On their comment on science, the CTCR recently put out a study on the topic - "In Christ All Things Hold Together: The Intersection of Science & Christian Theology". I have a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences, and my son has a Ph.D. in Astrophysics. We have both read through the study and highly recommend it. However, I would guess the authors of "A Call for Discussion" have already rejected it.
Harry - what do the atmospheric sciences and astrophysics suggest about the age of the earth?
Atmospheric Sciences really does not address the age of the earth. I was speaking more as a scientist on the issue of the CTCR report in general rather than the question of the age of the earth. My son would state that one interpretation the observations of astrophysics is a universe that is billions of years old. However, God could have created the universe much earlier than that, and the consistent physics would make it look older than it is due to its size.
Both my son and I hold to a literal 24 hour six day creation as recorded and attested to throughout the Scriptures, along with a actual Adam and Eve. As with the LCMS we do not state explicitly how old the earth is since the Scriptures do not say. The CTCR report does an excellent job of describing how both of us hold in tension the objective Scriptural truth with the observations of science. Scientific theories and observations can change with time. God's truth revealled in Scripture does not.