God and Nature Fall 2019
Theistic Evolution: The Integration of Science and Religion |
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By Ashley Anders
Among a variety of lenses through which the world can be interpreted (including Darwinian Evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design Theory), Theistic Evolution (1) appears to be the most logical and all-encompassing view of the world and our existence. This view is completely compatible with both scientific discoveries and monotheistic religions (2). This essay will focus on the specific viewpoint of the Christian faith.
Science and religion are harmonious when they are understood to be in a natural balance. In this view, nothing existed before God, and God created all things, including the natural order of which science has come to be the primary method of study. Under Theistic Evolution, the integration of science with religion provides a broader, more complete understanding of the universe, without compromising either religious beliefs or scientific findings.
Among a variety of lenses through which the world can be interpreted (including Darwinian Evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design Theory), Theistic Evolution (1) appears to be the most logical and all-encompassing view of the world and our existence. This view is completely compatible with both scientific discoveries and monotheistic religions (2). This essay will focus on the specific viewpoint of the Christian faith.
Science and religion are harmonious when they are understood to be in a natural balance. In this view, nothing existed before God, and God created all things, including the natural order of which science has come to be the primary method of study. Under Theistic Evolution, the integration of science with religion provides a broader, more complete understanding of the universe, without compromising either religious beliefs or scientific findings.
"Individually, both science and religion seek truth; one in the physical realm and the other in the spiritual realm." |
Dr. Francis S. Collins was an atheist who, through his scientific research and his interactions with Christians, became a Christian. He is best known for having been the leader of the Human Genome Project. He describes Theistic Evolution as the belief that it was the “Almighty who caused the universe to come into being and set its physical parameters just precisely right to allow the creation of stars, planets, heavy elements, and life itself” (3).
Like other philosophical concepts of faith and of science, Theistic Evolution contains a variety of subtle variations that center around several core ideas. First, this view accepts the scientific discovery that the earth has existed for around 14 billion years, and that “despite massive improbabilities, the properties of the universe appear to have been precisely tuned for life” (4). Evolution is embraced as a tool that the Creator designed to form life as we know it. Through evolution by natural selection, we now have an enormous degree of biological diversity, and we see the immense complexity that has come into being over a much longer period of time than Young-Earth Creationism depicts.
Theistic Evolution also centers around the acceptance that God designed life in a way that it could be self-sustaining, requiring no supernatural intervention. Theistic Evolution also distinctly holds that humans were uniquely designed “in ways that defy evolutionary explanation and point to our spiritual nature” (4). The last and most controversial distinction of Theistic Evolution is the acceptance that, through the scientific processes of evolution by natural selection, humans and apes share a common ancestor (4).
This idea of evolution is the apex of controversy for many Christians. There are hard (strict) Creationists who believe that the creation story depicted in Genesis (as well as the rest of the Bible) should be interpreted as a literal documentation of all origins (5). Progressive Creationists accept the idea that the earth is far older than Young-Earth Creationism teaches, and they tend to be more flexible with the combination of literal and figurative language and stories within the Bible. The consensus among Christians about the Beginning, however, is that God created all existence out of nothing and that He alone is the Creator who is not bound by His creation. God is outside and independent of creation (including time) and thus is not limited (2).
Young-Earth Creationism holds that all of existence was formed within six days and that humans were “created in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27). Since God created time and is not bound by it, it is entirely plausible that the timeline of creation depicted in Genesis was purely an illustration given to us so that our human minds might be able to grasp the vastness of creation, and, in turn, the vastness of the Creator who desires a personal relationship with His creation.
Some creationist Christians interpret the creation of humans in God’s image (Imago Dei) as a physical manifestation; thus, in their view, humans could not possibly have ever been any form of ape, and evolution is clearly wrong. However, the Imago Dei should not be viewed as a physical image, but rather as God placing a piece of Himself into a specific part of His creation, making that biologically animal creature human. God thus bestowed His Essence, the “Breath of Life,” so that humans would be set apart and able to be in a relationship with Him. This Holy Essence is what we now call “consciousness” or “the soul,” and it is what separates us from animals. The Bible is our way to a deeper knowledge of this part of humanity, whereas science gives answers to the physical aspects.
Though the Old Testament contains some literal and applicable guidelines for the time its books were written, the Bible wasn’t given to us to provide knowledge about the physical world, but rather to tell us of the unseen world regarding the human soul. This basic idea of evolution is compatible with scientific findings and does not necessarily indicate an atheistic view, contrary to what many Creationists believe (4). According to Pope John Paul II, “new findings lead us toward the recognition of evolution as more than a hypothesis” (6). The idea that the Church should investigate and support evolution as the workings of The Almighty has also gained support from most mainstream Protestant denominations as well as most Protestant seminaries.
