Most of us grew up learning that the Earth is a globe. Our textbooks included pictures from outer space showing a curved Earth and diagrams of spherical planets. Most people never even give a second thought to the shape of our planet since they take it as an established fact, similar to how they affirm that the sky is blue.
Yet an increasing number of people, especially among Christians, disagree about the shape of the earth. They believe the earth is flat, and the Bible supports this theory. They claim all pictures of the Earth from space, regardless of the source (such as NASA), are falsified, and they are adamant that the traditional cosmology taught in most schools and churches is wrong. This belief is known as the Flat Earth Theory.
As followers of Jesus, what are we to make of these claims? Does it matter if a Christian affirms such a teaching?
To respond to this increasingly popular theory, propagated mainly online through social media, we must consider the history and biblical teachings supporting a flat earth. Only then can we begin to discern scripture-based teaching from popular theory.
A Brief History of the Flat Earth Theory
Some civilizations in the past believed that the earth was flat, such as the ancient Egyptians and the Mesopotamians. These individuals assumed the world was like a disc with the stars, sun, and moon circling overhead. Hence, we sometimes hear about the old fear of sailing off the world's edge.
The modern resurgence of the Flat Earth Theory, though, stems from the 1950s with the establishment of a group known as The Flat Earth Society. Although small in number, their ideas have increasingly spread because of the internet, primarily through social media. Like many others, this group teaches a different cosmology than what is accepted in the scientific community. According to Britannica, not all groups agree on every point, as some hold to a disc-like model of the earth as the ancient Egyptians taught, while others “envision a world hemmed in by Antarctica (which is believed to extend infinitely in all directions).” Like old views of a flat earth, most modern flat earthers believe in a dome surrounding the earth known as a firmament.
Critics have often pointed to ties between the Flat Earth Theory and Christianity. In the 1800s, Samuel Rowbotham developed an idea of a flat earth with alleged support from Scripture, and is credited with formulating the Zetetic Astronomy system, a system used by modern theorists. Of course, not all adherents are Christian. People can hold this belief regardless of their worldview or religion. However, some have noted that those from a Christian fundamentalist background with a strictly literal approach to Scripture are more prone to believe in a flat earth, as noted by Michael Marshall in an interview with Scientific American. Multiple Christian organizations and teachers have likewise pointed out the rise of this theory among Christians.
Regardless of their background, those who adhere to a flat-earth view are passionate about their beliefs and often have a reason for holding to the theory. With the founding of organizations and official societies, they desire to be engaged logically instead of automatically dismissed.
Does Biblical Truth Support the Flat-Earth Theory?
Some verses used to support the Flat Earth Theory are related to mentioning “the four corners of the earth.” For example, Isaiah 11:12, Revelation 7:1, and Revelation 20:7-8 mention these corners of the world. Obviously, if taken hyper-literally, this description would imply a world that is flat, though notably square.
Yet, if we look at the verses in context, the words are used in a literary sense instead of strictly literally. In Isaiah, the phrase is used to speak of God’s gathering of the dispersed of Judah. Revelation also encompasses this sense of worldwide reach (in all directions) when it mentions angels holding back the wind from the earth or Satan being released to deceive the nations. These verses do not teach us about the planet's shape. Rather, they are used symbolically to convey the global extent of the events mentioned in the verses.
The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness is also used as support by those who believe the world is not round. Since the devil took Christ to a mountain and showed Him the kingdoms of the earth, then flat earth theorists claim that the earth had to be flat in order for all the kingdoms to be seen (Matthew 4:8). If the earth was round, then the offer allegedly would not have been as clear.
The emphasis of the passage, though, is not the shape of the earth. The temptation of Jesus shows His sinlessness and reliance on the Word of God to fight Satan. Nothing in the passage causes us to focus on the location of where the devil takes Christ, whether it was physically or spiritually shown. We diminish the passage’s teaching by forcing it to relate to an issue that is not relevant to Jesus’ temptation.
Problems with the Flat-Earth Theory
One of the major issues, then, with this theory and its promotion within Christian circles is that it is based on an overly literal interpretation of Scripture. Literal interpretation, in the sense of reading the Bible plainly with an acknowledgement of its literary, historical, cultural, and biblical context, is a legitimate way to read Scripture. However, when we follow a wooden interpretation that denies genre and the use of metaphors and idioms, we encounter significant issues.
The Bible does not teach that the earth is flat. Rather, there are multiple verses that are used by flat earth theorists that actually support a spherical earth (Isaiah 40:22; Job 26:10). The book of Job, which is commonly used to argue for the idea of a sky dome, teaches that “[God] spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing” (Job 26:7, NIV).
Likewise, the church’s historical position about the shape of the world does not align with the Flat Earth Theory. Critics often claim that Christianity hindered the development of science, arguing that religion is in opposition to science. Proponents of a flat earth also follow this line of reasoning, arguing that the church upheld a belief in a flat earth. However, the spherical reality of the earth had already been detailed by Greek philosophers, including Aristotle, and people in the church, such as the Venerable Bede and Thomas Aquinas. As the University of Glasgow notes in an article discussing the writings of the saint, ”Bede simply states that the reason for the unequal length of days is due to the globular shape of the earth, thus explaining the three-dimensional nature of the earth and refuting the notion that early medieval people believed that the earth was flat.”
Observational science also contradicts the claims of a flat earth. For example, the existence of gravity, ships sailing on the horizon, lunar eclipses, and the position of the stars are all powerful evidence that the earth is indeed curved and spherical. The natural workings of the earth that God set in place would be impossible if the world were a disc.
Should Christians Believe in the Flat Earth Theory?
Although Scripture, church history, and science do not support the Flat Earth Theory, adherents persist in a passionate belief in the theory. It can be challenging to convince them to waver from their stance since there is often a reason behind their distrust of science or large organizations. Also, the logic used is often different from that which is utilized in support of a globular earth.
For this reason, believers should recognize the need for compassion and discernment when interacting with those who hold to the Flat Earth Theory. We must seek to understand them as individuals and treat them kindly during conversations, instead of dismissing them as “ignorant” or as mere supporters of a conspiracy theory. People are not less human for espousing a certain view of the shape of the earth. Notably, a person’s salvation is also not contingent on whether they believe in a spherical world.
With that in mind, those who feel drawn to a view of a flat earth need to understand that pushing a certain belief onto Scripture is not a valid way of handling God’s Word. Wooden literalism can quickly lead to erroneous beliefs and leave a person vulnerable to false teaching. How we interpret the Bible, the inspired Word of our Lord, matters.
In addition, a person’s witness to others can be affected since the Flat Earth Theory is often associated with certain beliefs and stances. Thus, people may turn away from the gospel because of an individual’s insistence that the earth is flat and will assume that to be a Christian means supporting a certain political party–– which becomes a stumbling block. And the only stumbling block to others should be the natural one of the cross, not anything from our lives (see 1 Corinthians 1:18, 23).
Another danger is to withdraw from those who do not espouse a view of a flat earth, including one’s church community and family. Divisions can occur–especially if someone places their cosmology above Jesus’ teaching on love and unity (John 13:34-35; 17:20-21). Causing such trouble among other believers is not worth it merely to argue for a certain position.
Christians could, in theory, hold to a belief in a flat earth. There are many who do. However, adhering to this theory contradicts historical Christian belief, observational science, and can greatly undermine one’s Christian witness and relationships with others. Thus, it is not a wise or preferrable option for a follower of Jesus.
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