What is at stake in this debate?  What if one side or the other is found to be true?  Why is there so much passion about this issue?  At least one major reason would be the ongoing debate over the origin of life on earth.  If you ask most people today who argue for an evolutionary origin of life, they will point immediately to the geologic and fossil record for evidence of long periods of time and the transitions of one organism to another.  If the geologic and fossil record are in fact the product of a global flood, then this line of reasoning is radically changed.  So the debate rages on.

So how can this debate be resolved?  As with most debates centering around physical evidence, it probably cannot ever be fully resolved because new physical evidence (seemingly supporting one side or both) will continue to be found and written up.  But what side seems to have the most authoritative and reliable evidence backed up by sound interpretation of that evidence?  That is the question you must settle.  The clear thinking person will admit their bias, consider new evidence carefully, and always be pursuing the truth where it may be found.