Flat Earth?
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, April 23, 2026 (Donate)
The flat earth view is a failed hypothesis on several fronts. It
should be rejected as a misreading of
Scripture (and also via scientific means). A biblical perspective, when interpreted consistently and
contextually, doesn’t teach a flat earth.
Brief History Of The Flat Earth Movement
The idea of a flat earth is often assumed to be ancient and
widespread, but historically that is misleading. In the ancient world, many
early cultures had cosmologies that could be described as “flat,” yet by the
time of classical Greek scholarship, a spherical earth was already well
established.
Thinkers like Pythagoras and Aristotle argued for a globe
based on observations such as lunar eclipses and changing star positions. By
around 240 BC, Eratosthenes even calculated the earth’s circumference with
surprising accuracy.[1]
During the Middle Ages, contrary to popular myth, educated
Europeans generally accepted a spherical earth.[2]
For instance, Christian scholars, including Thomas Aquinas, worked within this
framework. The idea that medieval Christians widely believed in a flat earth
was largely a later invention, popularized in the 19th century by Washington
Irving in his fictional book, “A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher
Columbus” in 1828.
The modern flat earth movement began in the 1800s with Samuel
Rowbotham, who promoted “Zetetic Astronomy,” claiming the earth was a flat
disk. His ideas gained a small following and were later organized into groups
like the Universal Zetetic Society.[3]
In the 20th century, flat earth beliefs persisted
on the fringe, notably through the Flat Earth Society, founded by Samuel
Shenton in 1956. Interest declined after the space age provided clear
photographic evidence of a spherical earth.
However, the movement saw a resurgence in the 21st
century, largely due to social media. Online platforms allowed communities to
form around conspiracy-based interpretations, often rejecting mainstream Christian
views. Today’s flat earth movement is less about historical or scientific
inquiry and more tied to distrust of authority and alternative
worldviews.
While ancient ideas varied, belief in a spherical earth has largely
dominated educated thought for over two millennia especially by Christians, and
the modern flat earth movement is a relatively recent and fringe development.
Biblical Problems
To start, there are no flat earth Bible verses. That doesn’t
mean that flat earth adherents don’t throw many out there, but when viewed in context,
the language, and obvious meaning, these verses evaporate in their alleged
support for a flat earth. From here, I want to look at some of the common Bible
passages used in this debate.
To understand them, one needs to realize that the Bible often
uses phenomenological language—describing things as they appear to human
observers. This is the same way people today speak of the “sun rising” or
“setting,” even though we understand the earth rotates. Such language isn’t
intended to give technical scientific descriptions but to communicate truth in everyday
terms.
Flat earth interpretations often take poetic or
observational phrases in a wooden literal sense, ignoring genre and context. That
isn’t a good hermeneutic
(i.e., interpretation of Scripture) since they are used out of context.
For example, some point to “the four corners of the earth”
as proof of a flat shape. However, this is clearly idiomatic, referring to the
entirety of the earth, not its geometry. Isaiah 11:12 (NKJV) states:
“He will set up a banner for the
nations, And will assemble the outcasts of Israel, And gather together the
dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.”
This phrase is best understood as meaning “from all four directions”
or “the whole world,” much like we say “the four corners of the globe” today.
Consider also that Scripture has passages that are more
consistent with a spherical earth than a flat one. Isaiah 40:22 (NKJV) says:
“It is He who sits above the circle
of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the
heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.”
The Hebrew word for “circle” (chug) is referring to
something round or spherical. While not a technical scientific statement, it
certainly doesn’t support a flat, disk-shaped earth and is more compatible with
a round one.
The Bible describes the earth as suspended in space, not
resting on a physical foundation as flat earth models often suggest. Job 26:7
(NKJV) declares:
“He stretches out the north over
empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.”
This is remarkably consistent with the modern confirmation
of the earth floating in space, not sitting on pillars or a solid base. While
Scripture elsewhere uses figurative language like “pillars of the earth,” those
passages are poetic and symbolic, emphasizing stability or general foundation rather
than structure.
Flat earth interpretations often misunderstand the
“firmament” in Genesis 1. The Hebrew word raqia refers to an expanse or
stretched-out space, not a solid dome. Genesis 1:6-7 (NKJV) says:
“Then God said, ‘Let there be a
firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the
waters.’ Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under
the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.”
This “expanse” is the sky including the atmosphere
(and beyond), not a hard barrier. Psalm 19:1 (NKJV) reinforces this:
“The heavens declare the glory of
God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.”
This aligns with an open, vast heavens rather than a closed
dome enclosing a flat earth.
Scripture teaches that God created an orderly, lawful
universe that can be studied and understood. The consistency of nature (Genesis
8:22) goes hand in hand with the reliability of observation and investigation.
Genesis 8:22 (NKJV) says:
“While the earth remains, Seedtime
and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not
cease.”
Modern observations—such as circumnavigation, satellite
imagery, time zones, and the behavior of gravity—are consistent with a
spherical earth (more on this in a moment). Since God is a God of truth (John
14:6), His creation will not ultimately contradict accurate observation when
properly understood.
Finally, promoting flat earth ideas can harm the individual Christian’s
witness. It can give the impression that Christians reject clear evidence and
misinterpret Scripture, which may become a stumbling block to unbelievers. Nevertheless,
the Holy Spirit can convict people regardless of man’s errors (1 Corinthians
12:3). The issue isn’t the authority of Scripture, which is upheld, but the proper
interpretation of it. Thus, from a biblical viewpoint:
• The Bible uses observational and
poetic language, not technical scientific descriptions.
