I am a Christian who believes that God used the process of evolution over billions of years to create the great diversity of life we see on earth. This means I am a Theistic Evolutionist (or TE in the forum lingo). This position happens to be the minority opinion here in the U.S., but the majority opinion among Christians worldwide, so this is not some fringe heretical position.
Now, why do I post here? Why do I debate with Young Earth Creationists (YECs) about the scientific evidence and the theological issues regarding our origins? It is not at all to convince any particular YEC that they should become a theistic evolutionist, that should be said right away. I have no problem with anyone believing in a young earth or in special creation without evolution.
The reason why I engage in these discussions is very simple: I want to remove the stumbling block that is being taught by YECists. I believe that the recent rise of creationism as a major ministry area, beginning in the 1970's in earnest, has created a severe threat to Christianity. Not the belief in a young earth and creation without evolution itself, but the either/or teaching that comes with it. More and more people are being taught that evolution and Christianity are wholly inconsistent and that if you believe one, you can not really believe the other. This puts two very distinct groups in crisis and souls are being lost to the Kingdom as a result. People falling into these two categories might (in fact, they DO) come to this site to seek answers to this crisis and it is to THEM that I am speaking. Here are the two groups:
1. There are Christians, especially young people, who were raised in a YEC household or attend a YEC church, and were taught that evolution is evil, it is absolutely contrary to Scripture and that if you believe Scripture, you can not also believe in evolution. Those who do believe both are deluded or compromising Christians not even worthy of the name of Christian. These young people are ingrained with this teaching and accept it fully. Then they come into contact with the real evidence and come to suspect that evolution might actually be true. This creates a severe crisis of faith. They have been taught that if evolution was true, then the atheists are right and the Bible can not be trusted and God did not create everything after all. I have seen this crisis in action and it is very, very dangerous. I have counseled college students who either had abandoned Christianity or were about to because of this teaching of incompatibility, and was able to show them that the conflict was not true and that they could, indeed , believe in both. Most did not even know that there were Christians who accepted evolution, which shows how sheltered their lives had been. Bottom line: souls nearly lost to the Kingdom which are now solidly within the fold of Christianity.
2. There are non-Christians who accept evolution. In fact, almost all of them do. Those who do not know much about it might be able to set aside this acceptance and adopt a YEC belief and go on just fine. But most of those who really understand what evolution says, have studied it and the evidence available, simply will NOT accept YEC teaching. So, if they are told that Christians, by definition, do not believe in evolution and, instead, believe that the earth is less than 10,000 years old that all the diversity of life was developed after a flood 4,000 years ago, this will be a MAJOR stumbling block to their acceptance of ANY Christian message. Thus YECism becomes a barrier to the Cross for these non-Christians. I have faced this barrier in my own witnessing. It is distressing that I have to overcome the teachings of fellow Christians to win a soul to the Lord. It is even more frustrating when these non-Christians begin quoting to me the very arguments given to them by YECs as to why true Christian belief is diametrically opposed to acceptance of evolution. While I have been able to overcome this barrier with some, others have simply refused to believe any teaching from the Bible because they have been convinced by Young Earth Creationist teachings that the literal reading is the correct reading. I can only hope that these souls are not entirely lost to the Kingdom, but that the seed I planted will take root and eventually allow them to reconsider the issue.
I am sure that many people falling into one of these two categories come to view this forum and I hope to reach them with the message that they need not abandon Christianity or refuse to consider it at all just because they accept an old earth and evolution.
They CAN be Christian. They CAN experience the fullness of Christ.
People can believe in a 10,000 year old earth all they want. They can believe that God did not use evolution as part of His creative process. But I must fight against the additional teaching that these beliefs are the only ones consistent with a sincere reading of Scripture or with Christian belief in general.
Now, why do I post here? Why do I debate with Young Earth Creationists (YECs) about the scientific evidence and the theological issues regarding our origins? It is not at all to convince any particular YEC that they should become a theistic evolutionist, that should be said right away. I have no problem with anyone believing in a young earth or in special creation without evolution.
The reason why I engage in these discussions is very simple: I want to remove the stumbling block that is being taught by YECists. I believe that the recent rise of creationism as a major ministry area, beginning in the 1970's in earnest, has created a severe threat to Christianity. Not the belief in a young earth and creation without evolution itself, but the either/or teaching that comes with it. More and more people are being taught that evolution and Christianity are wholly inconsistent and that if you believe one, you can not really believe the other. This puts two very distinct groups in crisis and souls are being lost to the Kingdom as a result. People falling into these two categories might (in fact, they DO) come to this site to seek answers to this crisis and it is to THEM that I am speaking. Here are the two groups:
1. There are Christians, especially young people, who were raised in a YEC household or attend a YEC church, and were taught that evolution is evil, it is absolutely contrary to Scripture and that if you believe Scripture, you can not also believe in evolution. Those who do believe both are deluded or compromising Christians not even worthy of the name of Christian. These young people are ingrained with this teaching and accept it fully. Then they come into contact with the real evidence and come to suspect that evolution might actually be true. This creates a severe crisis of faith. They have been taught that if evolution was true, then the atheists are right and the Bible can not be trusted and God did not create everything after all. I have seen this crisis in action and it is very, very dangerous. I have counseled college students who either had abandoned Christianity or were about to because of this teaching of incompatibility, and was able to show them that the conflict was not true and that they could, indeed , believe in both. Most did not even know that there were Christians who accepted evolution, which shows how sheltered their lives had been. Bottom line: souls nearly lost to the Kingdom which are now solidly within the fold of Christianity.
2. There are non-Christians who accept evolution. In fact, almost all of them do. Those who do not know much about it might be able to set aside this acceptance and adopt a YEC belief and go on just fine. But most of those who really understand what evolution says, have studied it and the evidence available, simply will NOT accept YEC teaching. So, if they are told that Christians, by definition, do not believe in evolution and, instead, believe that the earth is less than 10,000 years old that all the diversity of life was developed after a flood 4,000 years ago, this will be a MAJOR stumbling block to their acceptance of ANY Christian message. Thus YECism becomes a barrier to the Cross for these non-Christians. I have faced this barrier in my own witnessing. It is distressing that I have to overcome the teachings of fellow Christians to win a soul to the Lord. It is even more frustrating when these non-Christians begin quoting to me the very arguments given to them by YECs as to why true Christian belief is diametrically opposed to acceptance of evolution. While I have been able to overcome this barrier with some, others have simply refused to believe any teaching from the Bible because they have been convinced by Young Earth Creationist teachings that the literal reading is the correct reading. I can only hope that these souls are not entirely lost to the Kingdom, but that the seed I planted will take root and eventually allow them to reconsider the issue.
I am sure that many people falling into one of these two categories come to view this forum and I hope to reach them with the message that they need not abandon Christianity or refuse to consider it at all just because they accept an old earth and evolution.
They CAN be Christian. They CAN experience the fullness of Christ.
People can believe in a 10,000 year old earth all they want. They can believe that God did not use evolution as part of His creative process. But I must fight against the additional teaching that these beliefs are the only ones consistent with a sincere reading of Scripture or with Christian belief in general.
