Christianity and Evolution
This is an interesting article on a scientist and his take on evolution. Francis Collins, who is interviewed, headed up the Genome Project and is eminently qualified to speak to the issue. At one point it seems to suffer a bit of Kantian separation of faith from more empirical studies, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
I have also read interviews with Collins in "National Geographic."
I have also read interviews with Collins in "National Geographic."
posted by Aaron Perry at
9:47 AM
6 Comments:
I certainly don't consider one's position on darwinian evolution to be an essential issue, but in my limited understanding of Scripture AND my limited understanding of science I am moving farther away from darwinism.
Hi Matt,
Darwinian evolution is not necessarily part of the discussion here. A good many, if not most proponents of Intelligent Design hold to significant forms of evolution without being Darwinists. (I'm not sure if Collins holds to Intelligent Design, or not, though one sentence makes me think he might be sympathetic to it.)
As for me, my limited understanding of Scripture is in no ways affected by the massive understanding that others have with science with regard to how God created.
Well everyone believes in evolution. Young earth creationists, in fact, believe in 'faster' evolution than darwinists do. But the very broad question: "Did humanity begin as men or microbes?" carries with it a lot of scientific and theological questions that can't be avoided simply by categorizing types of evolution.
Obviously that is a red-herring as YECs would be in a completely different evolutionary ball park than IDers.
What theological questions are most pertinent to you with regard to a microbiotic beginning to humanity?
The YEC type of evolution, though, is the type of evolution there is plenty of scientific evidence for. The leaps from one 'kind' to another is what they struggle to find, so much so that many are abandoning time & chance for punctuated equilibrium
My main issue with microbe to man evolution has always been the idea of millions of years of death before 'the fall.' That is followed by questions 'why?'
Then, besides the theological questions, there are the scientific questions as best posed by the ID movement. Then there are the hermeneutic questions (it's a difficult stretch for me to read Scripture to allow for that sort of theistic microbe to man evolution). It's possible that someday I'll change my mind, but at present I'm moving further from that direction.
I can identify with the 'why' of death before Fall and am influenced by what I've read about the Eve Gene, as well, so that a single ancestor for the human race has some legs.
Do you consider there to have been no death prior to the Fall?
I can appreciate the questions that ID poses of Darwinism, as well, though the criticism of so many IDers to YEC makes me think you guys are strange allies! :)
I can also appreciate your desire to be faithful to the Bible in your read, though I am not as compelled to read it in a similar way.
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