Recently I wound
down a long-running discussion with a theistic evolutionist. He claimed
deciding whether God intervened along the geological timeline periodically (a
creationist view) or whether God created a fully
gifted creation at the beginning and endowed it with freedom to form the
present multiplicity of species (an evolutionist view) did not really matter to
him. God is the Creator of all things in either case, he declared.
Theistic evolution
is now also termed evolutionary creation.
It is the belief of roughly 32% of our US population. At one level of
understanding, recognition that God is the Creator of all things is an
important theological truth. Properly understanding how God accomplished his work of creation, however, may be regarded
as a worthwhile concern, notwithstanding my friend’s claim that it does not
matter.
Theistic
evolutionists believe in all the provisions of evolutionary belief, including
the descent of all living things from a common ancestor. This would include
what is commonly known as “molecules to man” evolution. Man evolved, therefore.
He was not created according to the
ordinary definition of the meaning of create.
God is the creator of all things
at the beginning of time, theistic evolutionists say, but He built into
creation the capability of ultimately generating today’s complex assemblage of
millions of different life forms by evolutionary processes. While God sustains
the existence of all things from moment to moment, theistic evolutionists do not
believe instant creation of new life forms occurs along the timeline of earth
history.
Young earth
creationists comprise about 46% of the US population. They believe the entire
cosmos and all life forms were instantly created less than 10,000 years ago. Each
time the age of the earth and universe is pegged as millions of years in
connection with news of a natural event, a substantial segment of the population
does not assent. Recently we have discussed the “once in a century” meteor which
exploded over Russia. It was reported the meteor was “the same age as the Solar
System--approximately 4.5 billion years old.” A few days later convincing
remnant evidence of the Iowa asteroid impact crater was publicized as striking
earth 450 million years ago. Nearly half of the US population rejects these
ages.
There are two other
popular belief systems concerning origins among the remaining 22% of our
population. Relatively few creationists call themselves old earth creationists,
including “day-age” or “progressive” creationists. There are other variations
of old earth creationist positions, such as the framework view and the formerly
popular gap theory. While old earth believers accept the scientific evidence
for a very old universe and a 4.5 billion year old Solar System, they
nevertheless believe God intervened to create life at intervals along earth’s
long history. When creationist beliefs are discussed, old earth creationists do
not receive as much negative publicity as do young earth creationists.
Evolutionists find old earth creationists more difficult to denigrate because
most old earth beliefs are positioned closer to the discoveries of mainstream
science.
The final members of
this origins panel, but by far the smallest of the four groups, are naturalistic
or secular evolutionists. In an article in Rich Deem’s godandscience.org
website, secular evolutionists “see the whole of existence as purely material
with ‘matter’ as eternally existent and all
life coming into being by accident over many millions of years.” In
contrast to the other three origins belief systems under discussion, secular
evolutionists may have the most systematic and effective structure for
dissemination of their beliefs. Professionals in the field of bio-science
education are heavily atheistic or agnostic. Biology teachers and textbooks
teach evolution with secular naturalism recognized as a “given.” The secular
educators and media commentators have control of the “bully pulpit.”
We conclude our
discussion with a brief commentary on one or two main concerns facing each of
the groups with origins of life concerns. (1) Theistic evolutionists often
express disappointment that their beliefs are sometimes perceived as anti-theistic
among those whose belief is explicitly creationist. They wish to believe in
evolution without being stigmatized in this manner. (2) Young earth
creationists are forced to deny substantial mainstream science related to
geological and biological history in order to support their desire to be
faithful to their own view of scripture
interpretation. (3) Old earth creationists are also uneasy about scientific
evolutionary interpretations they view as errant. Their embrace of science in
most other areas of concern, however, is much closer to the mainstream. (4)
Finally, naturalistic evolutionists are alarmed that any mention of God’s
intervention in the realm of nature is unscientific and should be quarantined
to one’s personal religious views. Therefore, any mention of theism is not
permitted at their origins discussion table.
Theistic
evolutionists, young earth creationists, and old earth creationists would
generally concur with scriptural expressions such as “In Him we live, and move,
and have our being” (Acts 17:28) in spite of other subtle theological
differences. Secular evolutionists are not at all concerned with the spiritual
reality of this scripture. All four groups may generally agree that only one
origins view is true. Of course, each group would endorse their own view.
