          Some Notes on the Creation - Evolution Debate (Notes from a Sunday School Class at Faith Evangelical Free Church, Fort Collins Colorado - June 1997)
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To the extent that we correctly interpret the meaning of Scripture, and to the extent that science correctly describes the created universe, there can be no conflict between the two. Both are describing a single reality that God created. The apparent conflicts arise from our incomplete understanding of Scripture, science or both. As Christians, we do not need to fear the discoveries of science. Psalm 19:1-4a (NIV)
Scripture does not change but our interpretation of it may. We believe that Scripture is God’s infallible and inerrant revelation to man. It is not a science text book but nevertheless, where it does speak, it speaks authoritatively and without error. This does not mean, however, that our interpretation of scripture is always correct. Much of the religious conflict that has existed in the past and exists today is a result of differences of interpretation of parts of Scripture. To the extent that we understand what God is really saying to us through scripture, we are interpreting it correctly. Not all interpretations are correct and our challenge is to understand and interpret Scripture correctly.
Science continually changes as our knowledge of the physical world changes. Science is a method used by man to understand and explain structure and workings of the physical universe. One way of looking at science is as a collection of facts which are organized and arranged by an overlying theory or set of principles. A scientific theory (or hypothesis) attempts to explain a given collection of facts and makes predictions about the existence of facts, which have not yet been observed. Experiments are designed to see if these predictions are actually true. As more and more predictions are made and new facts are discovered, the theory gets stronger if its predictions are supported by the newly discovered facts. This process is often referred to as the scientific method. Over time, as more facts are discovered, some facts do not fit the predictions of the theory. If enough of these facts accumulate, a new theory may be proposed which can explain these new facts as well as the old facts that supported the original theory (e.g. Newtonian Mechanics vs. Special Relativity). ‘Good’ theories are able to predict accurately the results of future experiments. ‘Bad’ theories either make incorrect predictions or no predictions at all (i.e. the theory is not falsifiable). The ‘facts’ of science are seldom in dispute but very often the overlying theory is hotly debated. Scientific theories are separate from the facts that support them. Theories are more than simply a way to organize facts, they often embody the philosophy and world view of the scientist(s) who hold them.
Throughout history, there has always been a conflict between those who believe in God and those who do not. The origin of the observed beauty and complexity of the world and of living things seems to suggest an intelligent creator. This suggestion can be very unsettling to people who do not believe in God. Darwin’s theory seemed to provide a possible explanation for the origin and diversity of life on earth without the need for an intelligent creator. Thus, this theory was very attractive to people who either rejected the idea of God’s existence or felt that if He existed, He was no longer directly involved in His creation.
The key tenets of evolution as it is taught today are: · Life on earth originated from a chance combination of non-living chemicals in the distant past. · As living organisms reproduce, their offspring exhibit small random variations (mutations) in succeeding generations. · Organisms possessing beneficial variations are more likely to survive and pass these variations on to their offspring and thus crowd out organisms with less beneficial variations. This is often called natural selection with survival of the fittest. · The variety and apparent design that is observed in living organisms is result of natural selection operating over long time periods on purely random and purposeless variations. The challenge faced by the proponents of evolution is to explain how complex organisms came into being through a series of individual small steps, each of which provides a survival benefit for the organism.
The key tenet of creationism is: · Life is the product of intelligent design. It did not arise spontaneously from non-living chemicals. Some creationists believe that each species was created specially, others believe that major groups were created and there was some (micro) evolution from there to account for variation within the group. Not all creationists believe in God or the Genesis account of creation. Some creationists believe that God created the earth is 7 literal 24 hour days and that the universe is young (7-10 thousand years) Other creationists believe that God created the universe over a long time period (billions of years) and that this is consistent with the Genesis account of creation.