Looking further in the past, we find Russian Orthodox Christian and prominent scientist Theodosius Dobzhansky, who in the early 1900s supported the idea that science and religion give two separate truths that should not be confused with one another. He believed that the Bible should not be read as if it were a literal documentation of answers to questions in geology, biology, astronomy, or any other natural science. Specifically, regarding the highly debated evolution issue, Dobzhansky seemed to support the view of Theistic Evolution when he said, “Creation is not an event that happened in 4004 BC; it is a process that began some 10 billion years ago and is still underway” (7).
This support of a view frequently assumed to be atheistic by a prominent scientist and religious leader reinforces the idea that instead of trying to find conflict between science and religion, integration should be explored. The mutual isolation of science and religion as being in conflict with of each other would ultimately lead to more questions than answers. Individually, both science and religion seek truth; one in the physical realm and the other in the spiritual realm. If the physical truths of science are separated from the truths of God, the scientist will inevitably be left without knowing why scientific rules and formulas came to be, and what happens after physical death. If the spiritual person chooses to ignore scientific truths, they will miss out on a special understanding of the Creator and a deeper relationship with God.
The fact that there are both similarities and differences between scientific theories and religious understandings shows how these two areas can mutually support each other. For example, science can explain, in incredible detail, how humans need both their brain and their heart to physically survive. In the Bible (a collection of ancient documents), there are multiple cases of dead people coming back to life; most importantly, there is the incredible, game-changing resurrection of Jesus Christ. In order to grasp the extraordinary nature of that resurrection, we need to understand the physical laws that had to be broken—laws that had been purposely designed by God.
On the other hand, science is unable to provide a conclusive determination of what happens after death. Even though answers to that question differ between religious groups, all provide some form of answer that goes beyond the boundaries of scientific explanation.
The Adam and Eve story in Genesis and Darwinian evolution do not need to be in conflict. There are two ways that evolutionists and Christians can find middle ground. The first is the idea that God chose to use Darwinian evolution to “grow” hominins, and then with the “Breath of Life” God gave consciousness (His “image”) to one species of ape to form what we now call humans. The second is the idea that God decided to plop a fully developed human in a literal garden as a miraculous event.
In any case, God created everything, and the fact that we can’t always explain scientifically how this creation happened doesn’t change that fundamental Truth. God is beyond any limitations that our human minds could possibly construct, including origin theories. I believe that God created science to allow us the opportunity and the adventure of exploring His how, and He created the Bible to allow us the opportunity to know Him and understand His plan for us in the life after this physical one. As Collins so elegantly sums up, “this perspective makes it possible for the scientist-believer to be intellectually fulfilled and spiritually alive, both worshiping God and using the tools of science to uncover some of the awesome mysteries of His creation” (8).
References
1. Mills, G. C. (1995). A Theory of Theistic Evolution as an Alternative to the Naturalistic Theory. The American Scientific Affiliation: Perspectives on Science & Christian Faith,47(2), june, 112-122
2. Collins, F. S. (2007). The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. New York: Free Press.
3. ibid p. 199
4. ibid p. 200
5. 4. Larson, Edward J (2006) Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion Basic Books New York
6. Collins p. 204
7. Dobzhansky, T “Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution,” American Biology Teacher 35 (1973): 125-129.
8. Collins p. 201
After pre-nursing for two years, Ashley joined the US Navy as a Corpsman and served for five years on active duty, half of which were with the Marines. She was in the Navy Reserves for 3 years while completing her BS in Nutrition Science. She was raised in the Church of Christ and the Foursquare denomination, and she now attends Calvary Chapel in Monrovia, California. She and her husband are expecting their first child in May 2020.
Like other philosophical concepts of faith and of science, Theistic Evolution contains a variety of subtle variations that center around several core ideas. First, this view accepts the scientific discovery that the earth has existed for around 14 billion years, and that “despite massive improbabilities, the properties of the universe appear to have been precisely tuned for life” (4). Evolution is embraced as a tool that the Creator designed to form life as we know it. Through evolution by natural selection, we now have an enormous degree of biological diversity, and we see the immense complexity that has come into being over a much longer period of time than Young-Earth Creationism depicts.
Theistic Evolution also centers around the acceptance that God designed life in a way that it could be self-sustaining, requiring no supernatural intervention. Theistic Evolution also distinctly holds that humans were uniquely designed “in ways that defy evolutionary explanation and point to our spiritual nature” (4). The last and most controversial distinction of Theistic Evolution is the acceptance that, through the scientific processes of evolution by natural selection, humans and apes share a common ancestor (4).
This idea of evolution is the apex of controversy for many Christians. There are hard (strict) Creationists who believe that the creation story depicted in Genesis (as well as the rest of the Bible) should be interpreted as a literal documentation of all origins (5). Progressive Creationists accept the idea that the earth is far older than Young-Earth Creationism teaches, and they tend to be more flexible with the combination of literal and figurative language and stories within the Bible. The consensus among Christians about the Beginning, however, is that God created all existence out of nothing and that He alone is the Creator who is not bound by His creation. God is outside and independent of creation (including time) and thus is not limited (2).
