Revelation Versus Evolution

I don’t believe that there is any contradiction between divine revelation and natural law, because both originated from God. Conflicting views come from theologians and scientists. Theology is the Christian’s attempt to systematize truth/divine revelation. Science is humanity’s attempt to understand natural law.

As I have matured in Christ, my theology has changed over the years.  It should for everybody or they are not growing. What has not changed is truth. Science has also changed dramatically in my lifetime, but natural law hasn’t. Five years ago scientists and politicians were talking about “global warming,” but current data has forced them to moderate their stance. So the issue now is “climate change,” which leaves a lot of room for flexibility. No matter what change occurs they can say, “See, I told you.”

Scientists and theologians have two different agendas. Theologians puzzle over the nature of existence and seek to explain how something came from nothing. Scientists are differentiating between something and something else. Darwin’s theory of evolution says nothing about the origin of the species. It is a theory about something becoming something else. Most scientists are content to say, “Okay, “its” here, let’s try to understand and work with it.

There would be no discussion if all that existed was “it,” i.e. matter, as opposed to “he.” The creation of Adam in God’s image is where the two disciplines struggle to reconcile. If humanity is an accidental product of evolution, then so is the spirit. Then matter is the primary cause of everything. If that were true, then God vanishes along with any theory of creation. I believe that heaven and earth come from an intelligent design, which no mortal could possibly fashion. I also believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image so they and their descendants could rule over His creation. Part of that assignment was to use what God has created in a responsible way, which includes environmental protection.

Dr. Neil

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