Following in the Footsteps of the Christians of the First Century

My friend is a Young Earth Creationist  
(who believes God created the world 6000 years ago).  
He knows I am an Old Earther who believes in the Big Bang theory, with God as the Great Cause behind it all.  
 
He says to me, "Give me one Biblical reason for preferring the Big Bang over Genesis, chapter one."  
I replied with one word: evangelism.  
People today have been taught that the universe is 13.8 billion years old.  
With the world coming into existence about 4.6 billion years ago.  
So telling them that the Earth/Universe are both 6,000 years old is a non-starter.  
They won't accept it - it is a stumbling block to their being evangelized !!!  
 
Then my friend objects, saying, "I asked for a BIBLICAL reason."  
My reply: yes, and I gave you a Biblical reason.  
For in the first century, the early Christians forsook parts of the Law of Moses on the basis of evangelism --  
saying that evangelizing required the putting aside of "stumbling block" passages (Book of Acts 15.1, 24-29).

So our putting evangelization first today is one way to imitate the Church Fathers' example, ok ??  (In line with Acts 15.)
 
He replied, "Well, yes, circumcision was required in the 'Law of Moses,' and was put aside because Gentile converts, or potential converts were turned off by the thought of it."  
 
But then he surprised me by saying, "Genesis chapter one wasn't put aside back then.  
So why should we abandon it today ??"  
 
I replied with feigned shock at his question.  
Of course it wasn't put aside back then.  
For Genesis One wasn't a problem in the first century.  
For nobody had any idea that the Earth was anywhere close to a million years old, much less 4.7 billion years old.  
 
But today things are different.  
Genesis One, with its quaint "6 days" Creation Week, is totally unrealistic to the average person.  
Our asking would-be converts to buy into Genesis One would be like Christians of the first century
 requiring converts to be circumcized not just one time but a DOZEN times !!!  
 
My friend wasn't impressed by my hyperbole or exaggeration.  
But actually i wasn't exaggerating.  
I meant what I said: Circumcision a dozen times !!!  
That's how bad Genesis One appears to today's educated John Doe.  
If we're serious about evangelizing the lost,  
we need to take that revulsion into consideration.  
And if we can't empathize with the lost,  
this = a sign that we're not serious about saving souls,  
only "playing Church," only going thru the motions.