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Creation Research
of the North Coast has a unique statement of faith for its faculty and
students, incorporating most of the basic Christian doctrines in a creationist
framework, organized in terms of two parallel sets of tenets, related
to God's created world and God's inspired Word, respectively. Reproduced
below are the CRNC Educational Philosophy and its Tenets of Scientific
Creationism and Biblical Creationism.
CRNC Educational
Philosophy
Creation Research of the
North Coast bases its educational philosophy on the foundational truth
of a personal Creator-God and His authoritative and unique revelation
of truth in the Bible, both Old and New Testaments.
This perspective differs
from the evolutionary humanistic philosophy which has dominated most
educational institutions for the past century, providing the most satisfying
and meaningful structure of a consistently creationist and Biblical
framework, and placing the real facts of science and history in the
best context for effective future research and application.
More explicitly, the administration
and faculty of CRNC are 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 CRNC that the two are compatible and that all genuine
facts of science support the Bible. CRNC 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.
Tenets of
Scientific Creationism
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The physical universe
of space, time, matter, and energy has not always existed, but was
supernaturally created by a transcendent personal Creator who alone
has existed from eternity.
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The phenomenon of biological
life did not develop by natural processes from inanimate systems
but was specially and supernaturally created by the Creator.
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Each of the major kinds
of plants and animals was created functionally complete from the
beginning and did not evolve from some other kind of organism. Changes
in basic kinds since their first creation are limited to "horizontal"
changes (variation) within the kinds, or "downwarif' changes (e.g.,
harmful mutations, extinction's).
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The first human beings
did not evolve from an animal ancestry, but were specially created
in fully human form from the start. Furthermore, the "spiritual"
nature of man (self-image, moral consciousness, abstract reasoning,
language, will, religious nature, etc.) is itself a supernaturally
created entity distinct from mere biological life.
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The record of earth history,
as preserved in the earth's crust, especially in the rocks and fossil
deposits, is primarily a record of catastrophic intensities of natural
processes, operating largely within uniform natural laws, rather
than one of gradualism and relatively uniform process rates. There
are many scientific evidences for a relatively recent creation of
the earth and the universe, in addition to strong scientific evidence
that most of the earth's fossiliferous sedimentary rocks were formed
in an even more recent global hydraulic cataclysm.
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Processes today operate
primarily within fixed natural laws and relatively uniform process
rates but, since these were themselves originally created and are
daily maintained by their Creator, there is always the possibility
of miraculous intervention in these laws or processes by their Creator.
Evidences for such intervention should be scrutinized critically,
however, because there must be clear and adequate reason for any
such action on the part of the Creator.
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The universe and life
have somehow been impaired since the completion of creation, so
that imperfections in structure, disease, aging, extinction's, and
other such phenomena are the result of "negative" changes in properties
and processes occurring in an originally-perfect created order.
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Since the universe and
its primary components were created perfect for their purposes in
the beginning by a competent and volitional Creator, and since the
Creator does remain active in this now-decaying creation, there
do exist ultimate purposes and meanings in the universe. Teleological
considerations, therefore, are appropriate in scientific studies
whenever they are consistent with the actual data of observation,
and it is reasonable to assume that the creation presently awaits
the consummation of the Creator's purpose.
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Although people are finite
and scientific data concerning origins are always circumstantial
and incomplete, the human mind (if open to the possibility of creation)
is able to explore the manifestations of that Creator rationally
and scientifically, and to reach an intelligent decision regarding
one's place in the Creator's plan.
Tenets of
Biblical Creationism
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The Creator of the universe
is a triune God-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is only one
eternal and transcendent God, the source of all being and meaning,
and He exists in three Persons, each of whom participated in the
work of creation.
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The Bible, consisting
of the thirty-nine canonical books of the Old Testament and the
twenty-seven canonical books of the New Testament, is the divinely-inspired
revelation of the Creator to man. Its unique, plenary, verbal inspiration
guarantees that these writings, as originally and miraculously given,
are infallible and completely authoritative on all matters with
which they deal, free from error of any sort, scientific and historical
as well as moral and theological.
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All things in the universe
were created and made by God in the six literal days of the creation
week described in Genesis 1:1-2:3, and confirmed in Exodus 20:8-11.
The creation record is factual, historical, and perspicuous; thus
all theories of origins or development which involve evolution in
any form are false. All things which now exist are sustained and
ordered by God's providential care. However, a part of the spiritual
creation, Satan and his angels, rebelled against God after the creation
and are attempting to thwart His divine purposes in creation.
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The first human beings,
Adam and Eve, were specially created by God, and all other men and
women are their descendants. In Adam, mankind was instructed to
exercise "dominion" over all other created organisms, and over the
earth itself (an implicit commission for true science, technology,
commerce, fine art, and education) but the temptation by Satan and
the entrance of sin brought God's curse on that dominion and on
mankind, culminating in death and separation from God as the natural
and proper consequence.
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The Biblical record of
primeval earth history in Genesis I-II is fully historical and perspicuous,
including the creation and fall of man, the curse on the creation
and its subjection to the bondage of decay, the promised Redeemer,
the worldwide cataclysmic deluge in the days of Noah, the post-diluvian
renewal of man's commission to subdue the earth (now augmented by
the institution of human government) and the origin of nations and
languages at the tower of Babel.
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The alienation of man
from his Creator because of sin can only be remedied by the Creator
Himself, who became man in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ,
through miraculous conception and virgin birth. In Christ were indissolubly
united perfect sinless humanity and full deity, so that His substitutionary
death is the only necessary and sufficient price of man's redemption.
That the redemption was completely efficacious is assured by His
bodily resurrection from the dead and ascension into heaven; the
resurrection of Christ is thus the focal point of history, assuring
the consummation of God's purposes in creation.
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The final restoration
of creation's perfection is yet future, but individuals can immediately
be restored to fellowship with their Creator, on the basis of His
redemptive work on their behalf, receiving forgiveness and eternal
life solely through personal trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, accepting
Him not only as estranged Creator but also as reconciling Redeemer
and coming King. Those who reject Him, however, or who neglect to
believe on Him, thereby continue in their state of rebellion and
must ultimately be consigned to the everlasting fire prepared for
the devil and his angels.
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