READ MY
MAIL
From an Evolution vs.
Creationism Student
by David Drury
QUESTION:
I
am currently taking an Evolution VS Creationism class in college right
now... I didn't know this was the topic when I signed up for it. I seem to
be the only Christian/conservative in the class, everyone else is very
liberal and anti-religion. I'm having a hard time defending my view points
and I was wondering if you had any information that could help me with in
class discussions? Thanks a lot
RESPONSE:
Here
are three links that might get you started in studying the Creationist angle:
http://www.carm.org/evolution.htm
Also,
be aware that the very title of your class “Evolution VS. Creationism” is a
misnomer and perhaps a misleading debate in and of itself for the following
reasons:
1)
Evolution and Creationism are not necessarily mutually
exclusive. The class seems set up in a
“debate” format of opposites but there are many people who are evolutionists
who still call themselves Christians and many who are Creationists who
incorporate “room” for possible evolutionary theory.
2)
Also, Evolution is a unified biological theory, whereas being a
Christian is not a scientific theory, but a belief that gives meaning to the
universe and our lives. Because of the
theoretical nature of the subject of evolution and the pervasiveness of
Christian origins thinking the two have clashed—but they are not really in the
same field.
3)
There is a growing “Theistic
Evolutionist” movement and small pockets of Christian
academics have resolved the two in their own minds. Howard Van Til from
4)
Of course many have pointed out significant dangers
to trying to reconcile the two views.
For many leaving the door open at all to evolution is tantamount to
saying you don’t believe in God. It’s
easy to offend people on both sides of this debate.
5)
In the fields of astronomy and physics there is a growing trend
toward leaving “room” for the “prime mover” that would be God. This is a secular movement in large part and
some physicists are drawn to Christianity to “explain the unexplainable
universe” in some ways. Paul Davie’s book God and
the New Physics is a good resource to look into this trend.
I
don’t know if you care to know, but I personally can boil down my thoughts on
the debate to one question: Why is
everyone trying so hard?
Why are the evolutionists
trying so hard? Are they trying to get me
to quit following Jesus Christ just because the earth is older than Christians
thought it was in the middle ages? Do
they think the entire universe is so easily explainable by this minor
biological theory (by the way, they hate it when I call it “minor” but in the
sciences it really is a minor issue these days and few are obsessed with it… it
has expanded so far beyond evolution now.)
Could it be that those radical evolutionists need to have creationists
as their “straw men” to attract any attention anymore? Any whatever happened to their prized
scientific method anyway? Why are they
rushing to judgments and making this all such a big deal before they have all
the evidence and ties? Haven’t they
noticed that every 50 years half of scientific dogma changes completely and new
assumptions are adopted? Maybe these
so-called scientists should stop working in the area of assumption and start
working more in the area of hard science.
This is why very few self-respecting true blue scientists are working so
hard on the Creation vs. Evolution debate.
They’re off doing science—not working on the side to set up an elaborate
cock-fight between two disparate entities.
I wonder if many attacking evolutionists just have an axe to grind
against the church and they have their fun poking holes at us. I think they need counseling.
And why are the
creationists trying so hard? I’m
worried about this huge camp of Christians that thinks they need to defeat
evolution because it’s so dangerous. I’m
worried that they are in essence teaching their kids that if evolution wins
then the world will end. Don’t they know
that it’s impossible to be a credible biologist and not be an evolutionist
anymore? Evolution already won in that
arena. So what happens when their kids
go off to college or just take a high school science class or just happen to
watch the Discovery channel? I worry
that they are setting their own kids up for a faith challenge that is
unnecessary. My faith is not built on
the narrow dogma that people are using to attack evolution theory. Does it really change the Apostles Creed at
all if the 6 days God created the universe in were not “literal” days but more
like ages or eons? For me it doesn’t. And so far I don’t know for sure which it
is. God could have done it either way and
still be God. You could plop the bones
of the missing link right on my desk and it wouldn’t change my belief in Jesus
Christ one thread. I wonder why so many
feel they have to take up this cause as the end all of Christian Apologetics
when in reality there are few that are finding Christ and following him because
of these efforts. Their work is largely
fruitless. Many in the church have
devoted their whole lives to the battle and no one ever changes sides! It’s like being a
Besides,
I’m a Notre Dame fan.
My
hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.
-David
© 2005 by David
Drury