension of our Lord” 8:15 PM Reception Fr, May 19th 8:30 AM Coffee, Rolls 8:45 AM Devotion 9:00 AM “Is The Age of the Earth Important?” Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller 10:00 AM Break 10:15 AM “Creation in the New Testament Rev. Dr. Joel Heck 11:15 AM Lunch 1:00 PM “Hermeneutical Humility” Pastor Jared Melius 2:00 PM Break 2:15 PM “The Genesis Genealogies (Part I) Rev. Dr. Joel Heck 3:15 PM Break 3:30 PM “The Genesis Genealogies (Part II) Rev. Dr. Joel Heck 4:30 PM Dinner 5:45 PM “Were the Pyramids Built Before the Flood?” Pastor Brian Flamme 6:45 PM Break 7:00 PM “The Biblical Minimum and Maximum Age of the Earth?” Dr. Robert Carter Sa, May 20th 8:30 AM Coffee, Rolls 8:45 AM Devotion 9:00 AM “The History of the Earth’s Age in the Missouri Synod” Rev. Dr. Adam Koontz 10:00 AM Break 10:15 AM Q & A, “Can We Determine the Age of the Earth Based on the Bible?” Print a Schedule Description of Talks: Dr. Robert Carter

Were the Pyramids Built before the Flood? Though the Biblical evidence states that the earth is around six thousand years old, many academic chronologies date human artifacts, civilizations, and persons much earlier. What should we think when these conflicts arise and what can we say to defend the biblical dating of the world?

Pastor Brian Flamme

Creation in the New Testament This session covers the number of references to creation in the New Testament and the insights they provide. Does the New Testament support a young earth, a special creation by God out of nothing, the institution of marriage by God, or is the mention of creation rather rare and inconsequential? This presentation will answer those questions as well as others.

The Genesis Genealogies (Parts I and II) This topic will look at the genealogies in Genesis 5 and 11 with special reference to the potential for gaps existing between the various patriarchs. Are there chronological gaps or genealogical gaps in these chapters? Jeremy Sexton and Andrew Steinmann, both young earth creationists, have published articles on each side of this question, and their positions will be discussed, explained, and evaluated.

Rev. Dr. Joel Heck

The History of the Earth's Age in the Missouri Synod Does the Missouri Synod agree on the age of the earth? The short answer is "No," but the reasons for that disagreement and the history of its manifestation will illuminate how a church struggles to understand and to teach the truth of Scripture in a world always changing. Pastor Jared Melius Hermeneutical Humility This presentation will explore the most common explanations for departing from what seems to be the most straight-forward reading of Genesis 5 and 11, such as focus on Messianic lineage, numerology, and the like. For as seemingly theological or perceptive such explanations might seem, we’ll explore the actual likelihood than any such un-stated origins of the text are actually true.

Rev. Dr. Adam Koontz

Is the age of the earth important? Is the age of the earth an important question? What are the theological and spiritual implications of teaching an old earth? We'll think through these questions together.

Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller

The age of the earth is a critical question for the creationist, but different 'young-earth' authors have provided age estimates from 6,000 to up to 10,000 years. However, by carefully examining the text and by accounting for multiple ambiguities in the wording, one can put tight limits on the range of possibilities. In the end, the age cannot be dated to a specific year (e.g., Ussher), but neither can it be as old as 10,000 years (e.g., Morris). The largest effects on the age estimation deal with arguments about the length of the Sojourn in Egypt (~215 years), the LXX vs Masoretic texts (~1,300 years), and questions about the king’s reigns during the divided monarchy (~50 years). Using a straightforward, Masoretic timeline, creation happened in approximately 4000 BC, plus or minus a few centuries.

The Biblical Minimum and Maximum Age of the Earth