Evolution is the dominant ‘origins’ myth of the 20th century. Many people today, equate science with naturalism. They believe to postulate a ‘cause’ that is beyond the scope of science is ‘unscientific’. Some go farther and insist anything that they view as beyond the scope of science either does not exist or is irrelevant. The above view is actually inconsistent with the way science is used today: · SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) – use science and statistics to look for patterns in cosmic radio emissions that give evidence of intelligent rather than ‘natural’ origin. · Archeology – Scientists examine artifacts to determine whether they were ‘man made’ or the result of natural processes. Although science does not claim to provide knowledge about the intent of a designer, it can be used to evaluate evidence of intelligent design. Much of what is advertised as ‘science’ is actually philosophy or the religion of naturalism. Although philosophical naturalism is often advertised as science, it is itself, not subject to the scientific method. Although many people reject ‘evidence of design’ arguments for creation, they reject them on philosophical grounds. Their proposed alternatives to design rest on a faith in naturalism rather than empirical evidence.
Given the overwhelming evidence for design, it probably requires more faith to be an evolutionist that a creationist.
The ‘Big Bang’ was the beginning of both space and time according to the most recent theories. Current theories also predict an end to the universe. Many scientists (including Hawking) who are philosophical naturalists find these predictions unsettling and they go to great lengths to postulate additional mechanisms that avoid the ‘problem’ of a beginning and an end. 2 Peter 3:1-12 (NIV) Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this `coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
The machinery of cells demonstrates irreducible complexity. There is not enough time (even assuming a universe that is billions of years old) for life to have assembled itself as a result of random processes. Note that when Darwin proposed his theory, the living cell was a ‘black box’ or a lump of protoplasm. The intricate detail of the design of life was only recently discovered. (E.g. The structure of DNA was discovered in the1950’s.) The genetic code would be considered evidence of intelligent design in any other field of science.
Darwin, when he proposed his theory was confident that the fossil record would show the truth of his theory. We now have a great deal more fossil evidence available than Darwin did and this evidence supports creation more than it does evolution.
Although evolutionists believe that life arose by a series of random events without design of any kind, most of their literature uses words that imply design, direction and intent. Some even go to great lengths to explain that although they use these words, they really mean random chance. It appears that even people who have rejected the idea of God find it difficult to reconcile that rejection mentally and emotionally with what they observe in the ‘real world’. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV) He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Science can provide evidence but each individual must decide for himself what that evidence means. God does not force His will upon us – He has given each of us the opportunity to decide for ourselves. You don’t have to check your brain at the door in order to believe that the universe, life and each of us was created for a purpose: Romans 1:18-23 (NIV) The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. According to Philip Johnson (Darwin on Trial, p.169): Darwinian evolution with its blind watchmaker thesis makes me think of a great battleship on the ocean of reality. Its sides are heavily armored with philosophical barriers to criticism, and its decks are stacked with big rhetorical guns ready to intimidate any would-be attackers. In appearance, it is impregnable as the Soviet Union seemed to be only a few years ago. But the ship has sprung a metaphysical leak, and the more perceptive of the ship’s officers have begun to sense that all the ship’s firepower cannot save it if the leak is not plugged. There will be heroic efforts to save the ship, of course, and some plausible rescuers will invite the officers to take refuge in electronic lifeboats equipped with high-tech gear like autocatalytic sets and computer models of self-organizing systems. The spectacle will be fascinating, and the battle will go on for a long time. But in the end reality will win.
Michael Behe, Darwin’s Black Box, 1996, The Free Press (A division of Simon & Schuster Inc.) New York, NY. Michael Denton, Evolution: a Theory in Crisis, 1985, Adler & Adler, Bethesda, MD. Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time, 1988, Bantam Books, New York, NY. Phillip Johnson, Darwin on Trial, 1993, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. J. P. Moreland, editor, The Creation Hypothesis, 1994, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. Hugh Ross, The Creator and the Cosmos, 1995, NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. Reasons to Believe home page (Dr. Hugh Ross): http://www.reasons.org/
Genesis 1:1 (NIV) 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Psalm 19:1-4a (NIV) 1 The heavens declare the glory of
God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV) 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Romans 1:18-23 (NIV) 18 The wrath of God is being
revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of
men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, Hebrews 11:3 (NIV) 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 2 Peter 3:1-12 (NIV) 1 Dear friends, this is now my
second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to
stimulate you to wholesome thinking.
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