Is Evolution a Must Win Issue? (RJS)

Last updated on: January 3, 2013 at 1:07 pm by RJS

Is Evolution a Must Win Issue? (RJS) 2013-01-03T13:07:44-06:00 RJS

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Out of Ur – a blog from Leadership Journal at Christianity Today – provides an opportunity to comment on areas at the intersection of “faithful ministry and popular culture”. The issue tackled just recently in a post Is Evolution a Must Win Issue? was evolution and the age of the earth (HT RE). The post builds on the recent comments by Pat Robertson regarding the age of the earth. The clip is short – and available on YouTube in a couple of different versions. One is linked below.

Now the comments by Robertson do not really address evolution per se. The issue he addresses is limited to age of the earth, and to the presence of animal life and death prior to the appearance of humans. An old earth progressive creation position is entirely compatible with Robertson’s comments. But his comments do reflect an open position that pulls away from young earth creationism. In fact, Robertson suggests that a young earth is a rather destructive and untenable position; and I agree with him here. The dinosaur fossils (the one above from Colorado not South Dakota) are real and are very old (230 million years to 65 million years old).

The Out of Ur blog goes on to pose a wider question drawing on a broader range of incidents:

Why are both Christian politicians and media figures abandoning evolution as an issue in the culture war? It may be too soon to say for certain, but perhaps losing ground both politically and culturally is causing some Christians to be more discerning about which battles are really worth fighting.

The blog then points to an article Rubio and the Age-of-Earth Question by Dr. Joshua Swamidass, a professor in the Laboratory and Genomic Medicine Division at Washington University in St. Louis, published in the Wall Street Journal. I clip a few choice bits out of Swamidass’s article – but you can read the whole at the link above.

As a Christian and career scientist, I see the episode as an opportunity for both Republicans and evangelicals to establish a more coherent policy on evolution, creation and science, for two reasons.

First, the age of the Earth and the rejection of evolution aren’t core Christian beliefs. Neither appears in the Nicene or Apostle’s Creed. Nor did Jesus teach them. Historical Christianity has not focused on how God created the universe, but on how God saves humanity through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

…

The second reason that Republicans, including evangelicals, need to come up with a more coherent stance regarding the “age of the Earth” question—which journalists will always be happy to ask—is that there is simply no controversy in the scientific world about the age of the Earth or evolution. Evidence points to a 4.5-billion-year-old planet.

The evidence for evolution is just as strong. …

The evolution debate is not a scientific controversy, but a theological controversy about a non-central Christian doctrine. … The “good news” is how God saves us. Not how he created us. And it is through persuasion rather than force that he brings us to knowledge of Jesus.

Frankly I don’t really care one whit if the Republicans (or the Democrats for that matter) get their act together on this issue. Nothing of importance to me is tied up with political identity – absolutely nothing. But I do care deeply about the church and the future of the church as the body of Christ. Not only is the age of the earth battle not worth fighting – it is a battle that cannot be won. Arguing for a young earth is as ineffective as arguing that F≠ma, that energy is not conserved, or that a ball thrown into the air will not fall along an easily calculated path.

Some of the evolution questions are slightly more complicated. Even here it is clear that the data supports evolution, but it is also clear that some scientists push the data into a realm of philosophical materialism or ontological naturalism unwarranted by the data alone. In a book I have begun reading, and will probably post on sometime soon, Evolution and Belief, Confessions of a Religious Paleontologist, Robert Asher notes that “the line between methodological and philosophical naturalism can be subtle and is frequently crossed, often by those who conflate agency and cause.” (p. 17) We can reject philosophical naturalism without rejecting the demonstrable conclusions of mainstream science. There are strands here that we need to pull apart and examine.

It is also clear that the theological questions surrounding the nature of mankind and the origin of sin will require a great deal of time and effort to think through the possibilities and their ramifications. This is an activity that the church must take seriously. But it is not a scientific question – all science can do is provide some information concerning the viability of some possibilities given the nature of the world God has created.

We will certainly come back to these issues soon. But for today we can look at a “simple” (ha!) question.

What are the must win issues and why?

Is “evolution” (i.e. refuting evolution) a must win issue?

By the way – I don’t think proving evolution is a “must win” issue. I think we have to go with the data. To date the data is overwhelmingly in support of an old earth, progressive development of life, and of many of the mechanisms used to describe the material path of evolution. Our understanding of the evolutionary process itself continues to evolve. But I do think the question is a scientific question, not a theological question. And as such it is important (even, perhaps, a “must win” issue) for the church to focus on the right questions and the right battles.

If you wish to contact me directly you may do so at rjs4mail[at]att.net

If interested you can subscribe to a full text feed of my posts at Musings on Science and Theology.

Problems for Faith

Science and Faith

Previous Post

December 6, 2012

Morality of Emerging Adults

Next Post

December 6, 2012 At the Plate

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Acts of the Apostles Adam Advent Anabaptism Angels Anglican Apologetics Atonement Baptism BCP Prayers Bible Biblical Studies Birds Blogging Bloglossary Bonhoeffer Books Calvinism Christianity Church Church History Coffee Colossians Commentary Recs Conversion Creation Creeds Culture Death Ecclesiastes Economics Education Embracing Grace Emergent Emerging Movement Eschatology Essays Ethics Eucharist Evangelicalism Family Fasting Fathers Fellowship of Differents Footsteps Tour Fun and Whimsical Gospel Grace Happiness Heaven Hell Holy Spirit Irenaeus James Jesus Jesus Creed Job Justification Kingdom of God Law Lectures Lent Liberalism Love and Marriage Mabanteneni Manhood Mary Miracles Missio Alliance MissioLife Missional Missional Jesus Movies and Film New Perspective Northern Seminary OneLife Origins Project Orthodox Parables Pastor's Spouse Pastoring and Leading Pastoring and Preaching Patristics Paul Paul-John Tour Pharisees Pietism Political Theology Prayer and Formation Preaching Problems for Faith Psalm 119 Psalms Public Issues Purgatory Religions Resurrection Revelation Romans Rule of JCreed Science and Faith Sermon on the Mount Sports Ten Commandments Theology Third Way Top Ten Lists Translations Uncategorized Universalism University Ministry Way Out Weekly Meanderings Wisdom Women and Ministry Work Worship Writing & Blogging Youth Ministry

Select a Month July 2021 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 0000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Commanded to go to Nineveh, I fled in the opposite direction on a ship to Tarshish. Who am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jonah Elijah Hosea Jeremiah