Danni Reimer

Thesis:

Evolution versus Christianity has long been a topic of debate inside and outside the scientific community. Christianity believes that God created the world, the universe and everything in them. It believes that God takes an ever-present, active part in this world. Evolution states that over long periods of time the world changed. Bit by bit, change by change, the world was created and life began. As a scientist and a Christian, I will look at whether or not it is possible to fit evolution into my religion. Can these two controversial subjects be meshed or is the difference between them too great?

What is Christianity?

The Christian religion believes that God created the earth and the only way to get to heaven is through Jesus Christ, God's son. A person must ask Jesus to come into his or her heart to live and forgive all of their sins. The main concern throughout this paper deals with the first statement in this paragraph, how the earth began. In Genesis 1:1 it states, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."¹ Then it continues on to tell how he created it. Christians believe that God is ever present in this world. He is always here, watching what happens and responding when someone asks. Christians also believe that God is all knowing and therefore he has foreseen how a person's life will go and what decisions he or she will make.

What is Evolution?

As a person begins to study the topic of evolution, it becomes apparent that everyone has their own perception as to what evolution is. Some people talk of evolution as if it were Darwinism or natural selection. Others think it is the primordial soup and the big bang. Some people simply compare an ape at the zoo with themselves and deem the theory ludicrous.

In order to discuss evolution we must know what evolution is and which subjects can be categorized under it and which cannot. In search of a definition to pin point exactly what evolution is, this is what is found:

In the broadest sense, evolution is merely change, and so is all-pervasive; galaxies, languages, and political systems all evolve. Biological evolution ... is change in the properties of populations of organisms that transcend the lifetime of a single individual. The ontogeny of an individual is not considered evolution; individual organisms do not evolve. The changes in populations that are considered evolutionary are those that are inheritable via the genetic material from one generation to the next. Biological evolution may be slight or substantial; it embraces everything from slight changes in the proportion of different alleles within a population (such as those determining blood types) to the successive alterations that led from the earliest protoorganism to snails, bees, giraffes, and dandelions.²

This quote by a well know evolutionary biologist Douglas J. Futuyma, gives an overall view of evolution and a scientific definition of it. The second definition, listed below, defines evolution in terms of how different species came to be.

Evolution is a process that results in heritable changes in a population
spread over many generations... When biologists say that humans 
and chimps have evolved from a common ancestor they mean that
there have been successive heritable changes in the two separated
populations since they became isolated.³

This states that Human beings, Homo sapiens, originated from the same place as chimps or apes and became separated somehow. This could be by geographical location or a genetic mutation or something else. After being separate, over time each species changed and adapted to their surrounding environment to promote their survival. This is natural selection, adaptation, survival of the fittest and most important to this paper; this is evolution.

What does Christianity have to say about Evolution?

Some Christians immediately shoot down evolution, sometimes quite venomously. They have already made their decision, evolution is from that crazy man called Darwin and he was looking for a way to expel God from the equation of life.

These Christians feel that evolution goes against everything Christianity teaches. They feel that God is replaced by science. No longer is there a loving, caring creator, but a few microscopic molecules happened to smash into each other and bang, the earth was formed. It means that by pure chance the primordial soup that was created on this planet just happened to get lucky and contain all of the essential elements needed to begin and sustain life.

What scares concerned Christians is that there is no "God" element in the theory of evolution. He is missing and this makes them uncomfortable. This destroys their belief of going to heaven after death and makes the Bible obsolete. It takes away the personal relationship that Christians feel with God, the connectedness and the love. The world is morphed into a cold, hard place where one must fight to survive and always be working to promote one's self and further one's species. These ideas do not mesh well with the sharing, community and caring for the sick, elderly and needy that the church teaches about. Phillip E. Johnson, in his book Defeating Darwinism, has this to say,

If they [evolutionists] meant only gradual process of God-guided creation, then Emilio [we] might be on the right track. A God-guided process is not what modern science educators mean by "evolution", however. They are absolutely insistent that evolution is an unguided and mindless process, and that our existence is therefore a fluke rather than a planned outcome.⁴

So, what Johnson is saying is that perhaps the idea of evolution can be accepted if we realize that God is the one "evolutionizing" things. It is when God is deleted that many Christians develop problems.

What do scientists that are Christians have to say about Evolution?

Many Christian teachers and professors of science that I have talked with though out my life feel that science and their Christian faith go hand in hand. Their religion influences how they do their job. Compassion allows them to see things from a student's perspective; truth pushes them to always present information properly and accurately.⁵ Knowing science, more specifically biology, helps them look at nature and see the intricate detail and delicateness.

Scientists realize that the theory of evolution is the best explanation that science has been able to offer as to how the world works. They read Darwin's material and other studies that test positive for evolution and natural selection. As persons of science, they understand the terms used and know how to put things together so that evolution does not seem such a scary beast as other Christian colleagues may think. I have heard many scientists say, "Well, perhaps evolution is how God did it." Then they launch into a detailed explanation of what they have learned and how probable it is that God could have used evolution as a tool or mechanism for creating the earth. Besides, even if the big bang theory were true, where did those little amino acids that started the whole thing come from? That is a question yet to be answered.

A young scientist at UCLA, Benjamin Redelings holds this opinion of evolution,

I am both a Christian and a scientist... As a scientist, I think that the evidence for evolution is overwhelming. I don't believe that the theory has gaps which we need God's intervention to explain. As a Christian, I support the historical accuracy of the Bible, and of miracles such as the Resurrection, although I don't hold to a literal interpretation of the first part of Genesis.⁶

Paleontologist, Simon Conway Morris of Cambridge University feels that there has to be a God. In his book, Life's Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe, he states that "not only does evolutionary history "make sense" but that its results- including humanity- are the exact opposite of the evolutionary accidents that most biologists believe them to be."⁷ He thinks that the evidence points to a God or Creator.

