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The Beginning
Genesis 1-3: A Study of Origins
Part 17 – Starlight and a Young Universe
 One of the classic arguments against a young universe is that of starlight. The argument
goes something like this: If we know that some stars are such great distances away that the
light we see now must have left millions or billions of years ago, then those stars must be at
least millions or billions of years old. A star that is millions or billions of years old is
incompatible with the biblical understanding of a young universe.
 How should Christians approach questions like this?
1. What does the Bible clearly teach?
Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the
night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights
in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. God made the two great
lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; {He made} the
stars also. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to
govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it
was good. There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. – Genesis 1:14-19
It is clear from Scripture that the luminaries created on Day 4 were actually seen on
Day 4, because the divine purpose for creating them (separation, markers, provide
light) requires them to be seen to fulfill their purpose (vv. 14-18)
2. What is the evidence from science?
o Light travels 186,282 miles per second
o Stars are so far away, scientists often measure their distances in "light years"
instead of miles or kilometers
o 1 light year is the distance light can travel in one year, or 6 trillion miles
(6,000,000,000,000 miles)
o Because stars are so far from the earth, it takes time for the light they emit to
reach the earth. For example, the sun is about 93 million miles away. So the light
we see on earth now actually "left" the sun about 8 ½ minutes ago
o Scientists have measured distances to stars and galaxies that range from 4.3 light
years (the closest star) to over 27 billion light years away!
3. What assumptions or presuppositions have scientists made?
o Unlike ways in which we measure distances on the earth (ruler, measuring tape,
odometer, lasers/radar/GPS, etc.), measuring the distance to stars and galaxies is
one of estimation, not actual measurement.
o The method used to calculate close stars (within about 400 light years) is called
"triangulation" or "parallax". It is fairly accurate, and based upon known distances
(the diameter of the earth's orbit around the sun) and simple trigonometry
o However, techniques used to measure stars beyond 400 light years away are based
upon many non-verifiable assumptions, some of which are incompatible with the
biblical doctrine of creation (for example, the normal "life cycle" of a star).
Furthermore, as with geology, these techniques assume certain uniformitarian
qualities which may be true, but cannot be verified
o While many of these methods can be tested against each other to help rule out
mistakes and inaccuracies, they none-the-less remain suspect because of the many
unverifiable assumptions they rest upon
o So even coming to this often-asked question about starlight, we must assume for
the moment that the great distances scientists have calculated are indeed
accurate
4. What does the Bible say is the believer's responsibility in answering a question like
this? How should believers think about this rightly?
o As believers, we do not NEED to answer this question. In fact, we do not need to
answer any question apart from what God has revealed to us in the Scriptures
(that is, if we really believe in the sufficiency of the Scriptures). The fact that
the Bible has stated both that the stars were created on Day 4 and that the
universe is only a few thousand years old is absolutely true, regardless of whether
or not creation scientists can offer a "scientific" explanation (cf. Rom. 3:4)
o The creation week, by definition, is a supernatural, miraculous, not-able-to-berepeated event. The primary purpose of the week is to show the infinite
greatness, glory, power, and wisdom of God the Creator. What seems to be a
cosmological "problem" for us is not a problem in the least for God. And "chalking
up" this supposed problem to the miraculous hand of God is no less valid than
stating that the resurrection is a miraculous event, even though we cannot
scientifically understand how a man who was dead for three days can come back to
life. Indeed, that was the divine intent of the Cross and may be the intent of
much of the questions we have about the creation week (see Acts 2:24, 32, 3:15,
4:10, 5:30, 10:40, 13:30-37)
o So there is a fine line that we must walk: the line between the miraculous nature of
the creation week, designed to show the greatness and glory of God which we mere
people cannot even fathom, AND the desire to grow in our understanding of the
creation God has made through science, by using the minds and abilities He has
given us so that we might glorify Him all the more
5. Thoughts & Possible Solutions
o God created a fully-functional universe, including "mature" plants, animals, and
people. It is clear from Scripture that the luminaries created on Day 4 were
actually seen on Day 4, because the divine purpose for creating them (separation,
markers, provide light) requires them to be seen to fulfill their purpose (vv. 14-18)
This requires a complete rejection of Big Bang cosmology on the formation
of the stars AND calls into question the modern understanding of the socalled "life cycle" of stars
 While it is difficult to picture, if the stars are indeed as far away as modern
calculations states, God created the luminaries in such a way that their light
was seen on the earth immediately following their creation
o The creation was radically changed both at the Fall (Gen. 3:7-19) and at the Flood
(Gen. 7:11-12). The Bible mentions some of those changes (death, weeds, pain in
childbirth, etc.), but no doubt there are other changes and implications which could
explain some of the difficulties of an issue like this
o Our modern understanding of light and how it behaves still leaves us with many
unanswered questions. It is possible that this supposed "problem" will disappear as
a greater understanding of light itself is gained
o Assuming that the distances are correct and our understanding of light is correct,
there are currently three proposed solutions:
1. Curved Space Theory – This older solution, which is hard to explain and
probably not likely, understands that light travels through deep space in
curved paths. The results are much smaller time frames (only in the
hundreds of years) needed for light from the most distant sources to
reach earth
2. The Speed of Light has Changed – This solution understands the speed of
light to have been considerably faster in the past. While there are
widespread implications and some difficulties, current research suggests
that it is at least a possibility
3. Time Relativity – This is the most recent solution, published by ICR
scientist Dr. Russ Humphreys. If his model of the universe is correct,
then time goes "faster" the farther away from earth an object is
(especially during the creation week). Because of this, light from stars
that are light years away have "more time" to travel the great distances
to earth while "less time" is passing on earth.
