Coming to Terms with Species and Biblical Kinds

There was a big ruckus at the Darwin Ranch recently, but it was nothing new. Just old anger flaring up again. Russell Watchtower of the Ministry of Truth asked Sherwood Tellit for a precise definition of species. Dewey Lye joined in with his definition. Things escalated and Lisa Myworries even had to bring in the Winkie Guards from the property line to settle things down.

Those folks know that the word species is disputed, and there are maybe 300 or so breeds of horses, and those are grouped into five basic types. The same with cats, dogs, etc. Then we have the kinds in creation science.

Wild horses in Mongolia, RGBStock / Stella Bogdanic

Secularists laugh at creationists who are working on the created kinds concept because that's just Bible stuff, not science. Oh, really? Those folks can't nail down a good definition of species. Also, modern taxonomy began with Linnaeus, a creationist. In his early days, he believed in the "fixity of species" where there was no appreciable change in living things, but he changed his mind later.

Creationists are developing baraminology, the study of the biblical kinds. There are several views in development, but being biblical creationists, they want their definitions and models to be consistent with the Bible. Also, since kinds are similar (but not limited) to the standard family level, there are species above and below it. The biblical model gives us a better framework where we can work. Secular scientists should declare their independence from anti-creation thinking.

“How could Noah fit all the species on the Ark?” Ever heard that skeptical question before? Turns out, it’s the wrong question to ask because it confuses the term species with the more biblical term kind. So, what’s the difference? The answer is: it’s complicated.

To read it all, see "Kind, Species, and What’s in a Name?" For those who want more technical information, click on "Creation Science and Studies of Baraminology."