Please note that not all people of science believe in evolution, but a growing number are becoming convinced of it based on the evidence.

Theory of Intelligent Design

The theory of intelligent design was thought up by Michael Denton, an agnostic. It suggests that some things are irreducibly complex and could have never evolved though the pathways of evolution. Therefore it calls for the interaction of a divine creator to "lend a hand" and occasionally tweak things a bit so that helpful adaptations can be made.

Michael Behe's flagellum and William Dembski's explanatory filter⁸ have been seen as proof of intelligent design and seem to be valid points. Even Phillip E. Johnson, an antievolutionist and firm believer of Christianity, supports the theory. But does the scientific community?

There are some that argue that this is not science, so it does not count. ÝTaner Edis, an assistant professor of physics at Truman State University claims that, "ID... seems like a bad argument, concocted of pointless complaints against evolution on one hand, and flawed intuitions about information and intelligence on the other."⁹ In the book Science and Creationism, The National Academy of the Sciences says, "Creationism, intelligent design, and other claims of supernatural intervention in the origin of life or of species are not science because they are not testable by the methods of science."¹⁰

Others think that this was devised as a way of bridging the gap between the creationists and the evolutionists. This brings the two sides closer together so that perhaps they can work things out. But those that are on the evolutionistic end of the spectrum just laugh at this theory. As shown in the quote above, they regard it as pure folly and pay no attention.

Conclusion

Statement of Personal Opinion: Can Evolution Fit into Christianity?

It has been stated in this paper that Christianity believes that God created and is at work today in the world while evolution calls for a creation though random combination and changes in genetic lineage over time, without reference to of any type of God. Christians hold fast to their faith and evolutionists stick like glue to their theories. Neither side looks too favorably at the other. Some Christians who are scientists are able to fit evolution into their Christianity, but not all. The Theory of Intelligent Design is viewed by some as a middle ground for both sides and by others as creationism disguised.

After writing all of this, I think it is time that my own opinion came out. At this point I really appreciate the words of advice that Richard Wright offers in his book Biology Though Eyes of Faith. He tells biology students to form their own opinions but not to grasp them too tightly in their hand.¹¹ Do not be stubborn, but allow change to come when something new is learned. Keep hold of your basic principles, but do not worry so much about the details.

As it stands right now, I am a science major and have read about evolution. I come from a family that opposes the topic and thinks that it is out to destroy Christianity. I have seen the evidence of microevolution in The Beak of the Finch¹²and in Darwin's recount of his travels to the Galapagos Islands. I am a Christian and I grew up believing that God was the creator and sustainer of life. Firmly against evolution, one day in high school it was introduced to me that evolution could have been the way God did it. From that day on evolution has been a part of my worldview. God is at the head, in charge of life. Evolution is the closest thing that science has come up with as to the mechanism God used.

I feel that the Theory Intelligent Design does a good job of accounting for some of the things that evolution can not yet explain. It was invented by scientists, which earns it creditability. However, for now I think that we have come up with some ideas as to how God works but are far from understanding the process. At this moment in my life, my loose grasp holds my Christian faith most tightly, then the possibility that God chose the evolutionary pathway and intervened at appropriate times, as Intelligent Design suggests, to fills in the gaps.

If evolution is looked at as simply change over time, can Christianity accept evolution into its confines? I believe the answer to be yes. Evolution consists of life changing to meet the demands this earth puts upon it. Though I have seen no mention of a divine being, creator or God, simply the fact that evolution's primary definition is change does not render it antireligious. When one starts talking about the big bang and claiming that it just happened, that no God was involved, then Christianity must draw the line.

Christianity believes that God is the creator of this world so when he is removed, the scientific explanation can no longer be considered complete. Therefore, Christians may accept evolution as a tool God uses, but to say that everything happened on its own would be to deny God and one's faith which no longer meshes with Christianity.

Bibliography

¹Baker, Kenneth^,The NIV Study Bible, Kenneth Barker, ed., ZondervanPublishingHouse, Grand Rapids, 1995, p. 6.

⁹Edis, Taner.March/April 2001. Darwin In Mind [Electronic version]. Skeptical Inquirer Retrieved October 30, 2003 from, http://www.csicop.org/si/2001-03/intelligent-design.html

²Futuyma, Douglas J., Evolutionary Biology, Sinauer Associates 1986

⁷Hayden, Thomas, Divining Nature's Plan. U.S. News & World Report, September 29, 03, p. 62-64.

⁵Hearn, Walter R. Hearn, Being a Christian in Science. InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, 1997.

⁴Johnson, E. Phillip, Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds. InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, 1997.

³Moran, Laurence. (January 22, 1993) What is Evolution? Retrieved October 30, 2003 from, http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/evolution-definition.html

¹⁰National Academy of Sciences (2001) Science and Creationism [Electronic version]. Retrieved October 29, 2003 from, http://bob.nap.edu/html/creationism/conclusion.html

⁶Redelings, Benjamin. Evolution and Christianity [Electronic version]. Retrieved October 29, 2003 from, http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~bredelin/Topics/Evolution/

¹²Weiner, Jonathan, The Beak of the Finch, Vintage Books, New York, 1994.

⁸Woodward, Thomas, Doubts about Darwin, A History of Intelligent Design. Baker

Books, Grand Rapids, 2003.

¹¹Wright, Richard T., Biology Through the Eyes of Faith. HarperSanFrancisco, San Francisco, 2003.