Young-Earth Creationism holds that all of existence was formed within six days and that humans were “created in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27). Since God created time and is not bound by it, it is entirely plausible that the timeline of creation depicted in Genesis was purely an illustration given to us so that our human minds might be able to grasp the vastness of creation, and, in turn, the vastness of the Creator who desires a personal relationship with His creation.
Some creationist Christians interpret the creation of humans in God’s image (Imago Dei) as a physical manifestation; thus, in their view, humans could not possibly have ever been any form of ape, and evolution is clearly wrong. However, the Imago Dei should not be viewed as a physical image, but rather as God placing a piece of Himself into a specific part of His creation, making that biologically animal creature human. God thus bestowed His Essence, the “Breath of Life,” so that humans would be set apart and able to be in a relationship with Him. This Holy Essence is what we now call “consciousness” or “the soul,” and it is what separates us from animals. The Bible is our way to a deeper knowledge of this part of humanity, whereas science gives answers to the physical aspects.
Though the Old Testament contains some literal and applicable guidelines for the time its books were written, the Bible wasn’t given to us to provide knowledge about the physical world, but rather to tell us of the unseen world regarding the human soul. This basic idea of evolution is compatible with scientific findings and does not necessarily indicate an atheistic view, contrary to what many Creationists believe (4). According to Pope John Paul II, “new findings lead us toward the recognition of evolution as more than a hypothesis” (6). The idea that the Church should investigate and support evolution as the workings of The Almighty has also gained support from most mainstream Protestant denominations as well as most Protestant seminaries.
Looking further in the past, we find Russian Orthodox Christian and prominent scientist Theodosius Dobzhansky, who in the early 1900s supported the idea that science and religion give two separate truths that should not be confused with one another. He believed that the Bible should not be read as if it were a literal documentation of answers to questions in geology, biology, astronomy, or any other natural science. Specifically, regarding the highly debated evolution issue, Dobzhansky seemed to support the view of Theistic Evolution when he said, “Creation is not an event that happened in 4004 BC; it is a process that began some 10 billion years ago and is still underway” (7).
This support of a view frequently assumed to be atheistic by a prominent scientist and religious leader reinforces the idea that instead of trying to find conflict between science and religion, integration should be explored. The mutual isolation of science and religion as being in conflict with of each other would ultimately lead to more questions than answers. Individually, both science and religion seek truth; one in the physical realm and the other in the spiritual realm. If the physical truths of science are separated from the truths of God, the scientist will inevitably be left without knowing why scientific rules and formulas came to be, and what happens after physical death. If the spiritual person chooses to ignore scientific truths, they will miss out on a special understanding of the Creator and a deeper relationship with God.
The fact that there are both similarities and differences between scientific theories and religious understandings shows how these two areas can mutually support each other. For example, science can explain, in incredible detail, how humans need both their brain and their heart to physically survive. In the Bible (a collection of ancient documents), there are multiple cases of dead people coming back to life; most importantly, there is the incredible, game-changing resurrection of Jesus Christ. In order to grasp the extraordinary nature of that resurrection, we need to understand the physical laws that had to be broken—laws that had been purposely designed by God.
On the other hand, science is unable to provide a conclusive determination of what happens after death. Even though answers to that question differ between religious groups, all provide some form of answer that goes beyond the boundaries of scientific explanation.
The Adam and Eve story in Genesis and Darwinian evolution do not need to be in conflict. There are two ways that evolutionists and Christians can find middle ground. The first is the idea that God chose to use Darwinian evolution to “grow” hominins, and then with the “Breath of Life” God gave consciousness (His “image”) to one species of ape to form what we now call humans. The second is the idea that God decided to plop a fully developed human in a literal garden as a miraculous event.
In any case, God created everything, and the fact that we can’t always explain scientifically how this creation happened doesn’t change that fundamental Truth. God is beyond any limitations that our human minds could possibly construct, including origin theories. I believe that God created science to allow us the opportunity and the adventure of exploring His how, and He created the Bible to allow us the opportunity to know Him and understand His plan for us in the life after this physical one. As Collins so elegantly sums up, “this perspective makes it possible for the scientist-believer to be intellectually fulfilled and spiritually alive, both worshiping God and using the tools of science to uncover some of the awesome mysteries of His creation” (8).
References
1. Mills, G. C. (1995). A Theory of Theistic Evolution as an Alternative to the Naturalistic Theory. The American Scientific Affiliation: Perspectives on Science & Christian Faith,47(2), june, 112-122
2. Collins, F. S. (2007). The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. New York: Free Press.
3. ibid p. 199
4. ibid p. 200
5. 4. Larson, Edward J (2006) Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion Basic Books New York
6. Collins p. 204
7. Dobzhansky, T “Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution,” American Biology Teacher 35 (1973): 125-129.
8. Collins p. 201
After pre-nursing for two years, Ashley joined the US Navy as a Corpsman and served for five years on active duty, half of which were with the Marines. She was in the Navy Reserves for 3 years while completing her BS in Nutrition Science. She was raised in the Church of Christ and the Foursquare denomination, and she now attends Calvary Chapel in Monrovia, California. She and her husband are expecting their first child in May 2020.