>So, the Bible says Heaven and Earth, and then the Sun and the moon and the stars.

It's not quite that simple. Note the use of the word 'created' in the first verse, and thereafter the word 'made' is used. Then note in Exodus 20:11 how it says 'For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth...' So, one explanation is that all was 'created' in the beginning, and subsequently was acted upon to form the universe in its ultimate form.

No one has mentioned that 'light' was created in Gen 1:3 (and was called 'day' in v5). Does photosynthesis require sunlight or just plain light? :) I'm sure you know the answer. So, what's going on? The following is quoted from the book "Genesis and the Big Bang," which I mentioned earlier in this thread...

"Prior to the appearance of abundant plant life, the Earth's atmosphere was probably clouded with vapors of the primeval atmosphere...[similar to Venus?]...There was light on the third day, in the sense that the atmospheric vapors transmitted radiant energy. The atmosphere was translucent, not transparent. Therefore, individual luminaries were not distinguishable. It was this diffuse light that provided energy for the initial plant life...The early plant life actually helped clear the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis, which removed carbon and nitrogen compounds from the atmosphere and incorporated them into celluar material. As these biologically driven reactions proceeded, the Sun, Moon, and stars, already visible in the firmament, became visible on Earth as individual sources of light. That Genesis 1:14-18 is describing this event from an earthly viewpoint is made clear by the reference to the Moon as a great luminary (Gen. 1:16). The Earth is the only celestial body close enough to the Moon to see the Moon as a great luminary."

Not only does this fit the Biblical description, but it fits beautifully.

And again, the Sun was not said to be 'created' on the fourth day. In fact, it could be read that the Sun was "made [as in 'appointed']...to govern the day."

I think that science and Christianity can be compatible - God created a world that follows certain physical laws. However, if you go back far enough, at some point the physical laws as we know them do not explain the events (ie, perhaps how matter was created from nothing). What is your explanation for that? :)