There are some discrepancies between the dating of the life of Noah and Adam from some church fathers, and between what science claims that civilization and humanity began. For example, some church fathers calculate that Noah existed 4,000 BC, and Adam around 6,000 BC yet scientific evidence (carbon-dating, geology, archaeology) dates some civilizations to 40,000 years ago and the migration of humans to the Americas through the Bering Strait to 30,000 years, and some fossil excavations of bones, tools, paintings that are also dated to thousands of years. What are we to make of the discrepancies of the dating between most of the scientific evidence about the dating and what some church fathers have tried to calculate—to note that most of these scientific dating’s use well known scientific techniques and are not “theories” like the theory of evolution for example? I am a Sunday school teacher and am faced with these questions by my students.
The answer
The Holy Bible is inspired by God and is consistent with scientific facts. In all cases when diligent research was conducted, biblical facts were confirmed and corroborated by science. In the argument about the so-called discrepancies between the Holy Bible and science regarding carbon dating of fossils, there is enough doubt cast on this method of assessment. Thus, if the assessment tools are flawed, then so are the results.
Rather than trying to convince your Sunday school students about the superiority of the Holy Bible over faulty scientific claims and doubts, they will benefit more by doing the research themselves. This will be a good lesson for them in learning apologetics and defending their faith while applying critical thinking skills.
