Question #75

Can Natural Selection Co-exist with Faith?

I'm curious as to why Christians can't (or won't) let the studies of biology and physics coexist with faith? When Galileo discovered alternative motion and methods to the solar system (theories that contradict the Bible in its literal meaning) the church rebuked his theories and put him under house arrest. Yet today, it is obvious the he was mostly correct with his theories. The Bible had to be slightly reinterpreted to account for this new found understanding of the universe.

Why can't we say the same about biology and natural selection? More and more evidence is being produced that supports natural selection (which is not the same as pure Darwinism). Yet the many Christians refuse to merge the science with the faith. Why? Just because life on this planet may emerge from a common "spark" or life doesn't mean that God didn't form us into his likeness. It just causes us to review our interpretation of the Holy Bible.

The Answer:

Since the Enlightenment continuing efforts have been made to harmonize scripture and man’s reason. Unfortunately, most, if not all, of those efforts have sacrificed Scripture to “science.” The most glaring example is neo-orthodoxy that harmonized Scripture and science by demythologizing Scripture – anything that smacked of the miraculous was rejected and given non-miraculous meanings. This included even the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For example, Rudolf Bultmann felt that the miraculous must be demythologized to reveal the true Christian message. He said that the resurrection was a call to "authentic existence in the face of death." Bultmann said that if the bones of Jesus were discovered in Palestine tomorrow then all of the essentials of Christianity would remain unchanged. While it is true that Galileo made discoveries that conflicted with some understandings of Scripture, it is not true that he discovered anything that conflicted with a correct understanding of Scripture. While it is not true that the earth is the physical center of the universe, it is true that the earth is central to the meaning and moral nature of the universe. God made the earth for a habitation of man. Man, not the sun, is the crowning creation of God according to Scripture. Unfortunately, any specific scriptures that you allege needed “reinterpretation” cannot be addressed because you provided none.

Moreover, you fail to define what you mean by “natural selection.” If by that term you mean changes within a particular species (microevolution), you are correct that it occurs. If, on the other hand, you mean Darwinian natural selection that brings man into existence from what you call the “common ‘spark’ or life” (macroevolution) you are incorrect. Not only is there no increasing evidence for Darwinian natural selection, there is increasing evidence against it. There are any number of books that you can read that, if honestly read, can lead to no other conclusion. For example, a number of books by Phillip Johnson: Darwin on Trial; The Wedge of Truth, Splitting the Foundations of Naturalism; Reason in the Balance, the Case Against NATURALISM in Science, Law & Education; and The Right Questions, Truth, Meaning & Public Debate. Add to these such books as: Doubts about Darwin, A History of Intelligent Design, by Thomas Woodward; Total Truth, Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity by Nancy Pearcey; The Design Revolution, Answering the Toughest Questions About Intelligent Design, by William Dembski; What Darwin Didn’t Know, by Geoffrey Simmons; and How Blind is the Watchmaker? Nature’s Design & the Limits of Naturalistic Science by Neil Broom. The truth is that if Darwin’s theory were being published in this day of peer review and under the high standards of truly scientific journals, it would never see the light of day. It is replete with unproved and improvable assumptions. No scientific theory has been based on more incorrect information and supported by more fraud than the theory of evolution. See, The Icons of Evolution, by Jonathan Wells.

The battle is not and has never been between Scripture and science. There has always been and will be as long as the earth stands a battle between Scripture and science falsely so-called. 1 Tim. 6:20-21. There can be no armistice or compromise. Theistic evolution is not a possibility because the very concept of evolution (theistic or otherwise) is that the species are always improving. If this is true, there has never been a “fall” of man. The fact of a “fall” necessarily implies a reversal of evolution’s upward rise. If there has never been a “fall,” there is no need for a Redeemer because evolved man needs no redemption. Thus, the very center of the Gospel is false.

The theory of evolution does not require the amount of faith required to believe in God – it requires even more faith. Norman Geisler and Frank Turek wrote an interesting book entitled I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. Being an atheist and believing in the theory of evolution require the same amount of faith. No man can consistently believe in God and Christ as His Son and believe in the theory of evolution. The two beliefs are diametrically opposed.