PEORIA, Ariz. Author Glen Navis discusses the creation of the universe and "Creationism vs. Darwinism" in his new children's book featuring illustrations titled "If I Could Create a Tree Today: How Old Will It Be Tomorrow?" (published by WestBow Press).
Navis believes the biblical account of creation is correct and that approximately 6,000 years have passed since the creation of the earth. Navis also believes scientists are correct when they say there is evidence the earth and universe appear to be billions of years old. He presents the question, "How can I hold both of these views simultaneously?" and explains that he believes that when God created the universe, he created it "immediately full-grown" as being billions of years old. While the book is intended for children, the meaning behind it will also challenge adults and the way they think about these topics.
The book intends to challenge readers to think about the beginning of the world in a different way. "There is no need for Christians to continue to fight to disprove scientific theories about the age of the earth," Navis says. "And no need for Christians to be embarrassed about their Christian beliefs in the Creation story. I am simply offering a different possibility. I think science and the Bible are both right. "
An excerpt from the back cover of the book reads:
And to emphasize that this "instantly full-grown mature" method of creation was His chosen method, in Genesis 2:22 God created Eve "right before our eyes". It says He caused Adam to go into a deep sleep and then created Eve from Adam's rib instantly.
When Adam awoke there was Eve a full-grown, mature woman.
So this little book is trying to illustrate this idea with a simple childlike story: Imagine a tree created full-grown one day and then cut down the next day by a scientist trying to investigate how old it "really" is. Using science's most sophisticated technology (counting the rings) the scientist determines the tree is "positively" 52 years old.