• Idioms like “four corners” refer to extent, not shape.
• Passages like Isaiah 40:22 and Job 26:7 are consistent with a round,
suspended earth.
• The “firmament” is an expanse, not a solid dome.
• God’s orderly creation allows for consistent observation, which aligns with a
spherical earth.
The flat earth view is simply not supported by a sound
reading of the 66 books of the Bible and is considered a misunderstanding of
Scripture rather than a faithful interpretation.
Scientific Problems
If we set Scripture aside for the moment (which is
sufficient to refute a flat earth concept) and look strictly at observable
reality, three arguments stand out as especially decisive against a flat earth:
First, global circumnavigation and consistent travel routes.
I have a friend, “Rocket Rob” Webb who is a rocket scientist who has worked on
GPS. It operates on a global—not flat—positioning system.
People have been traveling completely around the earth for
centuries—by sea and by air—returning to their starting point without ever
encountering an edge. Commercial airlines today routinely fly long-distance
routes that only make sense on a spherical earth (for example, curved
great-circle paths between continents).
Navigation systems, flight times, and fuel calculations all
work precisely because the earth is a globe. A flat earth model can’t
coherently explain why these routes consistently function in real-world
practice without contradiction.
Second, time zones, seasons, and the movement of the sun. On
a spherical earth tilted on its axis, the sun illuminates different regions at
different times, producing time zones and predictable day/night cycles. My wife
is from Australia and I’ve been Down Under a few times. I could call
home when the sun bright and talk to people in the States when it’s darkest
night!
It also explains seasons: when one hemisphere is tilted
toward the sun, it experiences summer, while the other experiences winter. On a
flat earth, it becomes extremely difficult to explain why daylight varies so
precisely across the globe, why polar regions have extended daylight or
darkness, or why seasons are opposite between the northern and southern
hemispheres. The observed patterns match a globe perfectly and resist any
consistent flat earth explanation.
Third, direct observation from space and high altitude,
combined with gravity. This should be obvious. Satellites, Christian astronauts,
the International Space Station, and high-altitude balloons provide continuous
visual confirmation of a curved earth.
Satellite technology (GPS, weather forecasting,
communications) depends on orbital mechanics that only work with a spherical
earth and gravity acting toward a center of mass. Gravity itself pulls objects
toward the center of the earth, naturally forming a sphere.
A flat earth would require an entirely different, unobserved
force to explain why objects fall downward uniformly and why large bodies in
space (planets, stars) are consistently spherical. So gravity itself wouldn’t
be a cogent force in a flat earth scenario—if they were consistent.
Together, these three lines of evidence—global travel,
predictable time/seasonal systems, and direct observation supported by
gravity—form a confirming case to what we gather form Scripture. Each can be
used independently to refute a flat earth model, but combined, form a powerful
devasting response to flat earth because they all have the same conclusion: the
earth is a globe.
If anyone reading this has been caught up in the flat earth movement,
I want to encourage you to reconsider those beliefs. I also want invite you to trust
what the Bible says in context and that includes the Gospel
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Recommended research sources to get you started (with caveats that not all of these are Christian):
- Russell, J. B. (1991). Inventing the flat earth: Columbus and modern historians. Praeger.
- Faulkner, D. (2017). The flat earth movement. Answers in Genesis. https://answersingenesis.org/astronomy/earth/the-flat-earth-movement/
- Catchpoole, D. (2019). Flat earth? Creation Ministries International. https://creation.com/flat-earth
- Garwood, C. (2007). Flat earth: The history of an infamous idea. Thomas Dunne Books.
- Hannam, J. (2009). God’s philosophers: How the medieval world laid the foundations of modern science. Icon Books.
- Grant, E. (1996). The foundations of modern science in the Middle Ages: Their religious, institutional, and intellectual contexts. Cambridge University Press.
- Eratosthenes. (as cited in Cleomedes). (2004). Cleomedes’ lectures on astronomy: A translation of The heavens (A. C. Bowen & R. B. Todd, Trans.). University of California Press.
- Kaplan, E. D., & Hegarty, C. J. (2006). Understanding GPS: Principles and applications (2nd ed.). Artech House.
Bodie Hodge, Ken
Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing
evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as
a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers
News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie
launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal
website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken
on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a
Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a
Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and
running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic
materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a
grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar,
Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science
was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one
year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and
scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over
25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.
[1] Aristotle.
(1984). The complete works of Aristotle (J. Barnes, Ed.). Princeton University
Press; Eratosthenes. (as cited in Cleomedes). (2004). Cleomedes’ lectures on
astronomy: A translation of The heavens (A. C. Bowen & R. B. Todd, Trans.).
University of California Press.
[2] Russell,
J. B. (1991). Inventing the flat earth: Columbus and modern historians.
Praeger; Hannam, J. (2009). God’s philosophers: How the medieval world laid the
foundations of modern science. Icon Books; Grant, E. (1996). The foundations of
modern science in the Middle Ages: Their religious, institutional, and
intellectual contexts. Cambridge University Press.
[3]
Samuel Rowbotham, Zetetic Astronomy: Earth Not a Globe. (1865). London:
Simpkin, Marshall, & Co.
