I think one thing that might be helpful is to continue thinking along the line posited by T_aquaticus.
I want to throw out a few of my own thoughts without connecting them to RTB’s particular model… although they may be identical, I don’t want to have to fact check first to throw the ideas out here.
If we are starting with an Old Earth (I really don’t like this term) Creation model (I prefer progressive creation model), then the uninitiated need to understand several things about this.
- God created some organisms by fiat. (I do not know which ones.)
- God allows creation to continue through secondary causes which encompass adaptations and capacities for diversification built into living systems and some level of genomic plasticity.
- Much of evolution theory will overlap with creations that continue through secondary causes.
- God created progressively, in the sense that he was preparing Earth for sustaining thriving, advanced human communities. (microbial life precedes more complex life, photosynthetic life precedes oxygen respiration, creation of modern humans (A&E) ends God’s creation of kinds by fiat and leaves only continuing creation through secondary causes, adaptations and diversification.)
- He created ecosystems, not isolated individual organisms.
- Created kinds may only be able to be determined by examining extensive genetic relationships across entire genomes and comparing multiple different kinds of organisms simultaneously. (We do not have the data or computing power to do these types of comprehensive comparisons yet.)
- A “God did it” answer is not a scientific answer BUT it is an answer that can be consistent with scientific data based in rigorous human reasoning. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, this does not need to stifle scientific inquiry at all.
- I think the universality of the DNA code and roughly 20 canonical amino acids is intentional on the Creator’s part… because of his intent for humanity to steward and care for creation in all the technical ways we might be able to do so as science continues to advance our understanding.
- Most science can be done without any commitment to a LUCA or Darwinian-modified connections of origins of all of life to common ancestors.
- Asking where a fossil fits in a tree may be interesting, but I would argue, at least on one level, maybe not all that interesting.
- It might be far more fascinating to understand for example how similar yeast and fish and human proteins function similarly and differently. I don’t need any concept of any possible hierarchical historical account to ask relevant functional questions, or to be able to detect similarly designed proteins, regulatory elements, physiological or metabolic processes. And identifying these similarities AND differences are CRITICAL to steward creation well.
This is a start. Just to give you all something to think about from a progressive creationist model. I am willing to engage and want to when I can, but I’m not going to put out a billion little fires and I’m not going to try to defend this model on the basis of another model.
I think it’s helpful to remember there are a variety of (creation and non-creation) models for origins. There will be overlap between most models in some areas. Created kinds would be an overlap, but with far different outcomes perhaps, between YEC and OEC models. There is overlap between YEC and evolutionary models (perhaps in historical origin relationships of Homo hominids). And there are overlaps between OEC and evolutionary models (speciation, for example)… and yes, even some that would be contained in all three types, no doubt (e.g. microevolution, microbial evolution, molecular adaptations, epigenetic modifications, etc.).
I hope this doesn’t bring more confusion than clarity.