CHRISTIANITY AND EVOLUTION
In the belief that evolution is a demonstrable scientific fact, many Christians have rejected the clear Bible teaching on creation, coining the terms ‘theistic evolution’ or ‘God-controlled evolution.’ They accept the evolutionary time scale and the myriad minute changes that eventually produced life in all its diversity, but believe that the whole process was originated and controlled by God. Those who subscribe to this view believe that the Bible's record of creation should be regarded as an allegory. Yet Jesus, the one whose teaching all Christians claim to follow, believed in specific creation as recorded in the Old Testament. In answer to a query he said of the first human pair:
‘…Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female…?’[Matthew 19.4].
Also, in explaining the principles of Christian redemption, the New Testament writers treat the events described in the early chapters of Genesis as actual happenings. For example in a reference to Adam's fall we read:
‘…by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin…’ [Romans 5.12].
In the New Testament we also learn that death can be removed by the work of Jesus:
‘For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous’ [Romans 5.19].
‘For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive’ [1 Corinthians 15.22].
Thus, the clear teaching of the Bible is that sin entered the world at a specific time as a direct result of one man's offence and that sin can be removed by the work of Jesus. A Christian evolutionist must therefore have a different theology from that of Christ or the Apostle Paul.
It is salutary to note that even atheists recognise this is the only logical position for a Christian, as the words of one of them demonstrate:
‘Christianity is – must be! – totally committed to the special creation as described in Genesis, and Christianity must fight with its full might against the theory of evolution....It becomes clear now that the whole justification of Jesus' life and death is predicated on the existence of Adam and the forbidden fruit he and Eve ate. Without the original sin, who needs to be redeemed? Without Adam's fall into a life of constant sin terminated by death, what purpose is there to Christianity? None.’ 24
It is hoped that this booklet, although it only considers a small part of the evidence, has demonstrated that the theory of evolution is itself so flawed as to become untenable. Thus any conflict with Bible teaching is removed and wholehearted support can be given to its message of hope for us all.
Reference
24 G Richard Bozarth: ‘The Meaning of Evolution’, American Atheist (February 1978): 19,30