Why doesn't the bible mention dinosaurs?

Working with a patient today, the conversation somehow turned to religion, it has a habit of doing that with me, and he asked me if I was Catholic. I told him no, I was Orthodox and he jokingly said, that makes sense since you have that bald spot on top. I said that my “tonsure” must have been God’s way of setting me up to be a priest. We chuckled, and he became very serious. “I have a question for you.” My antenna went up, because something like this usually precedes a seminal question that has been a stumbling block for a person’s faith. He continued, “Why doesn’t the bible talk about the cavemen and dinosaurs?” Sharing this with my wife later, she said that that was a question she had when she was little.

Questions like this, however, are completely valid. They sadly represent the lack of theological understanding many Christians have; I’ve seen this time and again whether they’re Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelical, Baptist, you name it. Without getting on my soapbox, it is the responsibility of all Christians to understand their faith, and moreover, for those with the calling to teach, to understand and teach, not just preach.

Back to the question, I told him that the bible does not talk about cavemen and dinosaurs for the same reason it does not talk about llamas, emu, or condors; the bible is the Word of God through which He shows us His heart, mind, love, and desires for us. It is not a comprehensive, encyclopedic history of the world; it is the story of His creation, love for us, and illustration of the path we must take to draw near to Him, and that is through submission to and emulation of Christ. The bible was written for us, so that we can understand the Father; it is not a history of the earth. Man was given dominion over all creation, “…fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1.28) The bible is written for us as a guide to worship and discipleship, we are above all creatures so they need not be enumerated.

Seeing the ponderous look on his face, I knew what his response was going to be. “How come every time I’ve asked that question in church, no one has the answer?” “I don’t know,” I told him, “too many people feel defensive about their faith and give weak answers. We have to be bold in proclaiming, and understanding our faith.” He thanked me, and then reached out and kissed my hand. “That means something, you know.” I certainly do.