Reconciling Science with the Bible

If you are looking for a speaker that will make you feel good and confirm your view of Creation. You have come to the wrong place.
But if you want someone to challenge you, forcing you to reexamine you position in light of the biblical text, and offering a unique perspective of the Creation Story, read on.
Hi. My name is Bill Thormodson, and I have written the book “Biblical Creation, Reconciling Science and the Bible”. This is a controversial book because it rejects both Young and Old Earth creation, positing a new model that incorporates an ultra-literal reading of Genesis One with the hard facts of science. The result is a biblically accurate and scientifically sound Creation Story that makes sense.
In my presentation. I will point out the biblical contradiction which is common to both Young and Old Earth Creationism, namely, that the light on the first day is the Sun.
That cannot be, because the text clearly says that the Sun was formed on day four. Without the Sun, the Young Earth model breaks down, as evening can no longer mean sunset, nor morning sunrise. The night that is mentioned on this day also cannot be the Earth blocking the sun. Without these words, there is no way to determine how long the first four days of creation were. The Old Earth explanation breaks down as well because the light on the first day could not be emanating from the Sun.
In addition, God defines the word “day” when he calls the light – “day” and the darkness – “night”. If it is light, it must be day. If it is not light, it is not day but rather night. Light and darkness are two different things that cannot coexist, Day and night are as well, eliminating the possibility that a day in creation included the night.
But God changes the definition of the word “day” on day four when he forms the sun to “serve as signs to mark the (length of) the day, year, and sacred times. Before this, there was no such thing as a year or sacred times, nor a 24-hour day. This ultra-literal reading of the text has the 24-hour day beginning at the end of day four, when God sets the Sun and moon in the vault of the sky. This leaves time for the Big Bang and an old universe, while maintaining a recent creation of the animals and man, as well as a 24-hour Sabbath rest for God and His people.
For the text to make sense, we now need a new definition of light that does not emanate from the Sun. The text lists six characteristics of light to help us determine what it is. We will do this in what I call the world’s hardest riddle, written by God himself.
Evening and morning will also need to be redefined, as well as night. By looking at the Hebrew meaning of these words, we will discover that new meanings for these words that help clarify the text, adding depth to our understanding of the passage.
With time constraints lifted for the first four days of Creation, we are now able to understand the text in an entirely new way. The bulk of the presentation will be creating a theory for the origin of the universe that follows the biblical record, while also taking into account the story Creation tells.
Is this the way it happened? I don’t know. If it is, God chose an unlikely messenger. I have no theological or scientific training. I don’t even have a college degree. My only qualification is that I have been studying the Bible for over 50 years.
Be warned, this presentation is not suited for all audiences. Many will see this ultra-literal view as offensive, because it is overthrowing 2000 years of Christian tradition, and 3500 of Jewish. They will feel attacked, and their reaction is often immediate and hostile. For this reason, it is best suited for a younger audience, or one that is diverse, and able to discuss controversial topics with composure.

I put together a power point presentation to give you an idea of how the evening will go. I will likely use most of these slides, but the actual presentation will be more personal.

I am not charging a speaking fee at this time. I simply ask that you cover my expenses. I live in southern Minnesota and also spend a considerable amount of time in the Milwaukee/Chicago area. I look forward to hearing from you.

May God guide you as you choose a speaker for your event.

Blessings,

Bill