The explanation I received at the Seminary was the following:
The old testament early books are oral tradition and were not written down for generations. The creation story was revealed to an unknown person in the form of a dream.
God revealed big bang, solar system formation, molten to water earth, Ordovician oxygen expulsion, evolution and maybe some things we don't yet know, in pictures in the dream. The receiver(s) of the dream tried to make sense of the dream.
The story evolved with oral telling and what is now written has the sense of being right (let there be light.....bang) but has many flaws.
Of course the logical conclusion is that all of the Bible can then be 'interpreted' and need not be literal but that of course depends on which version of Christianity you are looking at.
